New Centres provide skills development for Monitoring Control and Surveillance personnel Plans for a new package of Professional and Technical Training for Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) professionals were unveiled recently.
A consortium headed by Carpe Diem Ltd, based at Cranfield University’s technology park in England, has developed the new proposals which are aimed at supplementing existing in-house Vessel Monitoring Systems skills programmes.
Two training centres have been announced, one based at The Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong, Australia and the other at the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) training establishment at Shrivenham. Both will offer services under Carpe Diem’s VMSAcademy umbrella.
Outlining his vision for Professional and Technical Training Provision, Douglas Watson, Group Director of Carpe Diem Ltd said: “The centres will provide Port States, Coast Guards and Regional Fishery Management Organisations (RFMOs) with a common training programme, common information on the latest technical, legal and management developments and will enable key stakeholders to share their experiences and knowledge.”
With a well documented decline in in-house expert knowledge in this sector, many observers have noted that governments increasingly have to contract with multiple vendors and consultants in order to get a complete picture of Vessel Monitoring Systems technology, current legislation, and supplementary technologies. The new centres are a collaborative effort, with a wide cross section of the industry contributing to the courses.
The main suppliers of VMS technology have signed up to the project, including Absolute Software, Inmarsat, ARGOS, Iridium, JRC, Thrane and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has also welcomed the initiative. “Skills building and capacity development are areas that the FAO are keen to see developed and so this initiative is welcomed.’ Said Michele Kuruc of the FAO.
A third centre is due to be unveiled in the Middle East this year.
