The European CRIMARIO project continues its capacity building programme to the benefit of coastal states of Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean (ESA-IO), committed in establishing the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC). From 15 to 19 January 2018, 21 civil servants of Comoros and Madagascar, involved in the action of State at sea, as well as RMIFC team, followed a training session in technical maritime English.
English is a genuine lingua franca in the maritime world and its mastery is essential for anyone involved in maritime safety and security. The training session in maritime English was delivered by a retired Captain of the British Royal Navy. It focused on technical vocabulary (merchant and military marine), grammar and maritime culture. The exchanges in English notably dealt with the maritime issues of the Indian Ocean, such as the specificities of navigation during the monsoon period, the seafarers’ life (merchant marine, traditional fishermen, crew of offshore platforms, etc.), the missions of the multinational naval task forces (CTF 150, EU NAVFOR, NATO), the fight against piracy, the illegal fishing and the different trafficking active in this area.
At the end of these five days, the participants received a certificate, delivered during a closing ceremony organized at the RMIFC, in the presence of CRIMARIO national focal points from Comoros and Madagascar.
With this training, the staff involved in the action of the State at sea are better equipped to process all maritime information; in addition, the RMIFC team can effectively support the international liaison officers who will be joining the Centre.
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