The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is offering its pilots refresher courses to enable them handle bigger ships that dock at the Mombasa port.

The State agency said the training is in accordance with the International Maritime Organisation resolution of December 5, 2003, which provide guidelines on training, certification and operation procedures for maritime pilots other than deep sea pilots.

“We had the opportunity to board various ship types of between 260 to 366 metres long and we were also exposed to day and night pilotage on varied ship sizes through Hamburg port,” said Joel Ojowi, one of the trainees in the last group to take courses.

Others were Ali Abdille, Alfred Munga and Hassan Khamis.

The pilots were trained on post-Panamax class ships and use of portable pilot unit at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen and had their practicals at Hamburg port, which has a similar layout as the Mombasa channel, officials said.

Two years ago, the KPA sent six other pilots for a similar training in Bremen.

The training covered key areas of ship handling simulation, master-pilot exchange, pilot passage planning, ship handling and manoeuvring portable pilot unit, tug assistance in ports and confined water and ships hydrodynamics.

Source: Business Daily