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1 TMTI EDUCATIONAL ISSUES ABBREVIATIONS ADB Asian Development Bank AMC Australian Maritime College AusAID Australian Aid for International Development BIMCO Baltic and International Maritime Council EA executing agency EU European Union FMS School of Maritime Studies, Fiji Institute of Technology FSC Flag State Control GMDSS Global Marine Distress Satellite and Safety Systems IMO International Maritime Organization IR Integrated Rating ISF International Shipping Federation ISM International Ship Management NMC National Maritime College, Madang, Papua New Guinea NZODA New Zealand Overseas Development Agency PSC Port State Control RMP Regional Maritime Program (see SPC) SAR Search and Rescue SICHE Solomon Islands College of Higher Education SPC Secretariat of the Pacific Community STCW Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping TA technical assistance TEC Tuvalu Electricity Corporation TMTI Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute TOR terms of reference TOSU Tuvalu Overseas Seamen’s Union 2 A. Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute (TMTI) 1. The institute provides training for young Tuvalu men to enable them to seek employment aboard foreign vessels. It offers three pre-sea programs yearly each taking 20 new entrants, and all of these seafarers are trained for overseas shipping employment. In order that trainees continue to be qualified to work on international ships, the institute must conform to the standards as defined by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the requirements stipulated by the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers as amended in 1995 (STCW 95). This requirement also applies to the free refresher and upgrade training offered by TMTI to the 150 working seafarers who annually have attended in order that they will be able to continue their employment after the STCW 95 implementation date of 1 February 2002. 2. It is extremely important that the planned upgrade and infrastructure investment is successful, as Tuvalu seafarers would no longer qualify for overseas employment if the STCW 95 standards are not met, and revenue flows to the islands would subsequently suffer significantly. The corporatization of TMTI in July 2000 was a major step toward professional management of the institute along sound business principles, and provides a basis to ensure the school is placed on an improved operational footing for the future. 3. Continued compliance with the requirements of STCW 95 may ensure that seafarers may continue in employment overseas, but the global outlook for the employment of seafarers is predicted to become increasingly competitive and uncertain, particularly for ratings. In light of these predictions it is critical that the pre-sea training offered at TMTI delivers skills and attributes above the minimum prescribed in order to deliver the best employment outcomes for graduating trainees. B. Compliance with IMO Requirements: A National Perspective 4. STCW underwent a major revision in 1995 (referred to as STCW 95). The new amendments entered into force on 1 February 1997 and stipulate the standards that every country must ensure its training institutions and maritime administration must meet, in order that its nationals may work on foreign-going vessels and that vessels sailing international waters under their flag may continue to operate. The purpose of the Convention is to ensure that all seafarers are educated and trained to at least a minimum standard and have sufficient experience to perform their duties competently, and thus minimize risk to life, property and the marine environment. 5. Tuvalu gained White List status in November 2000 after compilation of a submission that documented the policies and procedures established in order to ensure that required standards as outlined are met. This initial assessment by IMO was largely based on information supplied by Tuvalu itself, and was essentially a desktop audit exercise. However, attaining White List status is just the beginning of the work necessary to ensure the continued employment of Tuvalu seafarers. Those standards and procedures specified in the original White List submission to IMO must be adhered to, and the Marine Department must be able to demonstrate that working systems to ensure compliance are in place. It is essential to understand it is the Marine Department (as the maritime administration of Tuvalu) that is responsible for compliance and is answerable to any outside agency. 3 6. In order to maintain White List status , Tuvalu must undertake an external audit process at intervals of no greater than every five years. This external audit of is intended to identify the actual extent of compliance, determine the effectiveness of quality systems, provide opportunity to improve quality control, and establish an effective and efficient audit system. The performance and quality systems of the Marine Department in roles other than ensuring the quality and conduct of training at TMTI is also subject to this external audit process, including Search and Rescue (SAR), Port State Control (PSC) Inspections, Flag State Control (FSC) Inspections, and the certification of seafarers. 7. The Marine Department is also obliged to establish a history of internal audit of systems and performance against the documented standards originally provided to IMO in the initial submission for inclusion on the White List, with particular regard to (in this instance) the conduct of training at TMTI. Now that personnel from both organizations have attended the appropriate audit training, it is essential that the Marine Department and TMTI each begin an annual audit process of performance of the other organization against the criteria submitted to IMO in order to cement systems and audit history in place. 8. There is also an obligation and duty to establish that those vessels sailing under the flag of Tuvalu on international voyages are fit for purpose and compliant with all international requirements when they do so. The process by which the maritime administration establishes that this is indeed the case is termed a Flag State Control (FSC) Inspection, and all parties to STCW 95 agree to establish mechanisms designed to verify their vessels are safe to proceed on international voyages. The certification allowing the Nivaga II to carry passengers internationally has currently expired, putting Tuvalu in breach of this requirement. 9. As a party to STCW 95 with White List status, the Marine Department is obliged to conduct Ports State Control (PSC) inspections intended to monitor compliance with STCW 95 aboard all commercial foreign vessels entering Tuvaluan ports in order to ensure that trading, manning and other certification is valid and current, and that all watchkeeping personnel have certificates endorsed as compliant with STCW 95. Similarly all vessels sailing under the flag of Tuvalu are subject to these inspections on entering a foreign port in order to verify the necessary trading and manning certificates, and to ensure the vessel is fit for purpose. If any vessel is found to be below standard the maritime administration of the host country may order it detained until the identified problem is rectified. Maritime administrations share exception reporting identified in the course of PSC inspections, and this could lead to employment difficulties for any nationals whose maritime authority is identified as being in consistent breach. 10. By February 2002 individual officers and crew must be able to provide proof that they meet all new requirements for upgrading courses and additional requirements, in order to be issued certificates endorsed as compliant with STCW 95. It is a requirement that the maritime administration keep records of seafarers’ certification and courses attended, along with the relevant dates and details of issue. The Regional Maritime Program (RMP) section of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has developed the Neptune Seafarers’ database and given a copy to all countries of the region. Tuvalu currently maintains hard copy records that are inaccurate and not able to be used to identify those individuals who have yet to upgrade their qualification prior to the deadline, as requested by RMP in Suva. 11. Maintaining the current White List status is essential for the continued employment of Tuvalu seafarers overseas. Success in doing so is dependent on both TMTI and, in particular, the Marine Department being able to demonstrate that policies and procedures are being followed as designed to ensure the standards required by STCW 95. The RMP section of SPC 4 offer the opinion that in most instances the risk to maintaining the White List status of the ten Pacific nations currently so designated lies mostly with their maritime administrations, rather than their maritime training institutions. Tuvalu is no exception to this, and provision must be made to support the maritime administration role, after the shipping aspects currently held under the Marine Department are corporatized, in order to manage the overall risk to continued employment of seafarers. 12. The RMP section of SPC works in two distinct areas among the 14 Pacific island member countries in order to build human resource capacity. Firstly in the provision of support legal advice and a working framework concerning maritime law; maritime administration law; implementation of international conventions; registration of vessels; safety regulations; marine pollution and the carriage of dangerous goods;