Richard Coleman, CEO of the Vanuatu Maritime College (VMC) has revealed that the Government of Malaysia will assist the College to uplift its survival training standards thanks to the assistance of Mr Laurent Parenté, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
VMC trains seafarers for both the domestic and international shipping industry and requires to maintain its training equipment to the highest standards in order to satisfy the maritime regulatory authority, explains Mr. Coleman.
The current lifeboat is eighteen years old, of the open type which is obsolete and the engine has broken down not to mention that spares are no longer available which severely restricts the training provided in sea survival says Mr. Coleman.
The purchase of a totally enclosed lifeboat with a 25 or 36 person capacity, including in-board diesel engine propulsion and external water spray facility along with the launching davits and the remedial and upgrade works to the wharf and launch platform for a total sum of 25 000 000 VT was not financially feasible for the VMC explained Mr. Coleman.
Thanks to Ambassador Parenté competences and networking among the international maritime community, the VMC sensed that his assistance could pay off and it did says Mr. Coleman.
Ambassador Parenté has indeed confirmed that the Government of Malaysia will provide not only the enclosed lifeboat and its davits (small crane) but will also undertake the lifeboat shipping cost, its installation and the wharf upgrade works costs for a total value of Vt25 million.
A team of Malaysian experts have arrived in Port Vila on June 10 for 5 days to assess the current condition of the wharf before work on installation of davits can be carried out once the lifeboat arrives on Santo, says Mr Parenté.
“Mr. Coleman’s professionalism and high aspirations for the VMC has comforted me in putting all my efforts in this project in approaching Malaysia currently serving as Chairman of the IMO Technical Cooperation Committee or TCC (Ambassador Parenté is Vice Chairman).
“Malaysia responded positively to my request and I am confident that when I will be elected Chairman of the TCC next year Vanuatu will gain tremendous maritime capacity building supports,” says Ambassador Parenté.
The provision and installation of a fully enclosed lifeboat will tremendously assist the VMC in providing even better quality trainings bringing new employment opportunities to Vanuatu seafarers on internationally trading vessels.
Mr. Coleman and Ambassador Parenté are now hoping to extend the international recognition of Vanuatu seafarer’s certificates beyond the region through the IMO Member States representation channel and the assistance of the Vanuatu International Shipping Registry (VMSL) which has developed over the years a vast foreign seafarers certificates recognition scheme.
