POINTE BLANCHE:--- On a continued mission to establish key partnerships with global organizations, Port St. Maarten has yet again embarked upon a new milestone with Global Port Training in setting up a training Outpost in St. Maarten which was formalized on Thursday in Antwerp, Belguim with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Port St. Maarten executive team consisting of Mark Mingo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Humphrey Mezas, Chairman of the board of directors, the signing of the MoU signified succession planning and resourcing which is key to the cargo business at the port, Mingo said on Thursday.
Together with Global Port Training CEO and member of the board Lode De Bock and Alain Roels Director at Global Port Training, the signing of a MoU was successfully finalized to establish and partner up with the Port in establishing a training Outpost center in St. Maarten.
Global Port Training offers customized solutions - each project is unique, developed and based on the customer's expectations. The solutions both align with the company's as well as the target group's objectives. The company is specialized in launching new maritime activities and /or companies.
Global Port Training delivers a full 'concept', which clearly links the theoretical part of the training to the practical part; is very adaptable, mobile and flexible; and combines training and knowledge of Port related aspects offering training modules such as communication of safety issues, all aspects within stevedoring / dockers know how's, crane certification training, train the trainer courses and as well as the maintenance of the equipment. The trainings also have an added-value as, for example with the maintenance of equipment’s the machines will remain in good operational condition for longer as well as last longer; there will be no unnecessary delays due to breakdowns; and operating hours will be maximized.
Global Port Training customers include companies, institutions and governments all around the world.
The training Outpost Facility will be a key component to Port St. Maarten’s operational excellence platform ensuring quality and certified port operations across the board via establishing various audit models for continued improvement and success of Port St. Maarten, and will also be used as a catalyst to use St. Maarten as a centralized training hub on a regional and international level.
“This is simply the start of something much bigger whereby Global Port Training being a well-established player in Port Operations worldwide for example in countries such as Oman, Togo and Iran. This relationship will create further foot prints within our region and within certain target markets within the Caribbean Basin, as well within the North and Latin America markets.
“The technology to be used include camera headset simulators 3D as well as physical hardware, and this will save companies money. By having this joint venture with Port St. Maarten and creating a landmark training Outpost Centre in St. Maarten, we have set the stage for human resource development and excellence in training,” Mark Mingo, CEO said on Thursday.
The partnership between Port St. Maarten and Global Port Training started back in 2009/2010 with the certification training of the port’s first crane operators when the crane company was formally established. Due to the successful relationship that has been developed, Global Port Training and Port St. Maarten have been exploring opportunities in enhancing their working relationship.
St. Maarten continues to see positive results within its cargo numbers as it relates to transshipment cargo via Port St. Maarten - double digit growth. Based on this, and looking at vessel scheduling, there is a need to have a proper flow of professional human resources on hand and at the same time keeping them upgraded based on new working techniques and trends in containerized cargo handling technology.
The signing of the MoU ties into the human resources development of staff at Port St. Maarten and beyond. On July 18 the port welcomed three new recruits to its division St. Maarten Harbour Crane Company after they successfully completed their certification course to join the crane team.
Four senior crane operators also took a refresher course and training. The trainings started on June 13 and were completed July 18 with all crane operators receiving certification. The training was carried out by Global Port Training certified crane trainer Gunther Dierckx.
The training took place using the port’s Gottwald Mobile Crane, the largest in the North Eastern Caribbean.
Also present to witness the signing of the MoU was Terminal and Cargo Operations Manager Roger Lawrence and General and Governmental Affairs liaison Bertrand Peters.
