The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has consistently identified Duty Holder training as an area of weakness in the Ports Sector. At the end of November our maritime specialists completed a busy schedule of Duty Holder training courses around the UK – five port and harbour authorities over three days in three locations.

Harbour authorities and owners of marine facilities must have a ‘Duty Holder’ as defined within the Port Marine Safety Code. The Duty Holder is either an individual, or more typically a Board who are both individually and collectively accountable for compliance with the requirements of the Code.

The week started with a unique combined Duty Holder training event that brought together three Trust ports; Langstone Harbour Board, Chichester Harbour Conservancy and Littlehampton Harbour Board held at the Chichester Yacht Club. This collaborative approach allowed attendees to share the challenges they face at their respective harbours and best practice solutions.

The second location on the Duty Holder training tour was Port Glensanda, a deep-water facility located near Oban on the West Coast of Scotland. Glensanda is the largest granite quarry in Europe and one of the UK’s top ten tonnage ports, which is owned and operated by Aggregate Industries. Our Maritime Team delivered a bespoke training course to the senior management at the Harbour Authority. Tailoring the course allowed for examples and extracts of Glensanda’s Special Harbour Act to be discussed, highlighting relevant duties and powers as they applied in local legislation.

The final training event was held on the Isle of Wight for Yarmouth Harbour Commissioners. Yarmouth is a picturesque fishing, yachting and ferry port – connecting Lymington in the New Forest to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. The deep-water harbour retains much of its historic maritime culture and is a popular yachting destination. The training was designed around a half-day delivery so that Commissioners could combine training with an afternoon Board meeting.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has consistently identified Duty Holder training as an area that requires improvement in their 'PMSC Health Check Trends' report.

Prepared by Monty Smedley, Head of Maritime Consultancy

If you are interested in organising Duty Holder training for your port, please email us or call +44 (0)2380 711 889.