Liberian Seafarers Depart for Training Voyage on Firestone's Harbel Tapper
November 28, 2008
November 28, 2008 – Two Liberian seafarers, Mr. Daniel Tarr and Mr. Emmanuel Mezoh Dolakeh, set sail for an internship on 27 of November 2008 from the Freeport of Monrovia on Firestone’s vessel, the Harbel Tapper. The two men, who were in the top of their class, will be receiving their bachelor degree in Marine Electronic Engineering from the Regional Maritime University in Ghana in 2009. The internship will provide hands-on training for the seafarers to acquire practical and technical knowledge of the maritime industry.
The internship is the result of a memorandum of understanding, signed in September 2008, between Liberia’s Bureau of Maritime Affairs and the Firestone Plantation Company. The current interns will be returning in January 2009. Other maritime graduates and qualified seafarers are currently being vetted, as additional internship opportunities on Firestone vessels will be available in February 2009 and subsequent months in 2009.
Speaking at a brief ceremony prior to their departure, Tarr and Dolakeh expressed their profound gratitude to the leadership of the Bureau of Maritime Affairs for affording them the opportunity to receive practical training while they await their graduation in June 2009. They further asked the Administration to continue to search for more training and employment opportunities for Liberian seafarers.
When interviewed prior to his departure, Mr. Emmanuel Mezoh Dolakeh, one of the interns, stated “We want to tell all seafarers out there, that what is happening here today is for the good of the seafarers union. This is what all seafarers would like to see and our motto and code as seafarers should be held in high esteem- Discipline, Discipline and Discipline.”
As Liberia owns the second largest registry in the world; the current Administration of the Bureau of Maritime Affairs has stressed that capacity building of maritime professionals in Liberia is a priority. Therefore, it is important to train Liberian professionals and equip them with the requisite knowledge skills and experience to obtain employment contracts on vessels around the world.
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