Website Terms

These Website Terms govern your access to and use of the website, digital pages, online forms, certificate validation tools, centre information pages, learner information pages, employer information pages, standards information pages, news pages, downloads, portals and any other online services operated by or on behalf of ACOSTS — ASEAN Council for Offshore Safety and Training Standards. By accessing, browsing or using this website, you accept these Website Terms in full. If you do not agree with these Website Terms or any part of them, you must not use this website. These Website Terms apply in addition to any other terms, policies, contracts, centre approval agreements, learner declarations, certificate rules, privacy policies, cookie policies, platform terms, Hub terms or specific service terms that may apply to ACOSTS services.

ACOSTS — ASEAN Council for Offshore Safety and Training Standards — is an offshore safety, training, assessment and competence standards body serving the offshore, marine and energy sectors. ACOSTS develops and maintains industry-led standards, qualifications, competence frameworks, approval processes and certification-related systems designed to support safe, skilled and competent offshore operations across the ASEAN region and related international markets.

In these Website Terms:

"ACOSTS", "we", "us" or "our"

Means ASEAN Council for Offshore Safety and Training Standards, including its authorised operating entities, regional offices, representatives, platforms and administrative functions.

"Website"

Means the ACOSTS website and any related webpages, portals, online forms, certificate verification tools, digital content, downloads and online services.

"User", "you" or "your"

Means any person who accesses, browses, submits information through, relies on or otherwise uses the website.

"Content"

Means all text, graphics, logos, icons, images, page layouts, standards summaries, course descriptions, downloads, documents, forms, videos, software, data, marks, design elements and other material made available on the website.

"User Content"

Means any material, data, text, documents, images, records, enquiries, forms, feedback, complaints, reports or other content submitted by a user through the website.

"Approved Centre"

Means a training centre, organisation or provider that has received formal written approval from ACOSTS to deliver specified ACOSTS standards, courses, assessments or qualifications, subject to applicable conditions.

Unless otherwise stated, ACOSTS or its licensors own the intellectual property rights in the website and the material published on it. Subject to these Website Terms, you may view, download for caching purposes, and print pages from the website for your own personal, internal business, educational or informational use. You must not, without prior written permission from ACOSTS:

• –Republish material from this website on another website, platform or publication.
• –Sell, rent, license, sublicense or commercially exploit website material.
• –Reproduce, duplicate, copy or exploit website material for commercial purposes.
• –Edit, alter, modify, adapt or translate website content.
• –Redistribute website content except where ACOSTS expressly makes it available for redistribution.
• –Use ACOSTS standards, logos, marks, certificates, approval badges or documents in a misleading way.
• –Present ACOSTS content as your own.
• –Use ACOSTS content to create competing standards, certificates, training products, approval schemes or qualification frameworks.
• –Remove copyright notices, disclaimers, trademark notices or ownership statements from any ACOSTS material.

The ACOSTS name, logo, trademarks, service marks, certification marks, approval marks, centre marks, certificate marks and related branding may only be used with express written authorisation from ACOSTS. You must not state, suggest or imply that you are approved, accredited, recognised, authorised, licensed, endorsed, affiliated with or partnered with ACOSTS unless you have received formal written confirmation from ACOSTS. Without written authorisation, you must not use phrases such as:

• –"ACOSTS approved centre".
• –"ACOSTS accredited centre".
• –"ACOSTS recognised course".
• –"ACOSTS certified provider".
• –"ACOSTS authorised partner".
• –"ACOSTS approved certificate".
• –Any similar phrase that may mislead learners, employers, regulators, authorities or the public.

ACOSTS may require immediate removal of unauthorised, inaccurate or misleading use of its name, logo, marks or materials.

The information on this website is provided for general information and stakeholder support only. However, website information does not replace:

• –Formal ACOSTS standards.
• –Written approval agreements.
• –Centre approval conditions.
• –Learner rules or handbooks.
• –Certification rules.
• –Audit reports or technical decisions.
• –Contractual documents.
• –Regulatory requirements.
• –Legal advice.
• –Formal written decisions issued by ACOSTS.

Users must confirm important information directly with ACOSTS before relying on it for training delivery, centre approval, employment decisions, regulatory compliance, certification, procurement, offshore access or safety-critical decisions.

Nothing on this website grants automatic approval, accreditation, recognition, authorisation, licence, certification or permission to deliver ACOSTS standards, courses, assessments or qualifications. Training centres, employers, organisations or individuals seeking ACOSTS approval must complete the applicable process, which may include application, document review, due diligence, audit, site inspection, instructor review, pilot delivery, corrective action, technical review, final panel decision and written approval. Only formal written approval issued by ACOSTS confirms approval status. Marketing material, website references, enquiries, verbal discussions or preliminary correspondence do not constitute approval.

ACOSTS may publish or provide information about approved centres, applicant centres, approval status, certificate status, standards, courses, locations or related services. Although ACOSTS aims to keep such information accurate and current, approval status and course availability may change. Users should verify approval status directly through ACOSTS or the relevant official ACOSTS channel before enrolling, making payment, appointing a provider or relying on a centre's claimed approval. ACOSTS is not responsible for unauthorised representations made by third parties, centres, agents, consultants, advertisers or individuals.

Where ACOSTS provides a certificate validation checker or verification tool, it is made available to support legitimate verification of ACOSTS-related learner and certificate records. You must use the certificate validation checker only for lawful and legitimate purposes. You must not:

• –Scrape, harvest, copy or mass-download certificate data.
• –Use automated tools, bots or scripts to query certificate records.
• –Attempt to access restricted learner data.
• –Alter, forge, manipulate or misuse certificate information.
• –Use certificate information for unauthorised marketing.
• –Misrepresent a person's certificate status.
• –Use validation results to create false employment, training, visa, offshore access or regulatory claims.
• –Attempt to bypass security limits, access controls or verification restrictions.

A certificate appearing as valid confirms only the displayed ACOSTS record at the time of verification. It does not guarantee employment, offshore access, visa approval, medical fitness, regulatory acceptance, role competence, job placement or suitability for a specific worksite unless separately confirmed by the relevant employer, authority, operator or contracting party.

You must use the website only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not damage ACOSTS, other users, learners, centres, employers, stakeholders or the integrity of ACOSTS standards. You must not use this website:

• –In any way that is unlawful, illegal, fraudulent, harmful, misleading or abusive.
• –In any way that may damage, disable, overload, impair or compromise the website.
• –To transmit viruses, malware, spyware, ransomware, worms, Trojan horses, keyloggers, rootkits or other harmful software.
• –To attempt unauthorised access to systems, portals, records, accounts, servers, databases or restricted areas.
• –To interfere with website security, certificate validation tools, forms, portals or authentication systems.
• –To submit false, forged, misleading, defamatory or unlawful content.
• –To impersonate ACOSTS, an approved centre, a learner, employer, regulator, authority or representative.
• –To transmit unsolicited commercial communications, spam or unauthorised marketing.
• –To conduct scraping, data mining, data extraction, crawling, harvesting or automated data collection without written consent.
• –To misuse ACOSTS branding, standards, approval status or certificate systems.
• –To upload documents containing unlawful, confidential or third-party information without authority.
• –To attempt to reverse engineer, disrupt or manipulate website functionality.

Access to certain areas of the website, Hub, centre portal, learner record system, certificate management system, standards library, audit platform or other digital tools may be restricted. ACOSTS reserves the right to restrict, suspend, disable, refuse or terminate access to any part of the website or related systems at its discretion. If ACOSTS provides you with a username, password, access link, authentication credential or account, you must keep it confidential and secure. You are responsible for all activity carried out using your account or credentials. You must immediately notify ACOSTS if you suspect unauthorised access, compromised credentials, fraudulent activity or misuse of a restricted system.

Where you submit content through the website, you confirm that:

• –The information is accurate, complete and not misleading.
• –You have authority to submit the information.
• –The information does not infringe the rights of any third party.
• –The information is not unlawful, defamatory, abusive, discriminatory, fraudulent or harmful.
• –Any personal data submitted is provided lawfully.
• –You have obtained any necessary consent or authority before submitting third-party personal data.

By submitting User Content, you grant ACOSTS a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, copy, store, process, review, reproduce, adapt, publish, translate and distribute such content as necessary for the purpose for which it was submitted. ACOSTS reserves the right to remove, reject, edit or restrict any User Content submitted through the website where it considers this appropriate.

ACOSTS processes personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy. By using this website or submitting personal data through it, you acknowledge that ACOSTS may process personal data for purposes including enquiry handling, centre approval, learner support, certificate validation, employer support, website security, complaints, whistle-blowing, audits, legal compliance and service administration. You should not submit unnecessary sensitive personal data unless specifically requested by ACOSTS for a legitimate purpose.

The website may include links to third-party websites, platforms, portals, social media pages, embedded content, maps, videos, forms or external resources. Such links are provided for convenience only. ACOSTS does not control and is not responsible for third-party websites, content, security, privacy practices, terms, accuracy or availability. Accessing third-party websites is at your own risk. You should review the terms and privacy policies of any third-party website you visit.

The website and its content are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, ACOSTS excludes all representations, warranties, guarantees and conditions relating to the website and its use, including any implied warranties of accuracy, availability, completeness, fitness for purpose, non-infringement, satisfactory quality and reasonable care and skill. Nothing in these Website Terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, ACOSTS shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from or in connection with:

• –Use of or inability to use the website.
• –Reliance on website content.
• –Errors, omissions, delays, interruptions or downtime.
• –Unauthorised access caused by user negligence or third-party activity.
• –Loss of data, business, revenue, profit, goodwill, reputation or opportunity.
• –Consequential, indirect, special or punitive loss.
• –Viruses, cyber incidents or harmful code transmitted through third-party systems.
• –Use or misuse of certificate validation results.
• –Unauthorised third-party claims of ACOSTS approval or recognition.
• –Decisions made by employers, operators, centres, authorities, regulators or third parties.
• –Third-party websites, services, tools or integrations.

You agree to indemnify and keep indemnified ACOSTS, its officers, representatives, regional offices, employees, consultants, contractors, licensors and authorised partners against any losses, damages, costs, liabilities, claims and expenses, including legal expenses, arising from:

• –Your breach of these Website Terms.
• –Your misuse of the website.
• –Your unauthorised use of ACOSTS content, name, logo, marks, certificates or approval status.
• –Your submission of false, unlawful, misleading or infringing content.
• –Your misuse of certificate validation tools or learner records.
• –Your unauthorised access or attempted access to restricted systems.
• –Any claim that your User Content infringes third-party rights or violates applicable law.

If ACOSTS believes that you have breached these Website Terms, ACOSTS may take action it considers appropriate, including:

• –Suspending or terminating your access to the website.
• –Blocking your IP address.
• –Disabling your account or credentials.
• –Removing submitted content.
• –Refusing applications, submissions or service requests.
• –Contacting your internet service provider, employer, centre or organisation.
• –Notifying relevant regulators, authorities, employers, centres or law enforcement.
• –Requiring corrective action.
• –Taking legal action.
• –Reporting suspected fraud or certificate misuse.

ACOSTS shall not be liable for failure or delay in performing any obligation relating to the website where such failure or delay arises from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including cyber incidents, hosting failures, power outages, natural disasters, war, terrorism, civil unrest, industrial action, government action, regulatory restrictions, pandemics, communication failures or third-party service disruption.

ACOSTS may revise these Website Terms from time to time. Updated Website Terms will apply from the date they are published on the website. Users should check this page regularly to ensure they are familiar with the current version. Continued use of the website after updated terms are published will be treated as acceptance of the updated terms.

If any provision of these Website Terms is found by a court or competent authority to be unlawful, invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in effect. If part of an unlawful, invalid or unenforceable provision would be lawful, valid or enforceable if deleted or modified, that part shall be deemed deleted or modified to the minimum extent necessary.

These Website Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and any applicable platform-specific or service-specific terms, constitute the agreement between you and ACOSTS in relation to your use of the website. Where you enter into a separate written agreement with ACOSTS, such agreement shall apply in addition to these Website Terms. In the event of conflict, the specific written agreement shall prevail for the relevant service or relationship.

These Website Terms shall be governed by the laws applicable to the ACOSTS entity or contracting organisation responsible for operating the website or providing the relevant service, unless a different governing law is stated in a written agreement, approval contract, learner document, centre agreement or official ACOSTS policy.

For questions about these Website Terms, please contact: