The international character of merchant shipping creates a demand for establishing professional standards for the VTS that are consistent globally.
The selection and training of qualified personnel is a basic requirement for proper operation of the VTS, since the skills required for the operation personnel (VTS Supervisors and Operators) are not trivial and its operating performance will have a direct impact on the user’s confidence in the VTS as a whole.
VTS Team
All personnel in the operational service, in each shift, comprises an Operational Team. Operational teams are composed of operating positions, which can be of two types: VTS Supervisor and Operator.
While the Operator function is basic and common to every VTS, the need for a supervisor varies with the situation and with the demand of traffic service. In addition to the VTS controller responsibilities, the members of the Operational Team, the On-the-Job-Training Instructors and eventually the VTS Administrative Agents have specific responsibilities in accordance with their functions.
VTS Certificate
All personnel involved in the VTS need to obtain special qualifications to perform the duties of Operator or Supervisor. Courses are taught by SHELTER and accredited by the Brazilian Maritime Authority, to issue the certificate.
At the end of the course the student will receive a certificate of completion and a record book and will be fit for the next phase of On the Job Training. After completing the On the Job Training successfully, a license is emitted, with an individual number, which licenses the carrier for the Operational Service, such as Supervisors or operator.
The conclusion of revalidation courses shall be recorded on the back of the original license and log book. For each of these courses a new new license will be issued.
Cursos de VTS
Qualifying staff in the international standards needed for the VTS is a task that requires specific knowledge related to maritime activity whose complexity is directly proportional to the sophistication of the equipment and systems to be used. In order to contribute to the organization of courses and processes aimed at the training of the VTS personnel, IALA provides the model courses to guide the instruction and training.
The courses are designed based on the STCW International Convention (Convention of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping), of 1978, revised in 1995, STCW Code, from which the IALA adopted its recommendation for the V-103 standards for Training and Certification of VTS Personnel.
The VTS courses are:
