Training Day 3rgs MSO Course

What does a Maritime Security Operator (MSO) need to know? It’s something most former service personnel will ask themselves before trying to get into the maritime security industry and it’s a big question. The answer comes from organisations such as 3rg, a specialist security and training firm who are at the forefront of security certification.

To get a better idea of just what they do, I spent a day with them and sat in on one of their Maritime Security Operator courses. Normally a three-day course, the event on Wednesday had been specially tailored for Vessel Protection Team leaders and, as a result, 3rg had compressed the normal three-day course into a one-day refresher, since the Team Leaders (TLs) in question were hugely experienced maritime security operatives with scores of transits behind them and more practical experience in the High Risk Zone than you could ever wish for.

The course itself is normally aimed at newcomers to the world of marsec and covers all of the topics necessary to give an operative a good grounding in not only Somali piracy but also the wider duties and responsibilities facing a counter piracy operator whilst at sea. It has been designed to replace the Ship’s Security Officers’ Course, which many in the industry believe lacks relevance with respect to anti-piracy duties, and allows armed maritime security personnel to work within Best Management Practice 4 (BMP4) and the International Maritime Organisation’s interim guidance on the use of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) 1405 document.

The beginning of the course covered the definition of piracy and pirate tactics before focussing on the extremely important issues of the use of force, escalation of force, international law and the UN Law of the Sea, the related IMO documents and the potential actions MSOs can take.

Despite being condensed, the course still took time to focus on the practicalities of working onboard merchant vessels, from watch duties and responsibilities and the legal issues arising from littoral waters and those on the high seas. Of particular interest to me was the section on basic navigation, which gives attendees the chance to brush up on their plotting and bearings, before moving on to the use of radar and its applications in counter-piracy work in terms of identification and risk analysis.

The various security systems onboard vessels were covered in detail, although given the experience levels of the assembled TLs, the section on citadels and their safe use was somewhat glossed over. The full course goes in to far greater detail, as it’s pitched at a ‘beginner’ level and the three-day duration allows the course leader to spend much more time on each subject.

At the end of the day, the TLs sat their exam and all passed with flying colours, receiving a certificate from 3rg. Although not classed as a professional qualification, the certificate shows any potential client or employer that the MSO in question has sought to improve their knowledge and experience in the field. 

There’s no doubt that courses like the one run by 3rg offer newcomers to the industry a valuable grounding in maritime security, and it’s good to see that comprehensive training is available to a rapidly growing sector of the maritime industry.

For more details, please visit www.3rg.co.uk or call them on +44 (0)20 7887 6191.

This article was originally posted by Neptune Maritime Security. To find out more, please visit www.neptunemaritimesecurity.com