Training for a seacraft licence

I write in reply to the letter by Charles Kerr (September 13) to suggest that Capt. Kerr rereads the articles he mentioned in the first paragraph of his letter as he has surely not read them thoroughly.

First of all, there is no indication that I have tried to give the impression (as he states) that the training leading to a licence to operate a mechanically driven craft was not available prior to 2001; in fact, in the (Malta Maritime Authority-published) article dated August 15, I did make mention that "...the (MCAST Maritime) Institute was set up specifically in July 2001, taking over the work of the previous Nautical School in Floriana".

Furthermore, in my article of August 31, I mentioned the "courses (which) had started at the Nautical School at Haywharf". So please, Capt. Kerr, do read the articles once again!

With reference to his mention of "courses started in 2001", Capt. Kerr should have been wiser to quote the whole paragraph (and not just a few words) where it is mentioned that the courses run by the MCAST Maritime Institute started in 2001, also bearing in mind that the Small Ships Regulations 2001 made it mandatory to have a driving licence at the same period of time the Maritime Institute was established. In fact, the MCAST Maritime Institute alone has trained over 3,500 persons to pursue the driving licence since it started operating in 2001.

I therefore fail to conceive how Capt. Kerr jumped to the conclusion that "a good number of the 3,200 who received this kind of training were a product of the Nautical School..." when the Nautical School was not operating any longer?

I respect the opinion of Capt. Kerr when he states that foreigners in possession of a foreign licence should not be subject to attend a three-hour module of instruction prior to being allowed to hire out a boat. On the other hand, I do not agree with him as giving out "a small laminated card outlining these regulations" is not enough. There have been cases where foreigners given out written instructions by boat hirers have not bothered to read these and have, unfortunately, caused serious accidents. There is also no guarantee that foreigners are being given out these instructions and, if they are, actually understand them or put them into practice.

It should be noted that if you visit Germany or even certain areas of France or other parts of the world and want to hire out a boat you will not normally be allowed to do so unless you present a licence which is issued by that country for the purposes of driving such a craft. I find it very unfair that locals would need to attend a two-week course in order to qualify for the licence while foreigners would then only be subject to reading and signing a piece of paper.

I believe that safety at sea should not distinguish between nationalities! As stated by Capt. Kerr, there is much more to say, and I would invite him (as the Malta Maritime Authority appointed consultant on training), to discuss with me any matter he feels of importance or concern as I have done in the past.

I finally also thank Capt. Kerr for his final comment about the "small number of dedicated men" at the Nautical School "who for years invested their time and energy to give professional training to owners of small craft". Certain members of my staff at the Maritime Institute as well as myself happened to be some of these instructors Capt. Kerr mentions... so thanks for your concern. Point taken... Case closed!