Photo from the physical components for STCW’s 'Fire Prevention and FireFighting' section when the course was offered pre-Irma. Photo: Junior Daniel/HLSCC

Participants during the basic STCW courses pre-Irma. Photo: Junior Daniel/HLSCC

The HLSCC’s Maritime Programme Coordinator, Captain Martin Cherry said, “These basic STCW courses underpin the requirements for those seeking to obtain the Caribbean Boat Master’s license to operate small commercial vessels.”

Mandated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the STCW course provides a global safety training standard for the marine industry and is a required certification for all mariners working on commercial ships, yachts, ferries and cruise ships.

The Basic STCW course, designed to help crewmembers on vessels to cope with on-board emergencies, consists of four major components: Personal Safety and Social Responsibility; Elementary First Aid; Personal Survival Techniques and Fire Prevention and Firefighting.

Overcoming challenges

Destruction of the College’s fire-fighting simulator resulting from Hurricane Irma disrupted the College’s ability to deliver STCW courses.

Following the installation of an upgraded replacement simulator in mid-2019, a course audit with surveyors from the United Kingdom’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) was scheduled for early 2020 on site at Paraquita Bay. However, plans were quickly dismissed as COVID-19 related lockdowns and travel restrictions swept the globe.

In late 2020, faculty and staff from the HLSCC’s Marine and Maritime Studies Programme developed a novel approach to the audit process. Together with staff from the MCA and support from the HLSCC’s IT department, the MCA’s first ever STCW virtual audit was scheduled.

During the week of December 8, 2020, a team from the HLSCC’s Marine and Maritime Studies Department liaised virtually with surveyors from MCA, while HLSCC’s STCW Instructor and Master Mariner, Captain Cherry and Station Officer of the Virgin Islands Fire and Rescue Services, Joseph George delivered physical components for STCW’s “Fire Prevention and Fire-Fighting” section.

Youth development

Head of Marine and Maritime Studies, Ms Susan Zaluski said, “STCW is an integral part of marine studies, including the recently launched Marine Professional Training (MPT) Programme, which was designed to support youth development in the BVI.”

Dean of Workforce Training, Mrs Marva Wheatley-Dawson noted that an STCW certificate will enable the holder to sail on any size and type of commercial boat or ship anywhere in the world and is renewable after five years. Mrs Wheatley-Dawson further added, “This certification supports the broader goals of the Workforce Training Division, to ensure that HLSCC training equips students to become competitive and better prepare them for work placement and changing careers. Through the OECS’s Eastern Caribbean Institute of Tourism, HLSCC’s Centre for Applied Marine Studies is designated to become a Maritime Centre of Excellence.”

Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr Arlene L. Smith-Thompson commented, “This recent provisional approval by MCA gets us one step closer to the goal of helping HLSCC to build its brand and position itself to market its marine training courses throughout the Eastern Caribbean.”

Plans to develop a schedule for the delivery of STCW courses are underway and will be released to the public shortly.