Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines gives Colchester and Tendring students an insight with ‘Haven Seaport Exercise IX’

Ipswich-based Fred. Olsen. Cruise Lines will be participating in a 'Sea Port Role Play Day' at Harwich International Port on 8^th October 2013. This will be the ninth year that the event, codenamed ‘Haven Seaport Exercise IX’, has been held, and it is expected to attract over 100 students from local schools. The aim of the Exercise is to make students from Colchester and Tendring aware of the growing employment opportunities within the Haven Gateway, and an opportunity to work alongside professionals from a number of service industries.

Fred. Olsen’s ships have been calling at Harwich International Port for a number of years, and the cruise line started using the Port for cruise turnaround calls for the first time in 2013. Fred. Olsen’s 929-guest Braemar will be making a total of three turnaround calls in Harwich in 2014.

Students will play out an imaginary scenario in which several vessels are damaged in the Harwich Haven, and they will take on the role of the sectors involved in the emergency response - Harwich International Port, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, Essex County Council, Tendring District Council, Essex Police, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, East of England Ambulance Service, the RNLI, The Salvation Army, Harwich Haven Authority, Trinity House, Svitzer and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Rachael Jackson, Public Relations Manager for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:

“As a locally-based company, it is important that we do all that we can to promote the right kind of skills on our doorstep, and we hope that this exercise will help to inspire students to consider a career in cruise shipping and a wider range of maritime opportunities.”

Hilary Sellens, organiser of ‘Haven Seaport Exercise IX’, said:

“This event has proven to be very popular with the local schools and each year we have found that the students relish the opportunity to get involved in such a challenging and fast-paced exercise. Our industry experts, who all give their time voluntarily, are able to give the students an invaluable insight into the working world.”

Throughout the day, students will be required to make important decisions and to respond to ever-changing conditions that are affected by external factors beyond their control. The safety of passengers, customer service and logistical issues will all have to be taken into consideration, whilst at the same time ensuring that resources are managed as effectively as possible. As well as problem-solving and decision-making, the students will learn important crisis management and communication skills by participating in the exercise. Students will present their findings at the end of the day to a panel of judges.