The thesis studies the international STCW-F Convention regulating qualifications of fishing vessel personnel. The comprehensive review of the Convention is currently ongoing at the International Maritime Organization. The thesis compares Finnish national requirements with the reviewed Convention and assesses the impacts if the Convention was implemented in Finland.

The study scrutinizes international conventions and legislation comparing them with Finnish national legislation. The work utilizes registers e.g. on numbers of fishing vessels or fishing vessel personnel qualifications, studies accidents with Finnish fishing vessels involved and uses research papers published in the EU regarding the training and competencies of fishing vessel personnel.

The research did not recognize direct safety related needs justifying the ratification of the Convention. Requirements for training and competency can be amended also nationally if needed. It is advisable that national requirements would be kept as close as possible to the Convention requirements in order to make potential future implementation easier. Although Finland decided to stay out of the Convention, it is possible that the Convention could come binding in all EU member states through EU legislation.

The possible reasons for ratification would mainly be promoting international regulation on fishing vessel personnel and advancing the free movement of workforce. However, the movement of workforce from states outside the Convention would become more difficult and decisions on the matter are important to be made uniformly with the states supplying workforce to Finnish fishing vessels.