Survival Craft Training - for Rob!

by Mike Osborne, Africa Mercy Communications Writer

Four Africa Mercy crewmembers have received official Certificates of Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats. Crewmen Rob Miller, Alfred Apaflo, Terry Barrett and Jacinto De Jesus received the certificates after attending a weeklong course at the South Tyneside College Marine Safety Training Centre in Northeast England.
This advanced safety course provided the four men an opportunity to develop and practice the skills required to launch, maneuver and rescue using various types of lifeboats. The Africa Mercy will carry two large lifeboats capable of holding 150 persons each, as well as two smaller life boats, life rafts and fast rescue boats.

The South Tyneside College was founded in 1861 and specializes in maritime training. The college trains 8,000 students a year in subjects ranging from proper mooring technique to assisting helicopter crews in the emergency offloading of an injured crewmate. Veteran Mercy Ships Captain Al Bennett arranged for the crewmen to attend while he was serving as the vessel’s Training Officer earlier this year.

"I enjoyed the class and was particularly impressed with the professionalism and enthusiasm of the instructors," crewman Rob Miller said of the course. "They worked hard at making students aware of the life and death nature of the situations we were simulating."

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