STC-SA
Start Your Maritime Career.
Train in South Africa.
Work Internationally.
STCW and OPITO-approved maritime and offshore training from campuses in the Port of Cape Town and Africa’s busiest port, Durban. Certificates recognised internationally. Careers, not just certificates.
premium maritime training and workforce institution for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Since 2001, we have trained, certified, and supported the placement of the professionals who keep seas, ports, and offshore operations running, from first-time career entrants to marine pilots, tug masters, and offshore crews.
We don’t just issue certificates. We invest in what happens next: our crewing division connects learners to employment, our government-funded programmes require employer letters of intent before candidates are accepted, and we have watched our seafarers progress from cadet to master.
Trainees don’t just buy a course from us, they start a career.
Why train with STC-SA
Recognised internationally
South Africa is an IMO-whitelisted nation, every STCW certificate issued here is a global passport. Train here, work internationally.
25+ years of institutional history
Established 2001. Trusted by regulators, shipping lines, cruise operators, leisure and superyacht sectors and offshore companies internationally.
OPITO-approved offshore training.
A fully approved OPITO centre with a fully operational Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET) simulator.
Real environments, not just classrooms.
Live fire grounds, survival pools, launching appliances, and a DNV-certified full mission ship handling simulator.
From certification to career
Near-100% employment outcomes on funded programmes and a cruise employment pipeline that has placed 4,500 candidates.
7 days a week.
Training runs every day, because safety doesn’t take weekends off.
Clinic
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Crewing
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Find your course
Basic STCW Safety Training Course
9 Days • Durban
Your first step to sea, the mandatory foundation every seafarer needs.
Personal Survival Techniques (PST)
2 Days • Cape Town & Durban
Learn to survive at sea, and help others do the same.
Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting
3 Days • Cape Town & Durban
Confidence in the face of fire, trained in live conditions.
Elementary First Aid (EFA)
2 Days • Cape Town & Durban
The immediate response that saves lives at sea.
Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities
2 Days • Cape Town & Durban
Work safely, communicate well, and contribute to life on board.
PSSR: Bullying & Harassment (PSSR-B&H)
1 Day • Cape Town & Durban
A safe ship is also a respectful one.
What we do
Train
STCW courses from Basic Safety Training to advanced qualifications, OPITO offshore courses, bespoke simulation training, and yachting certification, on campus in Cape Town and Durban.
Certify
SAMSA-accredited and OPITO-approved certification, with Republic of Marshall Islands accreditation for cross-border delivery across Africa.
Place
A crewing division and employer partnerships that connect certified candidates with real jobs at sea and offshore.
Consult
Maritime consulting, technical assistance, HRD strategy, and research for companies, ports, and governments.
Two campuses, two of Africa's great ports
Cape Town Campus
Inside the working Port of Cape Town. Home to our ship handling simulator, on-site medical clinic, and our international inbound training clients.
Durban Campus
Adjacent to Africa’s busiest port, with the full OPITO offshore range and our HUET simulator, the hub for the oil and gas sector, built on a training heritage dating back to 1975.
Partnership network
A partnership with Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) provides a third domestic node, extending STC-SA’s national footprint across South Africa’s major port cities.
Who we serve
Shipping and fleet companies
Shipping and fleet companies, bulk training agreements, reliable certification turnaround, and SAMSA audit-ready compliance documentation. Your crew, certified and deployable.
Offshore oil and gas operators
Offshore oil and gas operators, OPITO-approved BOSIET, FOET, HUET, and CA-EBS, delivered with assessment rigour and no compromise on the standard.
Cruise lines and passenger vessel operators
Cruise lines and passenger vessel operators, high-volume, rapid-turnaround crew certification and a workforce pipeline into entry-level vessel roles, proven at scale with global cruise operators.
Government, SETA, and development funders
Government, SETA, and development funders, demonstrable employment outcomes, transparent reporting, and B-BBEE compliance. We deliver employment, not just certification.
Fishing, yachting, and leisure
Fishing, yachting, and leisure, from Safety Officer Fishing to superyacht-ready STCW certification, scheduled for fast turnaround before the season.
Individual seafarers and career entrants
Individual seafarers and career entrants, whether you’re renewing a certificate or wondering whether a life at sea is possible for you, we’ll show you the path and help you walk it.
Values in action
Behind the institutional credibility are real people, genuinely invested in outcomes. Our student feedback wall tells the story better than any brochure: careers begun, certificates earned, lives changed.
Employment matters to us. Careers matter to us. Safety, always.
Ready to take the first step?
Every facility, appliance, and simulator is maintained under a rigorous inspection regime, load testing, servicing, and microbiological and air quality testing by certified third-party providers, because Safety First applies to our own equipment before anyone else’s. Contact us to arrange a site visit.