Issue 6-5
Fire training for a liquid environment
The European Federation of Yachting Harbours (Euromarina) is a partner in the Seatraining project for staff in European marinas, which is part of Europe’s Leonardo da Vinci vocational training programme created with the objective of promoting a specific training model for managing personnel in nautical facilities. A questionnaire has now been sent to harbour management to gain an insight into the current situation and identify the type of training needed to increase the competence and professionalism of those employed in the marina industry.
These forms will be treated in the strictest confidence and all data will be used exclusively to facilitate the Seatraining project. They should be returned as soon as possible to Cindy Montier, Assistant to the Board, at:
cindymontier@euromarina.org
One aspect of training for marina personnel that can be overlooked is fire training. Just because a marina is in a liquid environment there is no reason to think boats are immune from the devastating consequences of fire on the water.
Two cases at Spanish marinas during the last six months have resulted in the loss of seven boats in total. A motor launch moored at the jetty in Puerto Banús caught fire and a witness, who recorded the event on film, described the chaos that ensued. In the time from when the boat started to burn, it would have been possible to move two adjacent craft downwind to safer water. However, the decision was taken to remove the single boat upwind of the fire despite it being in no immediate danger, thus allowing the fire to leap across both of the other craft and destroy them as well. A much bigger fire took place at Port Vell in Barcelona earlier this year. A fire broke out on a 20 m yacht and rapidly spread to three others. All four yachts sank and another yacht was damaged when its mast collapsed.
Although no loss of life was involved, these events confirm the importance of vocational training so that marina personnel are capable of using their marina’s fire extinguishers and other safety and rescue equipment to the best advantage in what are difficult and dangerous situations.
Francesc Xavier Mangrané
Chairman of Euromarina
Issue 6-4
Euromarina at the heart of two new projects
The European Seatraining project for staff in European marinas is part of Europe’s Leonardo da Vinci vocational training programme and has been created with the objective of promoting a specific training model for managing personnel in nautical facilities. The project is led by the Institución de Estudios Portuarios of the Valencian Region (FEPORTS) and its partners are the European Federation of Yachting Harbours (Euromarina), the Federación Española de Asociaciones de Puertos Deportivos y Turísticos (FEAPDT), Assonautica and INNOREG (Hungary), with the specific collaboration of the Fundación Comunidad Valenciana-Región Europea to promote the programme. The project has obtained financial aid from the EC’s Leonardo da Vinci programme to cover 75% of the total cost of 437.984 Euros.
The first meeting of the project’s partners took place in Brussels on 5 February at which the aims of Seatraining were presented by Julio Martinez of FEPORTS, Xavier Mangrané of Euromarina, Joan Bellavista, who was standing in for Gabriel de Sandoval of FEAPDT, Giuseppe Meli of Assonautica and Miss Orsolya Szijj of INNOREG. This initial conference concluded with speeches by Pedro Velazquez Hernandez from the EC DG Education and Culture-Sport unit and Miss Nathalie Hesketh from the EC Maritime Policy Task Force, who emphasised the importance of training for the marina industry in agreement with the Maritime Policy of the EU.
Seatraining will create a forum of best practices in order to improve the effectiveness and quality of the services provided in nautical facilities, by sharing experiences in the use of training materials, security and protection, environmental control and port management at different locations. The forum will also attempt to satisfy some of the new requirements that have emerged as a result of the growth in nautical tourism.
A principal goal of Euromarina is to encourage the development of marinas to serve the growing number of leisure craft in European waters. It has now launched a new project called MarinaPass to assist marina management in making the best use of harbour facilities and to provide leisure sailors with easy and secure access to marina services as well as a source of information about local tourist sites and events.
The official launch of MarinaPass took place on the stand of the Federation Francaise des Ports de Plaisance at the Paris Boat Show on 6 December in the presence of Ludovic Penin, President of SeatizenPro, whose company developed the system for Euromarina. Its operating principles were explained by Philippe Fontenoy, Project Director, who stressed the importance of creating a truly European standard for leisure sailors seeking marina services.
It is to be hoped that MarinaPass will be accepted by the industry and become established with immediate benefits to all.
Francesc Xavier Mangrané
Chairman of Euromarina
Issue 6-3
Act II of Yacht Harbours - Marinas in Europe
At last year’s joint Euromarina/FFPP Conference at the Senate, Palais du Luxembourg, it was affirmed by John Richardson, who is in charge of the EU’s Maritime Policy Task Force, that the Conference had established the genuine contribution made by the marina industry. He accepted that marinas must now be fully integrated within any plans affecting marine leisure and tourism.
On 9 November, Act II of Yacht Harbours – Marinas in Europe will take place at the same venue in Paris and will focus on the economic benefit that marinas have on territory in which they are based and the role played by regional policies in facilitating the growth of a sustainable marina industry and assisting in the development of economic and social policies in line with EU maritime policy (see programme on page 15).
The Conference will include a presentation of the Odyssea® project, which aims to link ports and the territory in which they are based in a programme to promote cultural and economic development. At the 2nd European Marina Conference held in Palma earlier this year, Euromarina signed an agreement to collaborate with the
FFPP on this project with the intention of ensuring that the aims of Odyssea® are reflected in the maritime policies adopted by EU authorities.Coastal and island destinations for leisure sailors have much to gain from diversifying tourist facilities and services, particularly if visitors are offered the opportunity to experience cultural itineraries in the towns and countryside away from the coast. Diversification reduces pressure on overcrowded beaches and creates alternative sources of income for local people no longer employed on farms or in the fishing industry. It can also help to develop new activities that preserve an area’s cultural heritage for future generations to enjoy.
Francesc Xavier Mangrané
Chairman of Euromarina