Tel +44 (0)20 7299 1800 Fax: +44(0)20 7299 1818
email:
|
Articles |
||
Poseidon Challenge IntertankoSingapore, March 2006 Presented by William O. 'Neil - President of Videotel Marine International
The choice of the name Poseidon interested me because a greater than life sized statue of this Olympian God of the sea stands in the lobby of the IMO building and has been seen by thousands of delegates at imo meetings dealing with safety, pollution prevention and security. What you may not know is that Poseidon came to the job by chance. He was one of three brothers who upon the death of their father (Cruneus) drew lots to determine which Godship would be assigned to them individually. Zeus became King of Gods, Hades was made God of the Underworld and Poseidon drew the short straw and became God of the Sea. But some detractors might say that over the centuries Hades and his underworld connections had as much to do with shipping as did good old Poseidon. But enough of that... I will now get down to the assigned topic of education and training in the tanker industry. However, tankers do not operate in isolation and the basic skills which apply to ships carrying petroleum products also apply to all categories of vessels engaged in the transport of goods and passengers by sea. Everyone here represents some form of activity which involves people - people who are specifically trained and qualified to undertake various tasks which are required of them and which contribute to the success of shipping. The degree of their individual contribution depends on the application of the skills they have acquired and if "zero tolerance" are to be the watchwards then professionalism of the highest order must be the target throughout the whole industry. Educators around the world fully well recognise the significance of this and if provided with the necessary resources and the backing of managers at all levels, will respond positively to the challenge which is being posed. Education and training are not one-off matters but form an ongoing process which incorporates a combination of many factors. Included are core facilities such as maritime training institutions, colleges and universities but in addition to the formal instruction they provide, seafarers in particular must keep abreast of technological changes and the skills needed to handle vessels engaged in expanding trades in cargoes such as LNG and LPG. Account must also be taken of the seafarers lifestyle which may make it awkward for them to attend courses ashore for any extended period of time so that acquiring skills for promotions or upgrading purposes can be difficult and in some cases impossible. However, that is where distance learning schemes come into play. It was with great foresight that Stephen Bond, the Managing Director of Videotel Marine international, recognised the importance of providing seafarers with the means to further their education while at sea and some years ago, developed the concept of video programs with workbooks which could be placed onboard ships for this purpose. Computer based training programs came along approximately 10 years later and this led to the creation of what we now know as Videotel Marine International. A vast array of subjects is included in the videotel library and cover safety, environmental, security and management topics. Their form of presentation has changed over the years with advances in technology but the requirement to be user friendly with accurate up-to-date information has always remained a priority. The delivery system using video and written course material now includes vod - or videotel on demand which permits users to select precisely the training aids suited to their individual needs. This process is accompanied by a shore based vetting and certification arrangement whereby owners and managers can obtain information on the performance and record of each individual who has taken a course. I will not go into the history and evolution of maritime training to its present high level, but instead will comment on how distance learning systems can make further contributions to the achievement of the goals of this conference. Clearly these systems can form a major plank in the Intertanko Poseidon challenge program because of the major role they play in the education and training of both seafarers and shore based personnel alike. In this regard, and being mindful of the need to keep abreast of current and anticipated issues, I will mention a few examples of the programs which Videotel has in hand at the present time:-
Other courses are under development or consideration and will be explored with tanker partners ocimf and intertanko so that they can be introduced as deemed appropriate. In accordance with the request from intertanko to encourage others to adopt the principles of the poseidon challenge we are prepared to liaise with organisations involved in the maritime training field such as:-
We, who are part of the shipping industry, know that the vast majority of tankers ply their trade daily and deliver tremendous volumes of petroleum products without incident. And from my personal experience at IMO as Secretary-General, I am well aware that Intertanko members are extremely conscious of their environmental obligations. Nevertheless it takes just one tanker casualty resulting in pollution of the coastline to stir the media and politicians into demanding some form of action which frequently produces negative results. The only way to cope with this adverse reaction is to clearly show by actions and not just words that shipping is a "quality" industry. This must be emphasized by publicly demonstrating on every possible occasion that shipowners and operators give the highest priority to the human element and particularly to the skills of their seafarers and also that they engage in continuous education and training programmes for all segments of their workforce to assure that professionalism is maintained at the maximum level. In short, sound education and training are fundamental to all efforts to achieve the "triple zero" objectives of intertanko and i would stress to all owners and operators the importance of providing sustained financial and other resource support so that those involved in the education process can deliver as is required and demanded of them. It is especially important that owners should provide onboard training facilities for their crews and that slots should be provided for navigators and engineers to obtain practical experience needed for certification. To repeat what has been said before, but needs to be highlighted: in the whole scheme of things the cost of providing high quality training is not expensive but the results of not having it are. I would welcome your views: ©William O. 'Neil 2006 | ||
First of all I would like to commend Intertanko for taking the initiative to bring together the numerous components of the shipping industry who are here today and who can contribute to achieving the "zero" situation as enunciated in the Poseidon Challenge.