A first of its kind regional workshop for OECS port managers has been described as highly successful by Chief Executive Officer of the Dominica Air and Sea Ports Authority, DASPA, Benoit Bardouille.
Bardouille accompanied the Sea Port Operations Manager, Mysline Valerie to St. Lucia for a four-day of training, from April 26 to 29.
This was facilitated by the Singaporean consultancy firm, S.T. Education and Training (STE) which is a global leader in maritime education and training services.
Training was provided in the areas of port management, port planning, port safety and efficiency, emergency preparedness and best practices of the management of Singapore Port and Terminal.
“It wasn’t only just to deal with the issue of cargo or passengers,” Bardouille began, “It had to do with a number of other issues like port forecasting and the planning which goes into it, and the laws dealing with our delivery of services to the various publics among others. We’re not just dealing with passengers and cargo; we’re dealing with much more. Any decisions we take at management level can impact on the persons utilizing the various facilities.”
The training was sponsored by the Government of Singapore through an OECS/ Singapore Joint Cooperation Programme.
“In the past, persons had to go to do Singapore to do the training but this time as the OECS moves towards the Economic Union, it was planned for commonality in the way we address a number of matters.”
Bardouille explained that the training enabled participants to look at best case scenarios for future circumstances.
They also got the opportunity to interact and share experiences with local and regional representatives.
He said further, “There were quite a few [ideas] presented to help managers become better focused as it relates to the competitive environment and their responsibilities. This is so the ports can plan better.
“Planning and forecasting are necessary because of the role which the port plays in the economic and logistical chain. We are seeking to make the ports more cost competitive and reduce costs wherever possible to improve efficiency and better serve the interests of stakeholders utilising the port.”
Asked about his evaluation of the training, his response was that it was incredibly informative.
“I would rate the training very highly because the experts from Singapore brought their success stories of what they have done there to transform the economy.”
Bardouille says he was impressed especially as Singapore is slightly smaller than Dominica and inspires small island states to be undaunted by large challenges.
“It is about how we position ourselves, how price competitive and efficient we are, our ship turnaround time and our use of statistics,” he added.
Chairman of the recently-formed OECS Port Management Committee, Darwin Telemacque, lauded the workshop describing it as a success.
He explained that he was quite impressed with the instructors, the training material and the high level discussions among his fellow port managers in the region.
