New IMO HNS Introductory Courses

The IMO headquarters, London

The Oil Spill Training Company prepared and presented the structure, outline and module summaries of two new model courses to the fourth meeting of the OPRC-HNS Technical Group at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters in London. The new courses will complement the suite of existing IMO OPRC model courses for preparedness and response to marine oil spills and aims to support the efforts of countries in acceding to, and implementing the OPRC Convention 1990 and its HNS Protocol 2000.

The objective of the courses will be to provide practical training and guidance in preparing for and responding to hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) incidents. The scope of the project is to develop two separate introductory IMO Model Training Courses for preparedness and response to marine HNS (Chemical) incidents; one for the operational staff (Level 1) and one for strategic/incident managers (Level 2).

Level 1: An Introduction to the Dangers and Actions for HNS Incidents is a two day course aimed at operators and supervisors who are at the forefront of handling HNS products.

Level 2: An Introduction to the Management of HNS related Incidents is a three day course aimed at senior management and executives of a port or installation.

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The outlines follow our unique approach to training in emergency response. The courses are structured to encourage an interactive environment to ensure that participants remain engaged. Graphics and animations will be developed to enhance presentations and promote greater understanding of the subject matter.
Electronic aids will be utilised to enhance learning during the course but also become useful tools that participants will take away from the courses. A resource CD will also be developed containing a wealth of reference materials and including links to useful sources of information.