Lecturers and participants in the advanced port facility security officer course held at the Knutsford Court Hotel, June 2-6.

THe maritime sector's first advanced port facility security officers certification course has been a success, Captain John Ulett, managing director of Security Administrators Limited (SAL) said.

According to Captain Ulett, a total of 24 security supervisors and managers, including officers from Jamaica, Guyana and Antigua, participated in the June 2-6 course. Captain Ulett, a certified International Maritime Organisation trainer, was one of the presenters during the course held at the Knutsford Court Hotel in new Kingston.

Annual event

"The students did extremely well and were put in three teams. They visited an international ship and port facility security-certified port and did a security assessment (day and night). They prepared a written report which they presented orally to the other students and lecturers," Captain Ulett said.

The course, he added, will be an annual event and provides credits in the bachelor of science degree in industrial and port security management which is scheduled to begin September this year at Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI).

Other presenters for the course were Agatha Dublin, general manager for the Antigua Port Authority; Fritz Pinnock, executive director for CMI; Grantley Stephenson, chairman and chief executive officer of Kingston Wharves Limited; Ibrahim Ajagunna of CMI; Clive Grossett, manager of the entrepreneurial skills development unit of HEART Trust/NTA; Superintendent James Forbes, vice-president of security at the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) and Lt Cdr John A. McFarlane, director of aviation security at the PAJ.

Participants in the course include security officers from Jamalco, Alpart, John Fernando Limited in Guyana, Port Handlers Limited, Jamaica Broilers Group, Supreme Security in Antigua, Marksman, SAL, Guardsman, Atlas Security Group, Maurais Logistics Limited in Guyana, PAJ, Heart Trust/NTA, Sectracon Security in Antigua, Tankweld Group, Border Patrol Security and KWL.

The advanced port facility security officers course is a partnership between KWL, SAL and the CMI.

Grantley Stephenson (left), president and chief executive officer of Kingston Wharves Limited, presents a certificate to Noel Anderson of Ports Management and Security Limited after his participation in the advanced port facility security officer course.