The Lagos State Waterways Authority has concluded module three of its Ferry Safety Development and Mentoring Programme, the first of its kind in Africa.

The programme was organised in partnership with Interferry.

The general manager of LASWA, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

He said this marked another significant milestone in its commitment to raising safety standards and building professional capacity within the inland waterways sector.

“The module equipped 50 emerging ferry professionals with critical knowledge and practical skills in ferry safety, emergency preparedness and incident response. This reinforces the programme’s objective of developing a highly skilled and safety-conscious workforce for Africa’s growing ferry industry,” he said.

The LASWA boss said the programme was held throughout July, adding that the module combined self-paced virtual learning with intensive practical training.

“The academic sessions were facilitated by Dr Bolaji Dunsin and Dr Ayaobu-Cookey of the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research,” he said

According to him, participants also benefited from an interactive “Ask the Expert” session led by Darren Johnston, vice president of marine operations, BC Ferries, who shared global best practices in ferry safety and operations.

“The practical component, conducted on July 29 at the Prime Atlantic Safety Services Ltd training facility in Ogun State, provided participants with hands-on experience in essential emergency response procedures.

“Under the guidance of experienced PASS instructors, trainees undertook practical exercises covering the Abandon Ship Procedure, including alarm recognition, mustering, headcount, use of personal protective equipment, survival craft preparation and deployment.

“They also practised Man Overboard response techniques, encompassing immediate emergency actions, bridge response, vessel manoeuvring, rescue deployment and first aid,” he said

Mr Emmanuel commended the PASS training team, led by senior training instructor Gbenga Kuku and five other experienced instructors, for delivering world-class practical instruction.

He thanked the managing director of PASS, Folake Soyannwo, for her invaluable support in providing access to a state-of-the-art training facility and also appreciated Interferry as well as other stakeholders for supporting the pioneering initiative.

According to him, following successful completion of module three, the programme now advances to module four, scheduled to run throughout August.

(NAN)