The ship is the best lifeboat, but what can you do in an emergency? Always be ready! This is what specialists with a wide range of expertise taught Asimina Porrou when she completed her week long STCW Basic Safety training recently!
In this blog Asimina shares a little about what she learnt.
Recently I had an ideal opportunity to boost my maritime knowledge by participating in a STCW Basic Safety Course with Seascope Maritime Training in Liverpool. The course is the legal, mandatory training required for anyone looking to work on board commercial vessels over 24 meters in length, including Cruise Ships and Yachts and, most importantly for my work, onboard offshore survey vessels. The course did not focus only on theory but also on understanding how to act when faced with an emergency.
We were taught how the ship is our home, and we may experience risks physically and mentally whilst there. To overcome these risks, we were told never to overestimate risks and dangers; act efficiently, as the first actions are the most important. Spending five days on this course, I completed five modules, including Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting, Personal Survival Techniques, Personal Safety & Social Responsibility, Elementary First Aid and Proficiency in Security Awareness.
I found the course extremely beneficial to my work. The maritime industry focuses on reducing risks such as environmental impacts, safety, environmental standards, and operational efficiency. The STCW course provided me with an understanding of the environmental impacts of my actions and the ecological regulations I must comply with. The course helped me become more aware of my surroundings and better prepared for facing and tackling potential hazards. I became familiar with safety and survival equipment; I learned how to do the right thing; and the codes of safe working practices for Seafarers. I am now more conscious about the marine environment and how to be part of improving sustainability in the maritime industry. I have been offered a new experience regarding training changes in marine environments, which allowed me to mitigate problems.
I can now significantly contribute to identifying, understanding, and eliminating risks. I may face hard facts at sea and challenges. But I will always remember that having a strong will and high will to survive is the only way to defeat difficulties.
My next assignment for MSDS Marine will require me to undertake an archaeological review of geophysical and hydrographic data as a seafarer going offshore on projects this summer supporting offshore renewables. I am thankful that I can now meet the safety requirements that enable me to do my job. I felt safe, supported, and valued throughout the course. But this would not have been achieved without the amazing crew I was part of.
