"Our motive is to put together a well prepared training session and always bring a new element to the exercise", she continues. "In the autumn of 2009 we focused on piracy in our one day training for the shipping companies, and we still offer the table top version of that exercise, but we make an effort to put together a new scenario every year".
Two days of training
This year Norwegian Hull Club has named their exercise "Exercise Boost". The biggest change from previous exercises is the duration - Exercise Boost lasts for two days. A traditional "Norwegian Hull Club exercise" has usually lasted for about two hours, with the shipping company having to deal with several tasks at once, in addition to handling all communication and correspondence with media, next of kin and other interested parties. This results in two extremely busy hours, where the shipping company has to make a number of significant decisions in a hectic setting.
Scenario Philippine Sea
"In a real case situation things very seldom develop at such speed, and that was the main reason why we wanted to test an exercise that lasted for two days", says Geir Skoglund, Client Services Director. The 2010 scenario takes place in the Philippine Sea, where the shipping company has to deal with a situation that starts out as a minor incident but that develops hour by hour until it turns into a "traditional exercise" on the second day. "We have used many days and hours in the planning of the exercise and in the process we have tried to take into account every element that could be significant in our scenario, with the goal of delivering an exercise that is as realistic as possible, and we think we have succeeded", Skoglund concludes.
Good feedback
"Exercise Boost was a good and realistic exercise. All departments got involved and it was therefore a "Top Notch" team exercise", says Thor Søvik, Captain and HSE Manager with Uksnøy & Co AS, one of the Shipping Companies that has already been through the exercise.
"We are very pleased with all the good feedback on our new concept, it has been tremendous! We feel that we have fulfilled a training demand that maybe neither the clients nor we actually realized existed, but now that it has been revealed, we feel confident that we have chosen the right direction for our exercises," adds Nilssen.
The way forward
Stein Are Hansen, Assistant Director of Client Services, follows up by uncovering some of the secrets regarding the concept for 2011. "Already before we started this year's first round of exercises, we decided that next year's exercise will build upon "Exercise Boost 2010" and go on where this one ends. The planning for 2011 has started and we are in dialogue with some of our close collaborators in order to make an exercise that is as realistic as possible also next year".
However; previous to the 2011-exercises the team has, together with the Norwegian Hull Club playing staff, another training period for Exercise Boost this autumn to take care of. 12 new shipping companies will be trained in October and November. One of them is Wallem Shipmanagement Norway AS.
Highly recommends Norwegian Hull Club
"We are very pleased with the way Norwegian Hull Club organizes and carries out their crisis management training. It is very evident that they have a genuine desire in giving the best possible benefit to the shipping companies that participate. Based on our experience Wallem Shipmanagement Norway AS therefore highly recommends Norwegian Hull Club's crisis management training to others, and we are looking forward to going through Exercise Boost this fall," says Christian Erstad, QA/QHSE Manager of Wallem.
"Exercise Boost is designed for Norwegian Hull Club's members, and we are in the process of offering and booking the open slots in our autumn schedule," Director of Underwriting David Bellamy tells. He further explains: "since this exercise is extremely time consuming for Norwegian Hull Club, we have limited capacity, but our Client Services program also includes table top training and other products, and throughout the year we hope to be able to accommodate all requests, one way or another".
