SLMA BEGINS PLACEMENT OF S/LEONEAN SEAFARERS ONBOARD VESSELS

SLMA Begins Placement of S/Leonean Seafarers Onboard Vessels‼

By Ranger

The Executive Director Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA), Alhaji Wurror Jalloh, has confirmed that the SLMA has started what he described as Ship Registry and Placement of Sierra Leonean seafarers onboard local and foreign vessels.

According to him, the reason for this latest innovation is to ensure that registered ships plying Sierra Leone waters comply with the country’s Maritime regulations among other things.

Alhaji Wurroh Jalloh maintained among other things that the intervention is to create jobs for qualified Sierra Leoneans while at the same time the SLMA would offer support and provide training for those qualified and registered to serve as would-be cadets onboard local and foreign sea vessels.

Alhaji Jalloh maintained that currently the SLMA is sponsoring a number of students studying at the Regional Maritime University in Accra, Ghana. He added that the SLMA is also in the process of engaging recruiting agencies abroad for the same purpose, while ensuring that all those who would eventually assist the SLMA in this direction would be of high integrity and compliant with international seafarer standards.

According to Alhaji Jalloh, two qualified and trained Sierra Leoneans have already gained placements onboard sea vessels and are expected to leave the shores of the country soon, adding that he is working assiduously to ensure that the glorious days of seamen and seafaring are returned to the country. He maintained that he would need the assistance of all and sundry and especially the Sierra Leone Seaman’s Union to do this.

He added that because the Sierra Leone Seaman’s Union is of much importance, the SLMA facilitated its formation in order for it to serve as the union which will serve as the institution through which all potential seamen and seafarers would register for onward training and deployment of trained and qualified seafarers, adding that the SLMA is prepared to work with this Union to ensure the total success of this program.