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

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

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

pricing

$300

Financing Available

Klarna · 4 Payments

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

Start Enrollment

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USCG / STCW Approval

100% Online – USCG Approved and Meets STCW Requirements

Vessel Personnel With Designated Security Duties (VPDSD)

This course is self-paced in an online format based on the 10.5 hour standard classroom IMO Model Course 3.26, Security Training for Seafarers with Designated Security Duties.

Any applicant who has successfully completed your Vessel Personnel with Designated Security Duties (VPDSD) (BEMART-747) course will satisfy:

The VPDSD training requirements of 46 CFR 12.625(a)(1); AND
The VPDSD standards of competence required by STCW Code Section A-VI/6 paragraph 6 and Table A-VI/6-2, as amended 2010, meeting the National Assessment Guidelines from NVIC 21-14(Ch-1).

Course Requirements

A smart phone, tablet or computer is required to work through the course.

The following is the minimum computer requirements for the final proctor exams:

Desktop or laptop computer (Mac, Windows, or Chromebook)
Windows 7 or newer / macOS 10.10 or newer
Macs require a minimum of macOS 10.10.
Minimum internet speed: 1 Mbps download & upload
Google Chrome (version 74 or higher)
Web camera and microphone (required for final exam)

Testing Requirements

Final Exam: 20 multiple-choice questions
Passing Score: 70%
Attempts Allowed: 3

All exams are conducted online within the course in partnership with our proctoring provider, SmarterServices.

Quick answers before you enroll.

The questions we hear most from VPDSD candidates.

Is VPDSD required for all crew members, or only for certain people on the vessel?

VPDSD is required for crew members who are assigned specific security duties under the vessel’s Ship Security Plan, not for every person aboard. Under 33 CFR 104.220 and STCW Table A-VI/6-2, any seafarer who will perform designated security functions, controlling access points, conducting security searches, or responding to security incidents under the direction of the Vessel Security Officer must hold this certification. If the Ship Security Plan names you in a security role, VPDSD is your required credential. If no designated security duties appear in your role, the certification is not mandatory for your position.

How is VPDSD different from the Vessel Security Officer certification? Do I need both?

VPDSD qualifies you to carry out specific assigned security tasks within a structure led by someone else. The VSO certification qualifies you to build, implement, and lead the vessel’s entire security program, including writing the Ship Security Plan and coordinating with the Company Security Officer and Port Facility Security Officers. The distinction is between executing within a security framework and being accountable for that framework. Most crew with assigned security duties need VPDSD. The officer named as the vessel’s security officer needs the VSO certification. Which one applies to you is determined by the role your company assigns you in the Ship Security Plan, not by your rank alone.

My company told me I need this before my next contract. Can I realistically finish in 60 days?

The 60-day window is the completion deadline for the course, and the actual time most students need to finish the material is well within that. The final exam is 20 multiple-choice questions. If you have a specific contract start date, contact us directly and we can tell you whether the current approval status and your enrollment timing line up. We would rather give you a direct answer than have you enroll and find the timeline tighter than expected.

The course is listed as pending USCG approval. When will my certificate actually be usable?

USCG Approval Number BEMART-747 is assigned and the approval is actively being processed. Completing the course now positions you for immediate NMC submission the moment approval comes through. Contact us before enrolling so we can tell you exactly where things stand. Your credentialing timeline deserves accurate information, not a rough estimate, and we can provide that before you commit.

Does the VPDSD certification expire and how is it renewed?

The VPDSD endorsement is part of the standard five-year STCW revalidation cycle under STCW regulations and 46 CFR. Renewal goes through the USCG NMC revalidation process, and the specific pathway depends on the state of your overall STCW credential package at the time of revalidation. The NMC revalidation guidance details what is required for your particular situation.

Does this course include any practical demonstration or video assessment, or is it the written exam only?

The VPDSD course requires only the written final exam, which is 20 multiple-choice questions administered through our AI-proctored testing platform. There is no video upload or practical demonstration requirement for VPDSD. That is one of the meaningful differences between this course and the Vessel Security Officer course, which requires you to film and upload demonstrations of intrusive and non-intrusive search techniques. VPDSD focuses on security awareness, your role within the Ship Security Plan, and knowledge of security procedures, all of which the written examination covers.

Final Word

Your VPDSD endorsement is 10 hours away.

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

Enroll in VPDSD Course

Talk to BMT