Secure your required security endorsement. From you bunk.

The full 10-hour Vessel Personnel with Designated Security Duties curriculum, delivered 100% online and approved by the United States Coast Guard & STCW compliant. Complete it on your schedule. Between watches, on shore leave, or during off-rotations.

Enroll in VPDSD Course
See What’s Inside
For the Ones Already at Sea

Your compliance depends on this certificate. The credential to stay deployable is 10 hours away.

01 why VPDSD

VPDSD is mandatory for specific roles on modern ships.

If you are assigned specific security duties on board international or domestic vessels, this training is legally required. It’s a USCG-approved 10-hour curriculum that satisfies the mandatory STCW security standards before you can assume watch or duty roles.

Total compliance

Keep your credentials fully compliant with current international maritime regulations. Avoid being held back from critical vessel deployments.

Universal utility

VPDSD applies to both deck and engine department crew members. It is a highly valued asset across your entire sailing career.

Required by fleet operators

Most commercial vessel operators cannot clear you for the duty roster without verified security training. This course keeps you on active rotation.

02 Online vs Brick-and-Mortar

Same Credential Without the travel tax.

The 10 hours is the same 10 hours. The curriculum is the same. The credential is the same. The difference is what you give up to earn it.

Traditional QMED School

What it costs you

Full day off rotation

Most physical VPDSD programs require you to lose a full weekend or shift to attend an in-person facility.

Travel + lodging

If you do not live directly near a maritime school hub, a short course means paying for flights and hotels out of pocket.

Cohort schedule

You start when the next classroom opens. If you miss the weekend window, you wait weeks for the next available seat.

BMT VPDSD Online

What we changed

Study between watches

Open lessons on phone, tablet, or laptop. Twenty minutes here, an hour there. The 10 hours adds up on your time.

Zero travel

Your couch, your bunk, the mess hall, anywhere. The course goes wherever you do.

Start any day

No cohorts. Enroll today, start tonight, finish when you’re ready.

03 What’s in the Course

The Full 10 Hours. Nothing Skipped.

Every section the USCG requires for Vessel Personnel with Designated Security Duties, structured for self-paced study. Each module includes a quiz; the course ends with a cumulative AI-proctored final.

MODULE 01

Maritime Security Policy

Overview of ISPS Code, MTSA regulations, security levels, and official responsibilities of shipboard personnel.

MODULE 02

Security Responsibilities

Roles of the Company Security Officer (CSO), Ship Security Officer (SSO), and crew members with designated security tasks.

MODULE 03

Vessel Security Assessment

Identifying key vulnerabilities, assessing risk factors, and understanding the layout of sensitive shipboard zones.

MODULE 04

Security Equipment & Systems

Operation, testing, and calibration of security alarms, detection tools, communication networks, and screening gear.

MODULE 05

Threat Identification

Recognizing weapons, dangerous substances, and hazardous devices, alongside behavioral patterns of potential threats.

MODULE 06

Actions & Emergency Response

Correct execution of shipboard security procedures, managing crowds, and handling security breaches or alerts.

MODULE 07

Piracy & Armed Robbery Defense

Tactics for high-risk transits, non-lethal defense measures, citadel operations, and emergency evasion maneuvers.

MODULE 08

Security Drill Execution

Planning, participating in, and evaluating mandatory shipboard security exercises, drills, and operations.

MODULE 09

Documentation & Reporting

Maintaining the ship security log, documenting security incidents, and handling restricted security communications.

BEMART-747

USCG Approved · Enrolling Now

SELF-PACED · 10.5 HOURS EQUIVALENT

VPDSD Training

Complete required VPDSD training online on your schedule. Built around the 10.5-hour standard classroom IMO Model Course 3.26, so mariners can train from anywhere with internet access.

What’s included

  • Complete VPDSD curriculum based on IMO Model Course 3.26
  • Knowledge checks and final examination
  • Online proctored final exam through SmarterServices
  • Self-paced learning with 60 days to complete
  • Certificate issued upon successful completion

Duration

60 Days to Complete

Format

100% Online

Pace

Self-Paced

Approval Number

BEMART-747

Travel

None

Financing Available

Klarna · 4 Payments

Pay over time, interest-free. Standard credit check applies.

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Talk to a Mariner First
05 Common Questions

Quick answers before you enroll.

The questions we hear most from VPDSD candidates.

Final Word

Your VPDSD endorsement is 10 hours away.

Enroll today. Study from anywhere. Maintain your compliance on the watch.

Enroll in VPDSD Course
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