Four legally, five in practice. STCW basic training is four modules. The fifth thing training providers bundle in is a separate requirement under a different part of the convention.
The four
Personal Survival Techniques, PST (Table A-VI/1-1)
Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting, FP&FF (Table A-VI/1-2)
Elementary First Aid, EFA (Table A-VI/1-3)
Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities, PSSR (Table A-VI/1-4)
The MCA is explicit in MSN 1865: "The 4 elements of basic training are" the list above.
The fifth
Proficiency in Security Awareness sits at Table A-VI/6-1, under STCW Chapter VI regulation VI/6. It is not part of basic training, but it is separately mandatory for anyone working on a ship that has to comply with the ISPS Code, and the MCA requires it for a Ship's Cook Certificate. Most employers ask for it. Get it.
While we are here: they do not all expire
You will read that all STCW certificates last five years. Only two of them need updating: PST and Fire Fighting. The MCA states there is "no requirement for seafarers to update" Elementary First Aid and PSSR.
One exception. If you hold an RYA commercial endorsement, the RYA separately requires your first aid to be refreshed every five years. That is a condition of the endorsement, not of STCW.
Online courses
The MCA does not accept online courses where a practical face to face component is required. Online-only STCW basic training is not valid. Check any provider against the MCA's approved list.
Sources
Last reviewed 16 August 2026.