Videotel Launches Training Course

Maritime training provider Videotel Marine International has launched Shipboard Security, a distance learning course produced in association with The West of England Ship Owners Insurance Services. Shipboard Security is specially designed for training Ship Security Officers in accordance with the new SOLAS Chapter XI-2 "International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code". "Under the ISPS code every vessel over 500 gt and trading internationally is required to have a trained Ship Security Officer onboard," says Videotel's deputy managing director Chris Haughton. "Videotel and the West of England have been working closely with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), United States Coast Guard (USCG), other prominent industry bodies and leading shipping companies in order to develop the Shipboard Security training course to help the maritime industry meet these new training requirements in an efficient and cost-effective way. The Shipboard Security training course enables shipowners to demonstrate that they are meeting their security responsibilities and the mandatory requirements set out in the ISPS Code." Shipboard Security ensures the Ship Security Officer is trained in all aspects of security by implementing the security plan for their vessel and disseminate security information to the crew. Shipboard Security also addresses the vital interaction between the ship, the Company Security Officer and the Port Facility Security Officers. The course is in the form of a printed guidebook, supported by a training video, or a DVD disk if preferred. Alternatively an interactive CD-ROM is available which features on-screen assessment and testing capabilities.