STCW Proficiency in Designated Security Duties [PDSD] Course

About Designated Security Duties

Whilst fulfilling the role of a crew member with Designated Security Duties, you are charged with implementing the mandatory security protocols and procedures as detailed in the Ship Security Plan. This is to assist in maintaining the security integrity, and therefore safety of the crew, passengers, owners and the yacht itself and mitigating any general, criminal, or terrorist-related security incident. Understanding what is required of you as a person with Designated Security Duties is the responsibility of the Ship Security Officer who will be responsible for managing the team and fulfilling the requirements of the Ship Security Plan.

Private Maritime Security Company Personnel [PMSC]

Please note that in most countries, personnel fulfilling the role of Maritime Security Officers [MSO] on board a yacht must also undertake the Designated Security Duties course. Please refer to Flag State guidance from your relevant Department for Transport Agency, or employer to verify their legal requirement.

The Aim of the Course

The aim of the Designated Security Duties [PDSD] Course, is to provide those undertaking Designated Security Duties, also referred to as Vessel Security Duties [VSD] on board a yacht with the essential education and training meeting the Knowledge, Understanding and Proficiency [KUP] requirements set out in STCW Reg VI/6 para 4 Section A-VI/6, para 6 to 8 which supports Chapter XI-2 of the annex to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea [SOLAS] 1974, as amended and the International Ship and Port Facility Security [ISPS] Code. This course is also a mandatory requirement for persons contracted or employed to act as Maritime Security Team [MST / MSO] personnel or similarly named asset.

Regulations Addressed

The PDSD Course has been developed with the following considerations:

• The MNTB Security Courses Criteria [1st Edition]
• STCW Reg VI/6 para 4 Section A-VI/6, para 6 to 8 of the STCW Convention and Code [2010]
• International Maritime Organization [IMO] Model Course 3.26
• The International Ship & Port Security [ISPS] Code 2004 as amended [STCW Table A-VI/6-2]

Vessel-Specific Tailored Courses

VIRSEC also offers the following tailored versions of the Designated Security Duties [PDSD] Course for the following vessel types:

• Commercial Cargo, Offshore and Ferry Crew & Staff
• Cruise Ship Crew & Staff

Awarding Body

The Designated Security Duties [PDSD] Course is fully Approved under the UK Department for Transport Maritime & Coastguard Agency [MCA] and meets with STCW Reg VI/6. paragraph 4 and Section A-VI/6, paragraphs 6 to 8 of the STCW Convention and Code 1978, as amended and incorporates Proficiency in Security Awareness laid down in STCW Reg. VI/6, paragraph 1 Section A.VI/6, paragraph 4.

Certification Renewal

Under the Awarding Body [Maritime & Coastguard Agency], there are currently no expiry dates placed on the [STCW ISPS] Proficiency in Designated Security Duties course certificates. Learners do not currently have to undertake a refresher or re-certification of this course unless directed to do so by the company they are working for.

Course Learning Outcomes

The PDSD Course meets with the following Learning Outcomes as set out by the Merchant Navy Training Board.

1. Know why ship security is important and knows the roles and responsibilities of the organisations and individuals involved.
2. Know what constitutes a security risk, threat and vulnerability to the ship, its personnel, cargo, and operations.
3. Understand the capabilities and limitations of security methods, equipment, and systems.
4. Know how to maintain the measures in a ship security plan and related requirements.
5. Maintain the effectiveness of security arrangements, procedures, and equipment at the three security levels, considering their limitations.

Course Duration

The Designated Security Duties [PDSD] Course duration is approximately 8 hours. A slight variation is allowed for individual reading speeds, but this minimum must be met in order to successfully pass this course. Learners may enter and exit the course as often as they require. Your licence allows you access to the course for up to 6 months to complete [if required] or upon successful completion of the course.

Invigilation Requirement

Learners taking this Online MCA Approved STCW ISPS Proficiency in Designated Security Duties [PDSD] Course are required to be invigilated by a Senior Officer on board the vessel, or if taking the invigilation at home they must have a person of good standing [police officer, lawyer, doctor, etc] act as their Invigilator. Please note that you cannot have a family member or friend act as your Invigilator. If you do not have access to either of the options above, please see below for Remote Invigilation Sessions.

Taking the Course Online or Offline

You are able to take the course fully online as expected, but we also have enabled an offline capability available through an APP (available via Googleplay or the Apple App Store). You may download the course to the APP and take the course whilst at sea, or in areas of poor internet quality. Once you have returned to land, or are in an area of good signal quality, you may then upload the course to the system, and sync it with your User area on the LMS [https://virseclms.org]. To learn more about taking the course(s) offline, please contact us at training@virsec.org.

Remote Invigilation Sessions [RIS] by VIRSEC

Learners can also attend a free Remote Invigilation Session offered by VIRSEC whilst undertaking the Course Assessment(s). These are offered strictly Monday to Thursday [1400 to 1600 hrs BST/GMT] or Friday [1000 to 1200 hrs BST/GMT].

• The Development of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.
• Understand the relevant international conventions, codes and recommendations relating to Maritime Piracy & Armed Robbery against Shipping.
• Understand the roles and responsibilities of relevant bodies and organisations.
• The roles and responsibilities of Contracting Governments, Designated Authorities, and Recognised Security Organisations.
• The Security Roles & Responsibilities of Crew and Port Security Personnel.
• Measures and Procedures for Maritime Security [MARSEC] Levels.
• Recognition of weapons, dangerous substances, and devices.
• Recognition of persons who may pose a threat to the security of the ship.
• Identifying techniques used to circumvent security measures.
• The handling of Sensitive Security-Related Information [SSRI] and Communications.
• Identifying security threats including Maritime Piracy & Armed Robbery against Shipping.
• Security methods, equipment & systems.
• Security monitoring, monitoring equipment & systems.
• The Ship Security Alert System [SSAS].
• The Ship Security Plan [SSP].
• The provisions for maintaining security.
• Criteria for setting Maritime Security [MARSEC] Levels under the ISPS Code.
• Actions to prevent weapons, dangerous substances and devices being brought on board.
• Guidance and measure for Anti-Piracy and Anti-Armed Robbery.
• Responses to Emergency Situations including Maritime Piracy & Armed Robbery against Shipping.
• Physical Searches & Non-Intrusive Inspections.
• Crowd Management & Control Requirements.
• Emergency Drills & Exercises.

Official MCA Approved (STCW ISPS) Proficiency in Designated Security Duties Certification

The online Designated Security Duties [PDSD] Course is fully approved by the UK DfT Maritime & Coastguard Agency [MCA] and is internationally recognised and accepted. It includes the 2010 Manila Amendments and conforms to Regulation VI/6, paragraph 4, and Section A-VI/6, paragraphs 6 to 8 of the STCW Convention and Code 1978, as amended and incorporates Proficiency in Security Awareness laid down in Regulation VI/6 and Section A-VI/6 of the STCW Convention and Code and has also met the additional criteria specified in the STCW Convention and Code, applicable to the issue of this certificate.

Security Encrypted PDF Certificate

Upon successful completion of the online course, verification of Learner ID, and associated official Assessment, Learners will receive an electronic security-encrypted version of your official course certificate [in secure PDF format]. Certificates are usually emailed to the Learner within 24 to 48 hours of confirmation of the course results, or the next working day if complete on Friday.

Expedited Course Certificate

Should a Learner require the certificate to be expedited, either after office hours, at weekends, holidays, or other, a surcharge of £49.95 GBP [+VAT] will be charged and sent by Secure Payment Link. Please note that all payments must be made before the certificate is sent.

Hardcopy, Embossed Stamped Certificate

Learners may also request an embossed stamped, hardcopy certificate to be posted to their home address for an additional standard administration and postage charge of £30 GBP [+VAT]. Please note that VIRSEC is not responsible for any loss or delay of the certificate once it has been dispatched to Royal Mail. Should a Carrier Service be requested, the relevant charges will be applied and all payments must be made before the certificate is posted.

• Is this course Approved by a Flag State?

  Yes, the fully online Proficiency in Security Awareness or PDSD Course, is fully Approved under the UK Department for Transport, Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). The course complies with the requirements placed upon it by the STCW Convention & Code, the International Ship & Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, and meets with the Knowledge, Understanding & Proficiency (KUP) requirements laid out by the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB).

• Is this course Internationally recognised?

  Yes, this course is fully compliant with the Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping (STCW). Any country that is signed up to the ISPS Code and STCW Convention should accept our certification. We have to date provided our courses into 130 countries worldwide.

• How long do I have to complete my online course?

  All our courses have a six (6) month access licence applied to them. This licence commences the day the course is purchased, and not from the day you first access the course.

• Do I need to take notes on the course?

  No, VIRSEC provides you with a comprehensive set of Course Notes that you can download at the start of each of the Learning Outcomes. You can also use these notes to research any answers when taking the Official Assessment at the end of the course.

• Is there an Official Assessment after the course?

  On the Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (PDSD) Course, there is an Assessment on completion of the five Learning Outcomes. You must achieve a minimum score of 70% to successfully complete the Assessment.

• What happens if I fail the Assessment?

  If you fail the Assessment, you may retake it again straight away, or whenever you wish within the 6-month licence applicable to your course [licences commence the day the course is purchased, not the date they are accessed].

• Do I need to attend a Test Centre to take my assessment?

  No, the course is 100% online and you are required to adhere to the strict requirements outlined in the course explanation as well as any requests made of you during the course such as completing and submitting your online Learner Verification.

• Do I need to submit any documentation?

  Yes, you are required to submit an official form of ID such as a scan of your passport, driving licence, or other official photo ID. This is to ensure you are who you state yourself to be, and so we can use this ID to collect the relevant information that will populate your official course certificate. It is very easy to do and will only take you around five (5) minutes to do.

• Do I need an Invigilator when taking my Official Assessment?

  Yes, for the Designated Security Duties there is a requirement for an invigilator to be present during your Assessment only. This can be the Master, Ship Security officer or other Officer ranked member of the crew. They will be required to complete the Online Invigilator Verification Form on our website [also linked from the course itself]. They must complete this form and be present at your Assessment. If you do not have access to an invigilator, please see the following question.

• What happens if I don’t have access to an Invigilator?

  If you do not have access to an Invigilator, you must inform VIRSEC, and we will arrange for you to attend an online Remote Invigilation Session. This is a free of charge service we offer our learners, but you must make yourself available for the relevant session. You can arrange a Remote Invigilation Session by completing the online form accessed from the menu on the VIRSEC website under Online Forms. Please note that failing to attend an arranged Remote Invigilation Session may result in a charge for any subsequent requests.

• How do I receive my certificate when I pass?

  When you complete the course correctly and pass the Official Assessment, we will verify your time spent on the course, your submitted ID, and your Official Assessment. Once we are satisfied, we will email you a secure, encrypted PDF of your certificate that you must print off and sign. These PDFs are security encrypted to prevent any tampering with information placed on them, and so you must print them off to sign with as black pen.

• Is there a minimal time limit I must spend on this course?

  Yes, under the relevant Agencies and Conventions, the Security Awareness is an 8-hour course. This excludes any video content we have included [for interest], viewing of any websites linked from the course or documents also linked from the course.

  We are allowed a slight variation in timings due to individual reading speeds, but we will fail you if you exceed the allowed variance. Please note that the Course Notes are purely there for reference and revision, and any time spent reading these do not count towards your time spent on the course. This is also covered in the course itself, so make sure you spend the time necessary to study properly.

• Can I take breaks, or do I need to complete the course in one sitting?

  You can take a break from the course at any time of your choosing. We also recommend that you have regular breaks and often build reminders into our courses. It is strongly recommended that if you are going to take a significant break, we recommend that you log out. The system will remember your progress so you may continue from that point when you log back in.

• What happens if I don’t take long enough on the course?

  If you complete the course in an unrealistic time (too quickly) we will have no alternative but to fail you. It is important that you treat this like you would any officially Approved course taught in a classroom environment. The fact that it is online is not reason to abuse the requirements. As stated in other FAQs, we do allow a slight variance in timings due to individual reading speeds.

• I am an experienced mariner and/or an officer, does this make a difference?

  No, we do not take into consideration your time served, nor your rank. This is an ISPS Course, and there is an acceptable minimum time set by the relevant Awarding Body and Governing Bodies. If you abuse this, or do not meet with any of these requirements, you will fail the course regardless of the score achieved in the Assessment(s). You will be required to re-take the course and associated assessments.

• I have left it to the last minute to take my course and need my certificate out of hours, what happens next?

  VIRSEC are not responsible for you leaving your course until the last minute, and you run the risk of not receiving your certificate in the time needed. Certificates take up to 48 hours during the working week to turn around, and should this fall over a weekend, you may not receive the certificate until the next working day [holidays excluded]. If you require your certificate to be expedited, you may request this from VIRSEC, but we are under absolutely no obligation to do this and there will be an additional charge applied.

• Is VIRSEC open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for Support?

  Learners are able to purchase courses and take them 365 days a year, 24 hours a day as we are an online company, with access to both our e-Commerce website and Learning Management System [LMS]. However, the company is open during the hours listed on its website [0900 to 1700 hrs GMT/BST Monday to Thursday, 0900 to 1500 hrs GMT/BST Friday, Closed Saturday & Sunday and Bank Holidays]. Support requests may be made but will be managed during these listed office hours.

• Is there an Online Chat Facility for Support Requests?

  VIRSEC do have a Chat Facility on their website and you may make a request for support. However, this is only manned during the hours listed on its website [0900 to 1700 hrs GMT/BST Monday to Thursday, 0900 to 1500 hrs GMT/BST Friday, Closed Saturday & Sunday and Bank Holidays]. Responses to comments or enquiries may take up to 24 hours, or until the next working day as detailed.

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Jana B.

I would like to thank the whole VIRSEC team for creating such an amazing online course. I didn't know what to expect, but after going through the whole course, I would highly recommend it to every seafarer. The course is well structured and provides time & pace flexibility and comfort which I really appreciate. I am amazed at the extent of the information I have gained and I highly doubt I would get the knowledge in such a scale by doing any other classroom PDSD course. I am fascinated by all the additional literature in PDF format, links, and videos. Thanks to them I can revert to this interesting and for all mariner’s necessary topic anytime and study it in even more detail. Thank you.

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Maia L-S.

The course itself is cleverly constructed to go over important points more than once. The customer service I received was instant and helpful. Most importantly, I don’t feel like I just got the certificate, I feel that I have a good understanding of all subjects covered by this course. I will recommend it to all my colleagues.

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Willem B.

I would have done this course long ago if I knew how helpful it would be. I have been a professional yachtsman for 5 years with only a PST. It seems like this course is far under-rated and under-marketed. I would make sure that I do more of these courses which are similarly helpful in the future.

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Sigrid S.

I was unsure of making the decision to do this course online instead of in an actual classroom, turns out I do not regret my final decision as this course succeeded my expectations. I also made a minor mistake when I purchased the course, but after contacting them through email asking if it was possible for them to help me; they had it fixed in 10 minutes! I only have good words to say about this whole experience with VIRSEC.

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Elliott P.

This was a great course! Due to my circumstance and COVID-19, this way of conducting the course was perfect. The course itself was well set out and the methods of learning, videos and examples etc. was great. Highly recommend the course to anyone considering it.

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Jessica H.

I found the course really clear and easy to follow. The use of buttons, images and videos really breaks up the large amount of information they provide. The interface is simple to use and the whole process was really straightforward.

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Erin T.

This is my second time completing a course by VIRSEC, and I have had a great experience once again! The course outline and setup is amazing, informative and easy to comprehend. I would highly recommend VIRSEC!

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Bride P.

This was a professional and very well developed course! I’m full of new knowledge and feel the examples were useful to learn more. Plenty of information and easy to use online material – well done! Thank you for a great course!

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Mark V. K.

How do you make a course like the PDSD tolerable let alone interesting? It’s very difficult! Virtual Training Centre have given it a good shot. The course is well laid out and easy to follow, and if you make a mistake, then go back and try it again, it’s the best way to learn. When I called them to clarify some points that I had, they were clear, helpful and polite. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again if I needed to.

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Gabriela B.

I would recommend this course to anyone needing a deeper understanding of security awareness. It is thorough and provides great films to watch if you need deeper understanding of the material. The links to websites with extra information are very helpful and will also be handy in instances where clarification and on hand references are needed.

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Andra I. P.

Many, many thanks for sending me the Certificate in such a short time, I am very grateful. I did enjoy the training (content and display), I am happy with the knowledge I gained but most of all I appreciate the Excellent Customer Care. It is so reassuring to know that you can be assisted so quickly when needed, to be acknowledged when sending an email. I will gladly recommend the platform when the opportunity arises. A huge 'Thank you'.

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Viktoria H.

Organized, very easy to see through the lessons, very well explained, useful PDF information provided and professionally designed time wise for crew who might take this course throughout busy season. Thank you for providing a stress free online course and an enjoyable experience.

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Elwin G.

Materials that used is good and very informative, i really like that you make the presentation very good to understand and to follow. Thank you. for sure gonna recommend this to others.

PDSD Testimonial Reference by: Tatum B.

The course was very creative, it kept you interested. It was simple to use and the break reminders really helped me navigate through the course especially having an immense amount of information to get through.