I was invited to speak about seafarers and yachting at the biennial conference, the Malta Maritime Summit,2022.
This is the forum where players in the maritime industry can bring matters of importance to the attention of the authorities and propose a way forward.
It is the third time that this biennial event is being organised. It is being held in the first week of October 2022. I was only invited last week, during the Monaco Yacht Show. It was a really nice surprise and the referral came through a dear colleague and friend.
Themed “The Voice of the Industry”, this event will host prominent and influential maritime stakeholders who will be debating maritime concerns and challenges facing the various sectors including the post-COVID reality, technology, environment and finance.
These discussions include, in particular, the training needs of seafarers and of the yachting industry. The work of seafarers in yachting has come under the spotlight during recent times: many professionals do not believe that the current training formats are sufficiently set up to cater for the very specialised world that is yachting. Those working onboard yachts are set for an entirely different experience from seafarers in shipping. We shall see why – and explore solutions – during the panel session in which I am involved.
I have been training seafarers since late 2009, but most of my trainees have been geared towards the shipping world. In yachting, there is an entirely different set of needs – both in terms of formal training as well as the human side of skills.
The subject I shall be speaking on refers to the changing training needs of seafarers, particularly in the yachting industry. The industry also has its needs: the yacht owner needs to be assured of the training of the crew he employs onboard this very expensive asset. Lives are still at stake and it is important to ensure that crew are properly trained up for the job.
The Malta Maritime Summit will include a discussion panel on exactly this topic.
Watch this space for more information!
