Harbour Masters News

The NEXT GEN Shock Mitigation Solutions Workshop has been rescheduled to October 6, 2020. The program and format will remain the same and the majority of attendees have confirmed their availability for the new date at the Grand Harbour hotel, Southampton UK.Workshop Lead, John Haynes said, “Whilst we are living in challenging times, we believe it is still important to make plans for the future. Our focus is on viable innovation and using people’s time effectively. There is no…

UPDATE [April 23]: This event has been rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will be held October 6, 2020. More information is available here.Devices, apps and digital are coming fast at sea. As simple and cost effective technology solutions become available for boats, the NEXT GEN Shock Mitigation Workshop brings decision makers together to highlight the burning issues today and identify viable solutions for the future.Repetitive Shock and Whole Body Vibration (RS & WBV) has kept scientists busy in recent years.

The largest cohort of 27 port masters, harbour masters and middle managers from maritime and port authorities from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and Oceania attended the sixth Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) Academy’s Port Management Program (PMP).Developed and organized by MPA Academy, the five-day Program will be delivered by industry practitioners as well as senior officers from the MPA. Some of the key subjects that will be covered during the Program include maritime safety, port planning, digitalisation of the maritime industry, emergency preparedness and crisis communication. The Program includes lectures, practical sessions and site visits.

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) said that it has been monitoring the gender balance through the effective attendance of port professionals to the different meetings of the organisation over the past year."The outcome of this monitoring reveals that, all technical committees together, overall 31,76% of port professionals attending the meetings were women, 68,24% men," announced the industry body.Looking in more detail into the different committees, the results of this monitoring reveals that the Port Governance committee, the Trade Facilitation, Customs and Security committee, the Sustainable Development committee and the Cruise…

The fifth run of the MPA Academy Port Management Programme (PMP), aimed at port masters, harbour masters and middle managers from maritime and port authorities, kicked off today with a record 20 maritime officials from across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Oceania. Developed and organised by MPA Academy, the five-day programme will be delivered by practitioners from the industry as well as senior officers from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Some of the key subjects that will be covered during the programme include safety, port planning and security. This year, the programme will include a new topic on digitalisation to address the increasing adoption of automation and technologies in the maritime industry.

A ground breaking event took place in Alexandria, Egypt (15-19 October) when 30 women from nine Arab countries officially launched The Arab Association for Women in the Maritime Sector (AWIMA). The new network joins the International Maritime Organization (IMO) family of regional Women in Maritime Associations (WIMAs), giving visibility and recognition to the role women play as key resources for the maritime sector. Ships’ surveyors, harbourmasters, marine engineers and maritime lawyers, to name a few, came together at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) to set a framework for the new network. The goal is to provide training and knowledge-sharing to facilitate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)…

The MPA Academy – the training arm of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) – in partnership with the Singapore Management University (SMU) and Human Capital Leadership Institute, has officially launched its 2nd Advanced Maritime Leaders’ Programme (AMLP). Taking place from 20 to 25 April 2017, the six-day programme will gather 19 senior maritime and port officials from all regions including, Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Oceania. The Advanced Maritime Leaders’ Programme (AMLP) focuses on leadership development and is uniquely designed for senior maritime officers heading maritime and port administrations in their respective countries.

Every port is different. But the harbor masters meeting in Vancouver this week are finding they all have much in common. “We all are dealing with issues of efficiency, the environment, and security and how to develop our ports to best accommodate our customers today and in the future,” says Capt. Kevin Richardson, president of the International Harbour Masters’ Association (IHMA) and a retired chief harbor master at the Port of Dover in the U.K. The congress is being hosted by the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, and the third largest in North America by tonnage.

A review of coastal navigation safety by Maritime NZ has found that there is a sound framework in place to manage the movement of ships around the New Zealand coast, with procedures in place to assess risk and adjust safety measures if required. Maritime NZ Director Keith Manch said the review, begun in April last year, was prompted by an anticipated increase in the number of ship visits to New Zealand, a trend toward larger ships, and technology changes in navigational aids. Consideration was also give to a Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) recommendation following the grounding of the Rena that Maritime NZ collect data on shipping movements around the New Zealand coast, and monitor and control the use of virtual aids to navigation around the New Zealand coast.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has launched a new training facility in its academy. The new training facility is in the PSA Building along with many other MPA’s divisions, making the facility more accessible to MPA officers. “Training is a common denominator for all maritime administrations," said MPA chief executive Andrew Tan. The new facility was opened in conjunction with the start of the 5th Maritime Public Leaders’ Programme. Since its launch in 2011, more than 70 participants from 40 countries have taken part in the week-long course. 18 maritime leaders are participating in the programme this year. Repositioned in 2014 to be a full-fledged academy with a focus on global maritime leadership development…

Live testing of ‘Avanti’, a new on-line web based application that provides validated nautical information for port users is due to commence at a number of European ports. Following successful prototype testing at Port of Rotterdam, the ports of Göthenburg, Marseille and Luela will commence live testing in spring 2014. Avanti has been developed by Envitia for the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) in collaboration with the International Harbour Masters’ Association (IHMA) and promises to make a major contribution to the rapidly expanding field of e-Navigation.

The UK Club has for a long time been very concerned about the number and severity of accidents which occur when ships are under tow or are engaged in mooring alongside. Even fatalities to crew and to shoreside mooring gangs are not rare occurrences while far too many incidents result in injuries that will end a seafarer’s or stevedore’s career. Despite much publicity regarding the risks, the ‘do’s and do not’s’ when working as part of a mooring party, the Club says the claims still keep coming in, often accompanied by horrific photographs.

IBC Global Academy has announced the availability of training bursaries for the international Diploma for Harbour Masters course. This unique course addresses the theoretical knowledge required by the profession and is popular with both Harbour Masters and Port Captains wishing to update their professional knowledge as well as wider marine department personnel who work in support of a Harbour Master. The course attracts students from around the world and is also popular with seagoing personnel looking to prepare for a move ashore into a port authority role or other maritime safety focus. The bursary application deadline is 11th June 2010.

"Ship efficiency is a question of perspective", this is one conclusion of the two-day expert conference of the German Society for Maritime Technology on "How to make ships more efficient?". More than 150 participants from all over the world attended the first international conference on ship efficiency in Hamburg. Increasing fuel prices and strong environmental concerns have initiated the high ranking forum of naval architects, ship engineers, ship owners, ship builders, maritime institutions and suppliers, classification societies, financial analysts investors, academics and media representatives. Participants came from Australia, Denmark, Indonesia, Italy, Iran, Norway, Sweden Finland, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, UK, India, Korea and the US.

Who is in charge when a land-based fire brigade responds to a blaze at sea? What are the fire risks for ships in port and under construction? How can design and technology enhance marine fire protection? Prevention, detection and control on ships and offshore structures will be examined at a new forum in London in March by key personnel including ship owners and managers, ship and harbour masters, safety officers, marine and fire protection engineers, insurance executives and senior fire-fighters. The first International Fire on Ships Conference takes place at the Inmarsat Conference Centre on March 11-12, organised by Lloyd’s List Events and supported by UK body the Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CACFOA).