Coming out of a crisis well requires serious planning, rehearsals, and support from the very top of the organisation.

These were all the topics discussed during the five-day workshop provided by the project in Djibouti between the 14 and 18 of January, in an international context marked since December 2023 by serious disruptions to maritime traffic on the traffic axis of the Bab Al Mandeb Strait, at the confluence of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The seminar, organised in cooperation with by the Regional Maritime Training Center of Djibouti (CRFM/DRTC), brought together national and international experts to discuss best practices in maritime crisis management.

Throughout the seminar, participants had the opportunity to attend presentations and interactive workshops led by international specialists. Topics covered included maritime crisis prevention, emergency management at sea, international coordination and the role of the maritime authorities.

National institutions also shared their own experiences in this area, highlighting measures taken to strengthen maritime security and safety in the country. Case studies were presented, reflecting the specific challenges Djibouti faces due to its strategic geographic position.

The seminar was inaugurated by the Director General of CRFM/DRTC Ms. Mina Houssein, who underlined the importance of strengthening national capacities in maritime crisis management. Ms. Houssein also highlighted the crucial role of Djibouti as a maritime shipping hub in the Horn of Africa region.

Closing the workshop Fabrice Tollari, responsible for the international crisis management training said: “During this week, we were able to identify and train a team ready to respond to any type of crisis that might occur at sea. The team now masters the fundamental principles of crisis management, the specific tools needed to successfully manage an exceptional situation, and the processes involved in making decisions under uncertainty. We carried out a large-scale tabletop crisis exercise, which enabled participants to confirm the need for an organised structure and trained teams to respond to a crisis.
The investment of the participants and the level of preparation of the Republic of Djibouti deserve to be underlined. We need to continue working in this direction, to keep coordinated management at tactical, strategic and political levels.”

L’article We always need to communicate, especially in time of crisis. est apparu en premier sur Crimario II.

The initial objective of the mission was to understand the general crisis management organisation of the Seychelles Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD) and prepare a workshop to the benefit of all agencies involved at relief coordination level.

On the 7^th of December, though, Seychelles suffered two major blows. Firstly, heavy rainfall caused severe damage to roads, flooding, and landslides, with destruction of several properties and three people dead. On the same day, an explosion at a quarrying company in the Providence industrial area caused massive damage to residential homes and commercial buildings, along the east coast of the main island of Mahe.

Despite the difficult situation, the DRMD authorities decided to carry on with the mission while changing the objective: in light of the events, they requested the assignment to focus on analysing organisational chains during the management of a crisis and proposing solutions, particularly in terms of information management in crisis situations.

Upon arrival Fabrice Tollari and Samuel Champon, from the CRIMARIO II project, met M.Errol Fonseka Minister of the Interior,  M. Robert Ernesta DG of DRMD and M.Daniel Cetoupe Principal Disaster Management Officer, to discuss the situation and agree on the actions to take.

In the following days, the CRIMARIO team played an important role in leading the activities in handling the situation in cooperation with the country’s partners in charge of crisis management at national level.

The work focused on analysing and sharing with DRMD the organisational areas needing improvement, drawing a communication plan, and delivering 2 awareness-raising workshops for the agencies involved in DRM.

The workshops equipped officials from various branches of the Seychelles Government, many of which were involved in the disasters that took place on the 6th & 7th December, with the knowledge and tools to better communicate in a crisis.

Moreover, the CRIMARIO team drafted a procedure for activating and implementing the 3-level chains of command (tactical, strategic and political) and a Situation Report (SITREP) template, to provide decision-makers and readers with a quick understanding of the current situation.

In addition, the CRIMARIO team has drafted a procedure for managing and sharing information in a crisis situation, for use by the three-level chains of command (tactical, strategic and political), as well as a situation report template (SITREP). In the long term, this procedure could greatly facilitate understanding of the situation and support decision-makers.

During the press conference held on the 12^th of December Mr. Cetoupe, after explaining the situation on the ground, informed about the support the country was receiving from the CRIMARIO project, whose team was in Seychelles at the time of the incident conducting training with the DRMD staff[1].

[1] http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/19767/Seychelles+steps+up+disaster+preparedness+following+Dec.++floodings+and+blast

L’article CRIMARIO supports Seychelles to coordinate Disaster Risk Management est apparu en premier sur Crimario II.

CRIMARIO carried out a train-the-trainers course on IORIS web-based platform, in Antananarivo (December 17-18) for the benefit of 6 Comorian officers from different administrations involved in the action of State at sea (ANAM and Coast Guard).  On Thursday 20, CRIMARIO organized  a mutual training exercice, gathering the RMIFC team and half of the Comorian trainees.

This short crisis management exercise focused on the first reactions after a collision in the Comoros archipelago between two ships. Using IORIS as platform of exchange of information and management of the accident, the “players” thus set up a collaboration space dedicated to the event and declined the first measures that claimed this accident, in particular the organization of the medical evacuations and estimating the environmental impact of a diesel fuel leak.

Both parties were enthusiastic and asked for a similar exercise scheduled on 21 January 2019. IORIS was perfectly adapted to the task. CRIMARIO benefited from valuable experience feedback before more important exercises and the enlargement to several countries of the operational platform scheduled for the first half of 2019.

The training was delivered by Olivier Bézier, CRIMARIO training and capacity building manager with the support of Jean-Edmond Randriananteniaina, director general of RMIFC.

L’article Crisis management exercise with IORIS est apparu en premier sur Crimario II.

The official launch will be preceded by the first ‘Train the Trainer’ course planned in Seychelles on 16-18 April 2018.

The current coding and developments integrate the recommendations made by the regional countries, especially during the technical clarification meeting held in Seychelles in November 2017 gathering both regional entities (maritime centres – RCOC, RMIFC- and the Anti-Piracy Unit of IOC), and maritime administrations from Kenya (Navy, KMA) and Seychelles (DRDM, Coast Guard, Fishing Authority, Reflecs3).

CRIMARIO will also launch a secure forum in February dedicated specifically for discussing IORIS. This forum will provide a secure area to ask questions, or request additional information/technical details in respect to all areas of IORIS. Accordingly, invitations will be sent to authorised regional representatives and administrations only. Additional requests to participate in this forum discussion can be forwarded to dave.nattrass[at]crimario.eu.

Download the IORIS presentation made at MASE focal points meeting on 12 January 2018 in Mauritius.

More on IORIS specifications.

L’article Development of IORIS platform in progress est apparu en premier sur Crimario II.