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The Maritime Skills Academy Secures UKMPA Endorsement for Pilot Ladder Safety Training Course

The Maritime Skills Academy (MSA) is honoured to announce that its Pilot Ladder Safety Training Course is now formally endorsed by the United Kingdom Maritime Pilots’ Association (UKMPA), symbolising a significant step in the sustained effort to raise maritime safety standards.

The endorsement follows a collaborative agreement between the organisations, represented by Jason Wiltshire, UKMPA Vice-Chair, and Dean Stores, MSA Head of Training. Both commit to strengthening pilot ladder safety with a high-quality, industry-recognised course.

Through this partnership, the UKMPA will actively review course content, delivery, and materials to ensure the training remains valuable for pilots and is aligned with advancing industry needs.

The MSA will adopt the UKMPA’s recommendations to maintain the highest standards. Notably, MSA has already commenced delivery of the endorsed pilot ladder training, with recent courses successfully attended by several pilots from the Port of Dover, as well as a joint initiative with specialist law enforcement personnel from a UK Government agency.

These early sessions reflect both strong industry demand and the immediate impact of the partnership on front-line safety training.

MSA Head of Training, Dean Stores, commented, “We are delighted to receive this endorsement from the UKMPA. It represents the expertise of our team and affirms our pledge to improving safety in one of the industry’s highest-risk activities – pilot transfer operations.”

UKMPA Vice-Chair, Jason Wiltshire added, “Pilot ladder safety is a fundamental part of the pilotage profession and vital for safe transfers at sea. Ongoing reporting shows persistent risks, with global transfer incidents averaging around two pilot fatalities each year. The UKMPA’s endorsement of MSA’s Pilot Ladder Safety Training Course reflects our commitment to collaboration, best practice and reducing preventable incidents.”

By joining the UKMPA Annual Conference later this year as an exhibitor, MSA will deepen its collaboration with the pilotage community and help drive industry dialogue on safety, innovation, and operational quality—underscoring MSA’s leadership and long-term obligation to safer maritime practices.

About the United Kingdom Maritime Pilots’ Association (UKMPA)

The United Kingdom Maritime Pilots’ Association (UKMPA) is the professional body representing approximately 500 licensed maritime pilots across the UK. Committed to the highest standards of safety, efficiency and professionalism in pilotage, the UKMPA advocates for its members and promotes best practice across the global maritime industry.

Maritime pilots play a critical role in guiding vessels safely through UK waters, protecting lives, property, and the marine environment, while ensuring the smooth movement of goods and passengers vital to the national economy.

For more information, visit www.ukmpa.org

Maritime Damage Control | What Ship Owners and Operators Must Know to Stay Compliant

Why proactive training for maritime damage control is non-negotiable, and how the Maritime Skills Academy leads the way.

When a maritime emergency occurs, whether through collision, grounding, flooding, or structural failure, your crew’s ability to respond swiftly and effectively can determine the difference between a controlled incident and a catastrophic loss. Maritime damage control is not a best practice; it is a mandatory compliance requirement under international maritime regulation.

For ship owners and operators, understanding these obligations is essential. Having the correct procedures, documentation, training and drill routines is an expectation of regulatory practice under the top governing bodies, SOLAS, STCW and the ISM Code.

And yet very few training organisations have the capability for facilities to deliver genuine, hands-on damage control training. In fact, the Maritime Skills Academy (MSA) is the only UK training provider that delivers a dedicated maritime damage control course, giving operators a unique opportunity to ensure full compliance while enhancing operational resilience.

Why Maritime Damage Control Matters More Than Ever

With international regulators tightening their expectations around emergency preparedness, passenger ships are required to conduct damage control drills every three months under new SOLAS updates. Each drill is designed to test crew responses to scenarios such as flooding, stability loss, or other structural emergencies. These drills must simulate varied conditions and require crew to operate key systems such as watertight doors, bilge pumps, cross-flooding systems, and flooding detection devices.

Additionally, at least one drill annually must include activation of shore-based support to validate communication systems and stability assessment protocols.

Regulatory Requirements Every Owner and Operator Must Meet

No matter the vessel, safety implementation is there for a reason, and respected bodies of authority regulate the conditions of these vessels to ensure everyone is operating at a safe standard.

Authorities such as SOLAS, the ISM Code and STCW all stress the significance of regular drills and crew being thoroughly versed in emergency procedures. However, many operators struggle to maintain these expectations.

Despite clear regulatory expectations, these weaknesses can be, and regularly are, identified during flag-state inspections and ISM audits.

The most common pitfalls for operators are insufficient practical training, lack of realistic damage control situations, inconsistent drills, gaps in familiarity and audit findings.

How to close the Compliance Gap with Maritime Damage Control

As the UK’s only provider of dedicated maritime damage control training, the maritime Skills Academy offers an unparalleled service to ship owners and operators seeking to meet their regulatory obligations and enhance real-world readiness.

Our maritime damage control training course allows crew to train in realistic, controlled flooding environments, operate live bilge systems and watertight closure, practice flood containment with dewatering techniques, patching and shoring.

By recreating the high-stress environment under the guidance of our skilled instructors, crew are able to put their classroom learning into practice which is essential for real-world capability, bridging the gap between drills and emergencies.

Strengthen your compliance with the Maritime Skills Academy

Ship owners and operators carry the ultimate responsibility for ensuring their vessels and crew can withstand the unexpected. Strengthen your compliance. Strengthen your crew. Strengthen your ship.

The Maritime skills Academy is ready to support you with the UK’s only comprehensive maritime damage control training solution.

Marine Evacuation Systems (MES): Safety at Sea

In the maritime industry, evacuation and safety systems are vital in the event of an emergency. Arguably, none are as critical as the Marine Evacuation System (MES). Saving countless lives year on year, MES systems are designed to be utilised on large vessels, carrying thousands of passengers.

For this reason, it is imperative that crew should be properly trained and able to guide passengers through the various marine evacuation systems available on board.

At the Maritime Skills Academy, our hands-on training prepares crew for onboard emergencies with two industry-leading technologies, Brude and VIKING LSE.

What is a Marine Evacuation System (MES)?

Marine Evacuation Systems (MES) are inflatable evacuation systems that allow for quick and controlled descent from a ship into life rafts. The most common type of MES is the chute-based system, which connects the ship to life rafts via a vertical or inclined inflatable chute.

These systems are designed to deploy within minutes and accommodate large numbers of people efficiently, even in challenging sea conditions.

Why Are MES Used on Ships?

MES are used on large passenger vessels, mainly due to the majority of people onboard not being trained or prepared for emergencies. These are optimal for their general ease of use and efficiency in evacuating passengers quickly.

Fastest Marine Evacuation Solution

In the event of a fire, collision, sinking, or any situation where all on board will be required to abandon ship, an MES system is the fastest solution. With multiple MES chutes installed onboard, multiple evacuations can take place simultaneously.

Ease of use

Marine Evacuation Systems are very straightforward to use. This means that passengers can descend calmly, leaving enough time for crew to follow suit. The MES will also offer a controlled descent, allowing evacuees to determine their pace, reducing overall stress.

Independent Operation

If a vessel is in an emergency situation that has caused power outages or poses a danger if power is used, the ideal evacuation system will be independent from the ship’s electrical operations. MES systems are manually deployed by a specialised, dedicated crew, which means they can be used in almost any emergency event.

MES SOLAS regulations

To ensure international safety standards are met, every passenger vessel must harbour a Marine Evacuation System onboard, that has been inspected within the last six years. Crew are also required to be trained in the operation of the Marine Evacuation System they have on board their vessel, which will most likely be a VIKING or Brude system.

Types of Ships That Use MES

MES are typically found on passenger ferries, cruise ships, Ro-Ro vessels, highspeed crafts and offshore installations.

VIKING LSE Marine Evacuation System entrance

These vessels often carry hundreds or thousands of passengers and crew, making fast and efficient evacuation systems essential.

Benefits of MES Chutes

Speed

Marine Evacuation Systems can deploy and be ready for use in under 90 seconds which makes them the perfect solution for onboard emergency and mass evacuation.

Capacity

Some Marine Evacuation Systems can evacuate over 600 people in 30 minutes. For ferries and cruise ships, this is a significant benefit, as they transport a large number of people.

Safety

Lifeboat launches can be unpleasant, uncomfortable and in worst case scenarios, fatal. MES Chutes are a safer, easier solution that can provide a smooth evacuation for all, even without experience.

Compact storage

MES systems are small and compact. Taking up significantly less room than lifeboats or davit storage. They are also easy to deploy by comparison, making for a more pleasant environment especially onboard cruise ships, where passengers are expecting luxury.

Training at Maritime Skills Academy (MSA)

At the Maritime Skills Academy, our Marine Evacuation System training is designed to prepare crew for emergency evacuations. Teaching not only how to depart the vessel themselves, but how to encourage and explain the process to peers. Community and teamwork are essential in an onboard emergency and crew will be required to guide passengers through the evacuation scenario, should it occur.

Delegate training at the top of Brude Marine Evacuation System

Delegate training at the top of Viking LSE Marine Evacuation System

Why Choose MSA for MES Training?

At the Maritime Skills Academy, our expert instructors provide training in accredited courses for both MES systems mentioned in this piece. Simulating real-world scenarios and guiding delegates through their descent.