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Planning for the Year Ahead

Presented by Leonard Holder - Extra Master, MPhil, FRIN, FNI.
Warden and Past Master, The Honourable Company of Master Mariners, London

Electronic communications and Information technology are not objectives in themselves, but ways to get things done more quickly and efficiently. So, before diving into the technology...

The new year encourages us to review the past and plan for the future. The past year saw the shipping industry regain much of its pride and assurance, not least through the efforts of Secretary-General Mr. Efthimios Mitropoulos and the International Maritime Organization who chose the theme of World Maritime Day as "International Shipping - Carrier of World Trade" and backed it up with evidence of the contribution which shipping makes to the world economy, with minimal impact on the environment. Part of the message was to highlight the importance of people: "We should, therefore, never forget our collective responsibility to help promote the notion of seafaring as a viable and attractive career for people of the highest calibre, now and in the future". This message should apply not only to seafarers, but to managers and others who provide services to shipping. Moving these ideas forward into 2006, there needs to be emphasis on recruitment, education and training.

The year 2005 saw an interesting debate about whether standards need to be raised above the minimum standards set in the 1995 revisions of the Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping Convention. The latter part of the year included a Nautical Institute debate in which a world-wide audience agreed that the major problem was not setting higher standards, but reinforcing the basic STCW standards in those regions where, for various reasons, they were falling short of the acceptable minima. Most of the people who lack proper education and training are not ignorant or lazy - they just lack facilities and opportunities. They need help.

It is therefore logical that the Secretary General and IMO agreed that the theme for World Maritime Day 2006 would be "Technical Co-operation: IMO's response to the 2005 World Summit". IMO technical cooperation includes three aims, one of which is Human Resource Development, training male and female experts to develop and manage national programmes for:

• maritime safety administration
• marine environment protection
• development of maritime legislation
• facilitation of maritime traffic
• technical port operations
• training of seafarers and shore-based personnel

The exciting thing about modern communications and information technology is that the means of evaluating educational needs, managing and delivering education and training, and assessing and recording its effectiveness are now available through the Internet, through DVDs, VCDs, videos, CD-ROMs and other media which can make the expertise of experienced lecturers and trainers in one part of the world available on board ship and in colleges, training centres and homes on the other side of the world. These are exciting times. At Videotel, we shall be doing our best to make sure high quality services are delivered at reasonable cost. However, we realise that the efforts of our team will not succeed without the right attitude and commitment among managers, trainers and trainees to want to work with us to upgrade their skills, broaden their knowledge and pass on their valuable experience.

In 2006, the shipping industry should continue to encourage television, film, radio and all other forms of media to make educational, documentary, general interest and exciting drama reflecting the true scope and value of our industry. When people whose lives are safe and comfortable switch on the television or read a newspaper or magazine, they should be reminded about the seafarers and shipping managers whose work makes it all possible.

I would welcome your views:

© Leonard Holder 2006

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