Harbour Master
Harbour Masters
Worldwide there are approximately 3,000 merchant ports and the work of the Harbour Master can vary widely from country to country and from port to port even within the same country.

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The International Harbour Masters Association and Lloyd's Maritime Academy have joined forces to provide the world’s present and aspiring Harbour Masters and Port Captains the underpinning knowledge on legislation, risk management, navigational management, security, marine operations and management skills to enable them to meet the industry’s key challenges.
The partnership provides existing IHMA members with up to 15% discount on selected Lloyd's Maritime Academy distance learning courses while Lloyd's Maritime Academy students (non-members) will obtain a complimentary 12-months associate membership with IHMA when enrolling on selected courses.
Please email marketingdl@informa.com with your IHMA membership number to obtain the Discount Code and link for the selected course.
Please email veronica.araujo@informa.com or the IHMA Secretariat at secretary.ihma@harbourmaster.org with your course payment confirmation receipt and request to join the IHMA.
The partnership applies to the following courses:
Courses available with a 15% discount for IHMA members
Courses available with a 10% discount for IHMA members
Click on the link below for more information and to apply for the courses.
The European Harbour Masters' Committee developed a series of videos that are excellent training resources. All have found their way to fleet managers, terminal operators, maritime institutes, ship owners, accident investigators, STCW training centres, P&I Clubs, port authorities and port companies.
“The Chain - Awareness and best practices in the nautical chain” was reviewed by Port Strategy magazine which said: “Today’s rapid turnaround of ships in ports has impacted on every one’s ability to swap experiences. In the past there were many people with a nautical background, now there are fewer and fewer, on board as well as ashore. Vessels crews are no longer always familiar with the port or terminal due to a huge turn-over of crew, diminishing degree of experience in general and an increased spot market, resulting in calling at many different ports. This upheaval has put a chink in the nautical chain – one that the EHMC is keen to straighten out. Its fix is to improve communication and awareness. Such awareness will lead to a better knowledge of everyone’s day-to-day work when receiving a vessel in a port, to a better mutual understanding and a better understanding of the common interests in optimizing the functioning of the maritime chain.”
This two-part video by the European Harbour Masters' Committee is a joint production by all those who are key to the business of bringing ships into port (the nautical chain) - harbour masters, agents, pilots, tugboat captains, boatmen, ship masters, hydrographic offices and terminal operators. For the first time a film will give an insight into the key roles of the nautical chain.
The aim of these vidoes is to strengthen the chain by creating greater awareness of each other’s jobs, sharing best practice and gaining a better understanding of the impact of individual operations. This way each participant can strengthen its own link in the chain and, by better co-operation, make the whole chain stronger. We believe that this will result in a safer, smoother and more efficient voyage from berth to berth.
'The Chain' is an initiative by Captain Ben van Scherpenzeel for the European Harbour Masters’ Committee. For comments or questions about the video please contact Scherpenzeel.ehmc@harbourmaster.org. Hard copies of the video can be obtained from Ingrid Römers at romers.ehmc@harbourmaster.org.
Click on the links below to watch 'The Chain' videos.
In 2011, the EHMC responded to concerns about knowledge gaps in the mooring process by commissioning a second video titled “The Missing Link - improving the mooring processes”. It appeared the mooring process had become the forgotten link in the nautical chain and consequently, content was developed by a number of organisations to address improvements in mooring safety.
Over the years thousands of copies of ‘The Missing Link’ videos were distributed worldwide and links to the videos have been accessible on the IHMA website for over a decade. But as ships increased in size and mooring technology advanced, the original content of ‘The Missing Link’ became outdated. However, the issue is still of importance to harbour masters and port users so in 2021, the EHMC commissioned an update to the original video which is now complete.
The new series features seven short Vimeos aimed at making the mooring process safer and more efficient for personnel and preventing damage to terminal equipment and vessels. Each video reflects current practices on:
"The Missing Link" is an initiative by Ben van Scherpenzeel for the European Harbour Masters’ Committee. For comments or questions contact Scherpenzeel.ehmc@harbourmaster.org.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) refers to the process of tracking and documenting the skills, knowledge and experience that you gain both formally and informally as you go about your work beyond any initial training.
Available posts in the Harbours & Ports worldwide
Synopsis
A stevedore suffered sickness and disorientation after handling cans containing fumigant while discharging cargo at No 3 Alexander berth in the Port of Liverpool from the general cargo vessel Thorco Angela*.
The circumstances of the incident are recorded in (United Kingdom) Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) preliminary assessment (PA) summary number 4/22: Thorco Angela published on 18 May 2022.
Ports emit roughly 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yet there is no widely accepted tool for measuring waterside GHG…