Training the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard

Flagship has secured a multi-million pound contract as part of a wider £150m VT Group contract with the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, on behalf of the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG).

We will project manage the overall training programme, combining Royal Navy, Flagship and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) training for the 225 crew required to man the three new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) being built by VT.

During the first phase of the UK based training programme, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard will spend some time with the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron. Following this they will receive OEM training in the factories where the equipment for their new ships will be made. Additionally, crews will also undertake a programme of Pre-Joining Training and International Defence Training courses within Royal Navy establishments.

Spanning over two years, the Flagship training element will begin mid 2008 with completion set for December 2010. Our nine member on-board training team will instruct the crew in basic sea safety, ship familiarisation, onboard training at sea and weapons training.

During the final element of the programme, the crew will undertake a challenging seven week course with the Royal Navy’s Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) organisation.
 
We are also preparing a training programme for the crews of two coastal patrol vessels recently delivered to the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.  These ex-oil rig support vessels will join the Trinidad Coast Guard as Coastal Patrol Vessels to enhance their capability in advance of the three new OPVs.       
                                                          
Already in Trinidad, these ships are currently being refitted.  A team of six Flagship instructors will travel to Trinidad to deliver ship familiarisation and training at sea.

Comments Dave Mitchard, Managing Director; ’This is excellent news for Flagship and the Training Projects team. The new OPVs, and accompanying training programme, will provide our customer with a fully rounded capability, to world class standards.

‘This new contract represents another export success for Flagship and builds on the highly successful collective training model that we developed with our Chilean and Estonian customers and adds to our unique Royal Navy partnering arrangement.’