Inshore Patrol Craft Handling Foundation Course for woman crew concludes on successful note

The Inshore Patrol Craft Handling Foundation Course held for Navy’s woman crew successfully concluded at the Naval and Maritime Academy, Trincomalee. The initiative got off the ground as part of the Global Maritime Crime Programme of United Nations Office of Drug and Crime. The certificate awarding of the programme was held under the patronage of the Head of Global Maritime Crime Programme of United Nations Office of Drug Crime Ms. Siri Bjune and Commandant Naval and Maritime Academy, Commodore Buddika Liyanagamage on 18th August 2023.

The prime motive of this programme is to deputing woman crew of the Navy and female officers of law enforcement agencies for coastal and port security duties. The 09 participants included 01 lady officer and 02 women sailors from the Sri Lanka Navy as well as 03 lady officers each from the Indonesian Marine Police and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

The course, which spanned four (04) weeks, aimed to equip the participants with the essential skills and knowledge required to effectively operate and manage Inshore Patrol Craft. Thus, these lady officers and women sailors sharpened their practical and theoretical knowledge on Navigation, Seamanship, Engineering, Electricity, Combat Medicine, Firefighting, Communication and Boat Handling during the programme.

Programmes of this kind aimed at training would inevitably enhance the collaboration among partners who share similar goals, leading to improved overall performance and efficiency in naval operations involving woman crew.