Page 27: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q3 2011)

www.maritimeprofessional.com Maritime Professional 27 The increasing importance of training ship?s crews in the various concepts related to compliance with anti-piracy laws and how to handle a possible pirate attack was recently under- scored by a grim International Maritime Bureau (IMB) first quarter 2011 report which detailed the deaths of seven crewmembers during pirate attacks. Another 34 were injured and almost 350 were taken hostage on 18 hijacked vessels during the same period, said IMB. In response, theInternational Maritime Security Network?s (IMSN) Anti- Piracy Defense Course may just be the economical first logi- cal step for vessel owners and operators to stop the bleeding. SECURITY = APPROVED TRAINING Already approved and certified by Maine Maritime Academy, the IMSN course is also the first to offer an eLearning-based version certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), a worldwide leading certification body that offers the latest in management systems certification services, under its SeaSkill? standard for maritime learning programs. CaptainTimothy Nease (ret.), co-founder and CEO of IMSN, said ?DNV?s highly respected SeaSkill certification program is widely known for its stringent reviews and audits to continu- ously exceed excellence, so it?s remarkable for IMSN to have the first course certification for maritime anti-piracy train- ing.? Designed specifically for officers and crew of commercial vessels, the course provides students with various concepts related to compliance with anti-piracy laws and how to han- dle a possible pirate attack. The online, eLearning course complements hands on drills, defensive tactics and other exercises. IMSN also offers the Vessel and Facility Persons with Specific Security Duties (V-FPSSD) which, in 2012, will be mandatory for all U.S.-flagged mariners with specific securi- ty duties under Standards of Certification, Training and Watchkeeping (SCTW). The course is offered in a traditional brick-and-mortar format, is also being developed into an online version. THE ONLINE EXPERIENCE: DNV-APPROVED, KEEFE-TESTED In June 2011, MarProEditor Joe Keefe took the new IMSN Anti-Piracy Defense Course in the online format. A veteran of other online training programs, including two USCG STCW-approved versions on Crisis Management and Human Behavior, as well as Crowd Management, Keefe was arguably the right mariner to evaluate IMSN?s entry into the online training game. In a focused 3-hour session, he found thecourse to be engaging, informative and a valuable tool for mariners who find themselves traversing pirated-infested waters. MarPro readers can view a DEMO of the course les- son format on IMSN?s WEB site at: http://learn.cpkn.ca/NonScorm/imsn_demo/index.html Using a media-rich environment, the online Anti-Piracy course touches upon a wide array of subjects spread over 6 modules, including: IMSN Anti-Piracy Curriculum What is Piracy? Statistics & Facts Recent Trends Modern PiratesPiracy Hotspots Is Piracy Terrorism? IMSN Approach to Piracy Defense Familiarization with Anti-Piracy Drills Familiarization with Defensive Tactics Over the course of three hours, IMSN brings the student up-HHands OnIMSN Anti-Piracy Defense CourseDNV certified Anti-Piracy Course offers blended version of eLearning and practical drills and exercises. by Joseph Keefe Anti-Piracy Training IMSN co-founder Captain Timothy Nease.MP #3 (18-33):MP Layouts 8/17/2011 4:10 PM Page 27