Turbulence waters; Calm Seas
09 August, 2021
The month of July was a very exciting and enjoyable month for the MSP 6th batch. It was indeed a great relief for all of us as we were able to finalize our research paper before the deadline. The last few months have been a very difficult time for us in writing our research papers. However, the knowledge and experiences gained by conducting this research will be immensely beneficial for our future endeavours.
After submitting our research papers, we were fortunate enough to have a great experience navigating Tokyo Bay during the simulator exercise at JCGA. During the simulator exercise, I had the opportunity to be the captain of the ship and it was a very exciting opportunity and a great experience for me. We felt that we were actually on board that ship and experienced difficulty of navigating Tokyo Bay.
In July, another important visit was made to the Kurushima Kaikyo Vessel Traffic Service Center. The activities carried out by KURUSHIMA MARTIS clearly demonstrated the valuable contribution made by JCG for the vessel traffic safety in the Kurushima strait. We had the opportunity to experience the communication procedure between the KURUSHIMA MARTIS and the ships. It was something new to me because our country does not have such dedicated centres and navigable straits.
We were fortunate to have the opportunity to make presentations on our countries and Coast Guard agencies and to share our experiences with cadets and Primary Officer Candidates at JCG. We were very impressed with the behaviour of the young officers and their enthusiasm in learning from our past experiences. They cooperated well with us and raised valuable questions in our presentations and follow-up discussions. I am certain that these young officers have a bright future in the years ahead.
(Prepared by: Rangana Athukorala, Sri Lank Coast Guard)
