STCW Refresher Course UK: 5 Schools’ Prices Compared (2026)

22 Oct 2026

STCW refresher course in the UK: the short answer

You need to refresh Personal Survival Techniques (PST) and Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (FPFF) every five years to keep working on STCW-compliant vessels, commercial yachts included. In the UK, an STCW refresher course costs from £324 + VAT (£388.80 inc. VAT) at Stream Marine Training in Glasgow up to £550 for UKSA's three-day course on the Isle of Wight. Most take 1.5 to 2 days.

• How often do you need an STCW refresher? Every five years for PST and FPFF, plus Advanced Fire Fighting and Survival Craft if you hold them.
• How long does an STCW refresher take? Half a day to one day per module, so 1.5–3 days for PST + FPFF depending on the school and your route.
• Can you do an STCW refresher online? Not the PST or fire updates. The MCA requires them face to face. Only the Advanced Fire Fighting refresher can be online, and only from an approved provider.
• Do I need to refresh first aid? No. Elementary First Aid and Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities don't need updating.

If you're new to all this, start with what STCW Basic Safety Training is. This post assumes you already hold it.

UK STCW refresher prices compared

Prices were checked on each school's site on 21 October 2026. "PST + FPFF" means the two compulsory updates. Where a school sells them as single days, we've added them up ourselves.

On paper Stream is cheapest, even with VAT added. UKSA is the most expensive, but it's a three-day course and the only one with accommodation. Where a school doesn't say whether VAT is included, ask before you pay.

The MCA lists 20-plus UK providers. We've covered the ones yacht crew search for most. All five above appear on the MCA's Updating PST and Updating FPFF lists dated 8 October 2026.

Stream Marine Training (Glasgow)

Stream sells everything ex VAT and as single modules on consecutive dates: PST update half a day (£124), fire update one day (£200) with live fire in a multi-storey steel unit. Non-swimmers are fine on the PST update, which is supervised. Deck crew can bundle in Survival Craft (Refresher 3, £479, 2 days) or Advanced Fire Fighting as well (Refresher 4, £689). Stream says those refresher courses are only for people who've been at sea within the last five years.

Falmouth Training Solutions

Falmouth sells the PST update (£155) and fire update (£295) as separate days, so you can book only the one that's due. Its three-day U-BSTC (£550) adds an Elementary First Aid day. The school's own page notes first aid isn't part of the compulsory refresher, so skip it unless you want it.

Falmouth harbour. Falmouth Training Solutions sells the PST and fire updates as single days, so you can book just the one you need. Photo: Tim Green, CC BY 2.0.

Seahaven Maritime Academy (Newhaven)

Seahaven runs a two-day "STCW Fire and PST Refresher" for £475 from Newhaven Port.

Fleetwood Nautical Campus

Fleetwood is the clearest on routes. The PST update is a 4-hour Route 1 session (£160) if you can declare onboard drills, or a full-day Route 2 (£225) if you can't. The fire update is a day at £320. Fleetwood states "no additional costs". Group or company bookings have to be made by phone.

UKSA (Isle of Wight)

UKSA's three-day update runs alongside its five-day BST and includes live firefighting in breathing apparatus in smoke-filled spaces. You need 100% attendance. It's the only school here with a residential option.

Cowes harbour. UKSA's three-day refresher runs in West Cowes, and it's the only school here with a residential option (£650 in 2026). Photo: ITookSomePhotos, CC BY 4.0.

Not priced online: RelyOn (Clyde Training Solutions) and Warsash

Clyde Training Solutions, now branded RelyOn, runs PST, fire, AFF and survival craft updates in Clydebank. It doesn't publish prices, and its pages list no dates, so you'll need to call 0141 427 9411. Warsash Maritime School (Solent University) runs a morning PST update and a one-day fire update near Southampton. Prices weren't visible online; email [email protected]. Both are on the MCA lists.

Advanced Fire Fighting refresher

If you hold Advanced Fire Fighting, which mostly means officers and senior deck crew, it needs the same five-year update. UK prices on 21 October 2026: Falmouth £180 (1 day), Stream £210 ex VAT (half a day on Route 1, also by webinar) and Fleetwood £235 (1 day, medical declaration required). It's the only STCW refresher the MCA lets you do online, and only from a provider approved to run the full AFF course.

Who needs an STCW refresher, and when

If you work on an STCW-compliant vessel and your PST or FPFF course (or your last update) is more than five years old, you need a refresher. Yacht agencies and management companies check those dates when they're hiring, so an out-of-date ticket can cost you a job before you're ever asked about it.

The MCA's MIN 643 says these courses "do not expire as such", but they "must have been completed or refreshed within the last five years". The same rule covers Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats and Advanced Fire Fighting if you hold them. First aid, PSSR and the security courses don't need refreshing. MIN 643 says it expires on 30 November 2026, so check gov.uk for the version that replaces it.

If your certificate ran out years ago, the refresher is still your route as long as you can show the original. Schools accept the original certificate, a stamp in your discharge book, or a CoC.

Warsash's survival craft facility on the Hamble: Warsash Maritime School is on the MCA's updating lists for both PST and fire fighting. Photo: Djm-leighpark, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Route 1 vs Route 2

• Route 1: you sign a self-declaration (under MSN 1865 Amendment 1) that you've done the relevant onboard drills in the last five years, such as donning a lifejacket and boarding survival craft. That gets you a shorter course, for example Fleetwood's 4-hour PST update.
• Route 2: you haven't done onboard training in five years, so you take the longer course (a full day at Fleetwood).

If you've been off boats for a while, expect Route 2 and budget for it.

Can you do an STCW refresher online?

No, not for PST or fire fighting. MIN 643 says no online course will be accepted "where there is a requirement for face-to-face practical training". You have to get in the pool and on the fire ground. The Advanced Fire Fighting update is the one exception (see above).

You'll see "online STCW refresher" products approved by other flags. If one is online, it isn't MCA-accepted for PST or fire fighting, so check with your flag state or management company before you pay.

For UK-flagged vessels, the MCA accepts PST and fire updates from any IMO "White List" country. Doing it abroad works too. Antibes refreshers start at €590 at Seascope, and Fort Lauderdale has a one-day MCA-style refresher at $749.

What to bring

Compiled from the schools' joining instructions:

• Your original PST and FPFF certificates, or a discharge-book stamp or CoC as evidence. Without these you won't get on the course.
• Photo ID: passport or driving licence (compulsory at Fleetwood and Stream).
• Swimwear and towel for the PST pool session.
• 100% cotton overalls or clothes with no metal (no jeans at Stream) for fire day, plus a change of clothes. Fleetwood provides safety boots.
• Wash kit.
• A medical self-declaration, which Stream asks for on fire courses and Fleetwood on AFF.

How to book

1. Check the provider is on the current MCA list. The MCA approved training providers page links the Updating PST and Updating FPFF lists. If a course isn't on them, email [email protected] before you book.
2. Book direct on the school's site. Call for group bookings.
3. Book well before your five-year date. As of 21 October, Falmouth's 28–30 October course was full, and UKSA had final places only on 28–30 October, 4–6 November and 9–11 December.

Your next step

Find the date your PST and FPFF were last done, add five years, and book one of the STCW refresher courses above before that date. Once your tickets are current, sign up free on Radius. Check in at the port you're in and your ENG1, STCW and CV are verified, so captains and recruiters can find you on a live map. For the bigger picture on landing work, see our guide to yacht jobs.