The first Foundation Course on Marine Casualty Investigation for IMO Member States is being held (9-13 January) in Bangkok, Thailand, under a programme to build self-sustaining technical capacity in marine casualty investigation amongst IMO Member States. 

The five-day national training course is for officers from Thailand’s Marine Accident Investigation Office (MAIO). Officers from the Marine Department of Thailand are also participating as observers.  

Joining the Foundation Course remotely, the IMO Representative highlighted the importance for marine casualty investigators of also participating in IMO’s other forums focussed on marine accident investigation, for example IMO's Sub-committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III) sessions, the Marine Accident Investigators’ International Forum (MAIIF), and the Marine Accident Investigators Forum in Asia (MAIFA).   

IMO is leading an initiative in consultation with the Marine Accident Investigators’ International Forum (MAIIF) to ensure consistency in the competency and capacity of Member States to carry out and report marine accident investigations. This Foundation Course is designed to provide additional support to Member States that need it as they start to develop their own expertise at a national level.

 The course is based on the IMO Model Course 3.11 on safety investigations into marine casualties and marine incidents.  

The initiative will include a scheme under which Member States will nominate two representatives from their marine casualty investigation units to gain in-the-field exposure by observing in-person the work of their counterparts in Singapore and Australia. Those selected would subsequently be responsible for sharing the experience they have gained with colleagues through a structured in-house training programme. 

 IMO is currently developing this scheme in consultation with the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) of Singapore and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). 

The World Maritime University is delivering the IMO-funded pilot programme with the support of the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) of Singapore.