Be the first to comment!AFM Maritime Safety and Security Training Centre graduation ceremony
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Thirteen Navy and Coast Guard Officers from Algeria, China and Tunisia graduated on Friday 1st November after completing a four-week long Search and Rescue Mission Coordinators course that was organised at the Maritime Safety and Security Training Centre of the Armed Forces of Malta.
On completion of the course successful students qualified as Search and Rescue Mission Coordinators from the Armed Forces of Malta. This course was attended for the first time by an Officer from the People’s Republic of China.
The course was held between 7 October and 1 November 2013 and was sponsored by the Swiss Government and the Maltese Government as part of their common effort to improve maritime safety and security in the central Mediterranean region and in other international waters. During this course, experts from the Armed Forces of Malta, Italian Armed Forces, Malta’s Meteorological Office and the United States Coast Guard were invited to deliver lectures on a wide range of subjects related to maritime search and rescue to provide a comprehensive course programme.
The course curriculum is mainly based on maritime search and rescue planning intended for personnel who will be Search and Rescue Mission Coordinators in a Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC). Courses train students to:
• Understand the SAR System and Organization; • Investigate and obtain information about an incident to initiate response to a SAR incident which will be vital for the success of the operations; • Correctly use Search and Rescue Planning Software (Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System, SAROPS) to enhance SAR missions; • Prepare and make a Search and Rescue Action Plan for Search and Rescue Units to carry out the Operation; • Coordinate, execute plans, and monitor the SAR System up and down the chain of command.; and • Be able to conclude operations and evaluate the mission.
The role of the Maritime Safety and Security Training Centre (MSSTC) of the Armed Forces of Malta is to train AFM personnel and International students in the latest operational techniques and offers specialised training in search and rescue, maritime law and maritime security operations. So far, the Centre delivered courses to more than 206 students from 32 countries.
Photograph – AFM Press Office
