Back to School

Yesterday I took my first course at Bluewater Yachting School here in Ft. Lauderdale. The course was called Proficiency in Designated Security Duties. It was a funny feeling being back in a classroom after many years, but I enjoyed it and found the information relevant and interesting. The teacher, Gus, was a charismatic gentleman from Puerto Rico originally who was about to retire from 26 years of military service and had many stories to tell. He had us go around the room and state where everyone was from and how long they had been in the industry. It was a mixed bag of experience and nationality and I was happy to be among other newbies who decided on a whim to give this industry a shot. There were a couple brothers from the Czech republic, some gals from the Southern US, many South Africans, a few Canadians. Some had been working on yachts for some years, others brand new like me. Most were in the age range of about early twenties to late thirties or so.

The class focused on practices related to ship security and what types of procedures should be in place on every ship. We learned about the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention, that came about as a response to the sinking of the Titanic. Basically it states that all seafaring vessels must have the proper safety equipment and procedures in place in case of an emergency. We also learned about ISPS (International Ship and Port Security Code) which was enacted following 9/11 and designates a comprehensive set of measures to enhance port and ship security. 

The main objectives of the ISPS Code are:

·       To detect security threats and implement security measures

·       To establish roles and responsibilities concerning maritime security for governments, local administrations, ship and port industries at the national and international level

·       To collate and promulgate security-related information

·       To provide a methodology for security assessments so as to have in place plans and procedures to react to changing security levels

As part of the ISPS code we learned about the Ship Security Plan (SSP) and the Ship Security Officer (SSO) as well as the Company Security Officer (CSO). The SSP is a living document and it is specific to each vessel, it is kept under lock and key and constantly evaluated and updated by the CSO (who is not on board) and SSO (always someone on board) in order to remain current. The plan outlines different scenarios and what action should be taken, identifies restricted areas on the ship, and talks about each crew members responsibilities during a time where there may be a security threat. Drills should be conducted with the crew periodically in order to make sure the plan is understood and followed by all. Being a planner myself, it was reassuring to know that any ship I work on will have a security plan in place as well as a crew member/SSO who is making sure that the plan is communicated to everyone on board. 

Threats can come in many forms, many obvious, but others I had not really thought about including stowaways and refugees. Stowaways are looking for a free passage somewhere, where refugees are generally fleeing due to war or other threats on their person based on their nationality or religion. These people can pose a safety or health threat to the crew, however the instances of finding these types of people hiding away on luxury yachts is slim. Still good knowledge to have. 

We also discussed threats such as piracy and terrorism and the difference between them; piracy is focused on economic gain and terrorism is for political, religious or ideological gains. To better understand these threats we looked at a few different case studies including the MS Achille Lauro attack in Egypt in 1985, just showing that you need to be alert and aware to potential threats. Since the implementation of the ISPS code the number of attacks on ships has decreased greatly, and the amount of yacht related occurrences is minimal compared to other types of commercial ships on the water. 

PLEASE don't worry Parentals, while this class was incredibly informative the amount of yacht related occurrences is very low and focused in an area of the world I do not anticipate traveling to. More of a preventative course to help crew understand why the SSP is in place and the importance of the SSO to the boats functionality. 

Certified!

 Looking forward to the next week of courses...more to come!