Page 6: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q3 2011)

6 Maritime Professional 3Q 2011Training & Security: Both Depend on the Other EDITOR?S DESK The 3rd quarter of 2011 has arrived and with it comes a raft of action items placed squarely on the collective plates of maritime professionals everywhere. We can agree to disagree on which issue is of greater concern than another. That said; the tasks of providing maritime security and ensuring adequate levels of pro- fessional training have certainly risen to the top of the list. In our last edition of MarPro , Intertanko Managing Director Joe Angelo said flatly, ?The number one burning issue on the plate of INTERTANKO and probably most of the shipping industry is piracy.? That hasn?t changed. The key to achieving that seemingly elusive safe haven remains on the training side of the equation. But, that?s where it gets sticky. Maritime Security and Training are inextricably linked. That?s because without one, the other is rendered impotent in the all-important effort to turn a profit on the water. And, that?s the bottom line; no pun intended. This issue of MarPro touches upon all manners of mar-itime security; from containers to command centers, piracy to ports, cameras to communi- cations and everything else in between. Along the way, you?ll read about some innovative security training initiatives from the perspective of a maritime professional ? like yourself, for example ? who has actually gone to sea and taken the smoothly delivered online version of that course. And, the one thing we can all agree on is that all the STCW-delivered com- petence in the world is useless in the face of a ship?s crew that cannot competently prepare for and defend itself against the scourge of piracy. The properly defended ship and crew also need to be conversant with all aspects of regu- latory and STCW-mandated training protocols. As the memory of the IMO?s 2010 Manila conference, intended to amend the STCW Convention and Code, fades in the rearview mir- ror, the so-called Manila Amendments to the code are not. 2012 will be here before you know it. So too will a dozen or more new and perplexing STCW training requirements, heaped on top of your already heavy regulatory burden. For myself, the completion of the Bridge Resource Management (BRM) course work at GMATS at Kings Point, NY brings me one step closer to achieving STCW compliance at an age when most mariners are thinking about packing it in. Also in this edition is advice from North America?s foremost expert on ECDIS training. A primary contributor to the shape of the final STCW ECDIS curriculum, GMATS? Christian Hempstead defines the way forward for mariners and their employers everywhere. If maritime security and competency-based training standards are the keel blocks of today?s maritime operations, then the robust epoxy that holds it all together is the effort that shoreside maritime professionals extend to their ship-based colleagues. This includes ensur- ing adequate levels of support, health and safety precautions and yes ? respect. All of this eventually makes the entire operation smoothly move through the water like a freshly coat- ed hull. This additionally takes the form of efficient credentialing and fair treatment from our Coast Guard regulators (and friends), who, not coincidentally, were invited to weigh in on their efforts in this edition. Since the commercial side of this aspect of ship operations is just as important, you will also read about what industry is doing to keep up. Finally, it never hurts to define the demographics of your readers. Our statistical analysis of both maritime professionals and the job markets that define them is arguably the perfect exclamation point to another strong edition. Training, Security, Safety & Welfare ? and Maritime Professionals. Is there anything else? Joseph Keefe, Managing Editor keefe@ marinelink.comMP #3 (1-17):MP Layouts 8/17/2011 8:18 PM Page 6