Humanitarian Response e-course launched

The course has been developed in partnership with UK charity Human Rights at Sea and will provide seafarers and shore personnel with an understanding of why migrants and refugees chose a sea route.

Mike Pearsall, product manager at Marlins, said: “We are seeing harrowing scenes in the media of the often deadly journeys taken by migrants and their traffickers through the Mediterranean and South China seas.”

“The SOLAS Convention was never designed to accommodate large-scale rescue operations of migrants, so seafarers are facing an unpredictable challenge that they are not currently prepared for,” he added.

Humanitarian Response also provides suggestions for planning and preparing ship and crew for possible involvement in large scale rescue operations, as well as guidelines and suggestions for vessels involved in the rescue of large numbers of migrants and refugees at sea.

“Whilst the rescue of migrants and trafficked people at sea can seemingly represent an additional burden to an overstretched shipping industry, the legal and moral obligations cannot be ignored,” explained David Hammond, CEO of Human Rights at Sea.

He continued: The issue is no longer an exception, but may well become the norm as the migrant flows continue north through Africa, from the Middle East and elsewhere around the world. This new and important training provides crew and companies with up-to-date information to help prepare for an encounter with migrants and trafficked people in danger at sea.”

The e-learning course is available to sample or purchase on the Marlins online shop.