Operational guide · Operational procedure

Crowd Management: Managing the Flow to Assembly Stations

STCW crowd management concerns personnel designated to assist passengers on passenger ships engaged on international voyages; outside that scope, national, flag and SMS requirements apply.

crowd managementSTCW A-V/2IMO Model Course 1.41passenger flow management

Operational Explanation

STCW V/2 governs personnel serving on passenger ships engaged on international voyages. Crowd-management training concerns masters, officers, ratings and other personnel designated on the muster list to assist passengers in an emergency, not everyone on board without distinction.

Regulatory Reference

STCW Code, Section A-V/2 and Table A-V/2-1: mandatory crowd management competences for passenger ship personnel, concerning the implementation of onboard emergency plans for passenger muster and evacuation and assisting passengers along the route to the assembly and embarkation stations. IMO Model Course 1.41: dedicated training course on crowd management on passenger ships.

Scope of Application

Personnel designated on the muster list to assist passengers on passenger ships engaged on international voyages. Outside that scope, training applies where required by national law, the Administration or the SMS.

Procedure / How to Complete It

Confirm whether ship and voyage fall within STCW V/2.
Identify muster-list personnel assigned to assist passengers.
Verify training and familiarisation required for the role.
Outside the international scope apply national, flag and SMS requirements.

Practical Example

Example: during a realistic exercise, crew trained in crowd management manage a group of passengers who, in a crowded corridor, tend to head toward the lift instead of the stairs as required by procedure: staff intervene with clear, repeated instructions, physically guiding the flow toward the correct route.

What Typically Goes Wrong

Crowd management training stems from the recognition, documented by several real incidents, that passenger behaviour in an emergency systematically departs from that assumed in theoretical evacuation calculations: people may freeze, head back to their cabin, or ignore directions unless actively guided by trained, visible staff.

Common Mistakes Mistake Library

Mistake	Consequence	How to avoid it
Emergency exercises conducted only with linear routes and cooperative passengers, without panic or misunderstanding scenarios	Crew unprepared for actual passenger behaviour in a real emergency	Include realistic non-cooperative behaviour scenarios in periodic exercises
Passengers with additional assistance needs not identified before the emergency	Late or insufficient assistance during movement toward the assembly stations	Proactively identify passengers with special needs, integrating them into the crowd management plan
Personnel with crowd management responsibilities in the muster list lacking the required STCW A-V/2 training	STCW non-compliance and personnel unprepared for the assigned role	Verify that every crowd management role in the muster list is covered by personnel trained per STCW A-V/2

What the PSCO Checks

Port State Control Officers (PSCOs) may check, through crew interviews and training record checks, that personnel with crowd management roles in the muster list have completed the required STCW A-V/2 training.

Operational Tips

Do not train only for the ideal route: the most useful exercises include realistic, non-cooperative passenger behaviour scenarios.
Identify in advance, not during the emergency, the passengers who will need additional assistance moving toward the assembly stations.
Remember that crowd management is a role distinct from design-stage evacuation analysis: one is calculation, the other is real-time human management.

Preparation checklist

Ship and voyage qualified
Designated personnel identified on muster list
STCW V/2 training checked where applicable
National/SMS requirements checked outside scope

FAQ

Must everyone on every passenger ship take this training?

No. STCW V/2 concerns passenger ships on international voyages and crowd-management training concerns designated passenger-assistance personnel; national, flag or SMS duties may apply elsewhere.

Crowd Management: Managing the Flow to Assembly Stations

Operational Explanation

Regulatory Reference

Scope of Application

Procedure / How to Complete It

Practical Example

What Typically Goes Wrong

Common Mistakes Mistake Library

What the PSCO Checks

Operational Tips

Preparation checklist

FAQ

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