The course content has been designed taking into account the ever
increasing role these personnel play in the transporting of cargoes and passengers from
port areas to inland ports. Apart from the normal navigation subjects, emphasis has been
laid on the operation of modern navigational systems. Variety of cargoes to be carried
will include dangerous goods, therefore subjects like IMDG code, pollution prevention,
management and commercial knowledge are included in the syllabus. The other subjects
include firefighting, first aid, search and rescue, communications, shiphandling,
meteorology, ship construction and stability.
6, EXAMINATION AND CERTIFICATION
Examination are held at each level and each successful candidate is
issued with an academy certificate. This certificate will be a pre-requisite to issuing of
operational license by maritime administration according to statutory requirements
existing in each participating country.
7. THE TRAINING OF PERSONNEL MANNING SMALL BOATS AND CANOE FISHERMEN
Due to frequent accidents on the Inland water and subsequent loss of
lives, the participating Governments charged the RMA to come out with a syllabi for the
training of all categories of personnel manning small boats and fishing canoes along the
coast and in the Inland waters. Accident reports studied showed that the main causes of
accident in inland waters are as follows,
a) Overloading of the boats with both cargo and passengers.
b) Boats not carrying life saving appliances.
c) Lack of any form of communication equipment on the boats.
d) Poor construction and maintenance of boats.
e) Lack of buoys and any form of markings in channels.
The RMA set up a technical advisory committee in 1991 which comprised
lecturers in the Academy, representatives of the ministry of Transport, Ministry of
Agriculture, the Fishing Industry and the Inshore Fisheries associations. The committee
came out with a comprehensive curricula to cover the following categories of personnel,
