At sea: better safe than sorry

Going out on a boat around the Maltese Islands without having an idea of how to tackle an emergency situation is not exactly the safest thing to do. Emergency situations are not uncommon, even in the shallowest of waters, and could easily turn an enjoyable boat trip into a tragedy. Obtaining prior training in seamanship and safe boat handling lessens the probability of a fatality by a crucial percentage.

Fortunately, since October 2001, the "Small Ships Regulations" require that any person in possession of a boat with 100 hp and above, or capable of exceeding a speed of 12 knots or more, must be equipped with a valid license before leaving our shores. Training to obtain this licence is provided by the MCAST Maritime Institute in Kalkara.

Captain Reuben Lanfranco, head of MCAST's Maritime Institute, is certain that the licence requirement has resulted in a substantial decrease in accidents in the past few years. "Since 2001, tragedies as sea, especially on board pleasure craft, have drastically decreased, and are now next to zero. The last recorded fatal accident involving pleasure craft was a couple of years ago."

Yet, the issue does not superficially revolve around the licence requirement, but it is about safety at sea. The nonchalant "this is never going to happen to me" attitude is not atypical, and unfortunately this is one of the most common negative factors leading to accidents.

The Basic Seamanship and Safe Boat Handling course, fundamental for those wishing to navigate safely at sea and therefore obtain a valid seafaring licence, is offered at MCAST by the Maritime Institute. The institute was set up specifically in July 2001, taking over the work of the previous Nautical School in Floriana, to provide sea navigation training, and has now established itself as a niche for nautical education in the Mediterranean.

It recently hosted seminars on port policy and management for Commonwealth countries, and seminars for other international institutions. The Maritime Institute is also a member of the World Network of Maritime Institutes.

Four years ago, the institute started providing four three-hour lectures a day in Basic Seamanship and Safe Boat Handling, especially during the first few months. It is now providing a steady 31-hour two-week course, apart from other full-time, part-time and ancillary courses.

Capt. Lanfranco explained: "The main aim of the course is to educate how to sail a boat safely, for example manoeuvring principles; what one should do next to a peer; what to do when someone falls overboard, and to what side must the boat turn away to avoid hitting the person in the sea; transmitting a correct distress message, reading a coastal navigation chart and identifying buoys; understanding how lights flash at night; and regulations on preventing collisions. Most of all, we do not teach a person how to drive 'his' boat, but principles that can be applied on any boat.

"We also encourage navigators to exercise their communication skills on board a craft. Very often it is not the navigator himself who would be disobeying the rules, but the passengers. It is also important for the navigator to inform relatives or friends ashore of the planned destination, and, more specifically, to inform them of any changes," he said.

Safety issues also relate a lot to making the necessary preparations prior to setting out at sea. The course teaches other important lessons, such as taking on board extra provisions of food, fuel and water for at least double the duration of the boat trip.

"There are no petrol stations or supermarkets on the open sea," jokes Capt. Lanfranco. Also, if the navigator suddenly feels sick, he/she cannot pull to the side of the road, just as one might likely do when driving. "Therefore it is safer to have another person on board who knows how to navigate the boat. There is always a Master and a Chief Mate on board a ship," he explains. "One should never forget that 'proper planning prevents poor performance'."

Foreigners are equally required to have a licence, as the law does not make any distinction between nationalities. Neither is the law lenient on foreigners who are in Malta for a short visit. An untrained seafarer is always a risk.

However, the licence obtained in a foreign country is certainly helpful. "Foreigners can still present their foreign licence and obtain an exemption from that part of the syllabus they would have covered abroad. Of course they would still need to train for one or two remaining modules, especially in relation to knowledge of local regulations," Capt. Lanfranco explained.

"What I totally disagree with is the fact that there still remain many cases where boats are hired out to persons who do not possess a valid licence. This is sheer irresponsibility and should be condemned."

The Maritime Institute also provides full-time courses for persons wishing to undertake a career in seafaring as well as other short courses on maritime-related topics.

A full list of these courses may be seen on the MCAST Website at www.mcast.edu.mt and more information is provided by Maritime Institute staff on tel: 2180-6467/8 or by e-mail at maritime@mcast.-edu.mt.