MSEA Field Study to Egypt

From 10-14 March, students from the Maritime Safety and Environmental Administration (MSEA) specialization were welcomed by the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT). This was the first time AASTMT hosted a WMU field study and WMU alumni employed at AASTMT accompanied the field study group for the entire week and included Captains Mahmoud El Sayed (M.Sc. 2004), Samy Youssef (M.Sc. 2013), Amr Ibrahim (M.Sc. 2013), and Ahmed Ismail (M.Sc. 2013).

Among the many activities planned for the group, the 15 students from 10 countries participated in a 2-day workshop focused on various aspects of the maritime sector including simulating the loading of a tanker, navigating through the Port of Alexandria in Egypt, communicating a distress message, managing the emergency response, and conducting a marine investigation. In addition, students were exposed to a myriad of high-tech simulators and the workshop concluded with a certified course on helicopter underwater egress training (HUET). 

Other activities included visiting the training ship AIDA IV, where the group participated in abandon ship drills and learned of the Sea Training Institute’s method of training their future AASTMT graduates from Arab and African countries.  The group also participated in MARLOG 3, the third annual international conference sponsored by AASTMT in support of maritime logistics where they learned about the strategic advantages of Port Said and the Suez Canal.  The field study also included the opportunity to visit the Port Said Port Authority, the Suez Canal Authority, and Port Suez to see port operations first-hand.  Other highlights of the trip were visits to major historical sites such as the Great Pyramids, the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, and the renowned bazar in Cairo.