Svitzer Nassau Assisting MSC Ship in Freeport Harbour

With an inaugural event held on July 24, 2014, Svitzer has officially opened its Regional Training Centre in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas.

The Centre features one of the most complete navigation simulator facilities in the region, with stations for assisted ship and two harbour tugs. The simulator has been developed by FORCE Technology of Denmark, and deployed by Svitzer in close cooperation with Freeport Harbour Company and Mediterranean Shipping Company.

This facility will allow for joint training of pilots and tug captains and it can be customized for specific harbours, vessels or operating conditions.

The Training Centre and its simulator represent another step in Svitzer’ commitment to enhancing safety and drive operational excellence in harbours and terminals in the region. “Svitzer is expanding its operations in Caribbean and Latin-America and in the next coming years, many new colleagues in the region need to be trained in operating ASD tugs. – said Albert Snoei, Head of Marine Standards for Americas Region - We identified Freeport as the ideal location to set up a training center. Taking advantage of the great boat-handling abilities of our Bahamian captains, we identified some highly-skilled training masters which can transfer their knowledge to others”.

The Training Centre will feature prominently in Svitzer regional programs and it will also be open to regional clients and other stakeholders.

ABOUT SVITZER Since 1833, Svitzer provides safety and support at sea. With 4,000 employees, a fleet of more than 400 vessels and operations all over the world, we are the global market leader in towage and emergency response. Svitzer is head-quartered in Copenhagen, Denmark and it is part of the A.P.Moller-Maersk Group.

Distinguished guests, it makes me very happy and proud to stand here today for the official opening of Svitzer Regional Training Centre in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

I see many familiar faces around and some of you might not know that in 2006 I worked in Bahamas as Technical Manager. At that time the name of the company was still Freepoint Tug & Towing Services and it was a joint venture with South Riding Point Holdings. At that time we had five tugs.

In fact the company had been incorporated in 1996 and during the years it underwent several changes of structure and ownership until 2006 when Svitzer acquired 50% ownership and 2012, when we acquired the interest of Statoil South Riding Point, becoming 100% owner. As a matter of fact, I would like to acknowledge Ellison Charles Rolle, now Operations Manager for Freeport Harbour, who is here and who has been the first General Manager of this company.

At Svitzer, we pride ourselves in our ability to develop local organizations and team-up with other stakeholders for the continuous improvement of our employees and of the local maritime industry. Our history in Bahamas is no exception.

Since 2007, our Bahamas organization has truly undergone substantial and positive development. From 5 tugs of lesser bullard pull capacity, we now have in our fleet six tugs. From a group of crewmember of goodwill but limited experience in international standards, we now have a group of fifty professionals that are very familiar with the safety and operational standards of a modern towage operation, working for the most respected brand in the industry, part of the largest shipping group in the world, the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group.

What makes me truly proud and happy for its significance is that now actually it is a group of very skilled Bahamian professionals that will provide training to other colleagues in the region using the tools provided by the Simulator.

Our colleagues Captain Sterling Albury, Captain Mark Roberts and Captain Robert Cartwright, together with our partners from Freeport Harbour Company will be in fact in position to train tug captains and pilots not only from Grand Bahama, but also from Svitzer’s entire regional organization. Not only that, thanks to the convenient location of Freeport, we expect that a number of other interested parties from the region will take advantage of this simulator facility to train their captains and pilots. Because of the presence of the simulator, at Svitzer Americas we have decided to locate in Freeport our Regional Training Centre, further expanding the scope of the training and therefore making Freeport the focal point of training initiatives at the regional level.

We expect that the simulator will greatly benefit operations at Freeport Harbour by allowing continuous training of pilots and captains in many possible conditions of operations. Similarly, we expect to offer training to other parties in the US, Latin-America and the Caribbean. Capitalizing on Svitzer’s extensive experience in towage and on the power of the simulator we hope to turn this facility in the preferred location for towage training in the Americas.

This regional training centre with its simulator represent a substantial investment made Svitzer, but I have no doubt that it will pay tremendous dividends in improving the safety profile and the operational effectiveness of our local operation. Locating the facility in Freeport was a vote of confidence in the maturity of our Bahamas organization, the importance of Grand Bahama Island and the entire maritime sector of The Bahamas. For experience in Bahamas and with our local colleagues, I can comfortably say that this confidence was well placed and I look forward to working with you for the improvement of our ports, our communities and the entire Bahamas maritime sector. Thank you.

I have been privileged to work with my colleagues at Svitzer Bahamas for almost two years as General Manager and I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished together. The decision of Svitzer Americas to position the Training Centre for the entire region in Freeport, Bahamas is witness to the growth of our Bahamas organization and the confidence that Svitzer has of us and the Bahamas in general.

Better speakers than I will highlight the importance of the maritime industry as avenue of career development, personal and economic growth for the people of The Bahamas. In that sense, I am happy to acknowledge the presence of Clayton Curtis and his Maritime Cadets, as well as Arthur Jones, member of the council for maritime studies at the College of The Bahamas. Many stakeholders have put much effort into making The Bahamas a centre of maritime excellence, and in this regard, I would like to acknowledge also the presence of Chandler Sands from Campbell Shipping, truly a leading company in Bahamas. I think that with this Training facility we are laying another important foundation to the cornerstone of the Bahamian maritime cluster and I am pleased to see that so many stakeholders from Government and local industry are here to prove that it is a team effort and we are all partnering in moving the industry forward. My remarks will be brief and I would like to reflect on the significance of the maritime industry and of our ports for Grand Bahama Island and for The Bahamas.

Freeport Harbour, BORCO and South Riding Point are some of the most important conduits of business for the Island of Grand Bahama and for the Bahamas in general. The presence of Freeport Container Port, Grand Bahama Shipyard, BORCO and Statoil, as well as, the fact that Grand Bahama is a preferred port of call for cruise ships and Florida ferries make our ports some of the most important, if not THE most important, catalyst of income and welfare for the entire community.

What we have here today are the people that day and night ensure that all ships entering Freeport Harbour and South Riding Point can do so safely.

This includes every container ship berthing at the container port, every ship going into dry-dock, every tanker calling at South Riding Point, every cruise ship needing assistance. Together with the pilots of Freeport Harbour and Statoil, here represented by Charles Rolle and Makarios Rolle, our tug crews are the people that keep the harbour safe, that keep the economy running, that ensure the safe flow of goods and people that keep our communities alive.

And it is not fancy equipment or sophisticated tugs that do the job: it is our people, our OWN people that keep the entire process safe and running EVERY day and EVERY night.

In one of the busiest harbours in the hemisphere, in the most important container port of the eastern seaboard, it is OUR OWN people that keep everybody safe. And “our people” is not a generic expression, they are not coming from international locations with fancy names, they are from Freeport, from Nassau, from Long Island, from Holmes Rock, from Eight Mile Rock, from Lucaya, they have names and they are Sterling, Mark, Rashaad, Mike, Romeo, Devon, Simeon, Kenroy, Leroy, just to name those present today.

Night and day, in calm and in storm, with rain and with sun, in peace and in emergency, they do their job professionally and safely and keep the lifeblood of the island running.

Ladies and gentleman, If you have ever been in a small tugboat approaching a big 300-meter ships at night, with rain and wind, then you will appreciate how we do not need to look too far to find courage and dedication, it’s here with these men. These are our most precious resources, our people, and I can surely say that I would sail with them into any sea and that I am proud to be their colleague.

Now, at Svitzer we like to say that we do a job safely or we do not do it at all. If this training facility, if this simulator can contribute to our colleagues performing their job better or just a bit more safely, if joint training of our captains and the harbour pilots can benefit the operation in Freeport Harbour, at Statoil and in the country, then I think we, at Svitzer, have contributed to the growth and success of the maritime industry in this nation.

Thank you very much.