MONROVIA – Two Liberian captains — Sam Jabbah and William Lassanah — were officially turned over to the National Port Authority (NPA) as Liberia’s first homegrown Marine Pilot and tugboat captains. The two Liberian captains presented licenses to the Managing Director of the National Port Authority, Mr. Sekou A. M. Dukuly, after acquiring training and certifications from the Regional Maritime University in Accra, Ghana.
Making the presentation, APM Terminals Liberia Managing Director Jan Buijze said the APMT family was gratified with the level of training and successes achieved by the two Liberians who according to him have brought pride to Liberia.
The APM Terminals Liberia Managing Director Buijze said Sam Jabbah has been internationally trained as a Marine Captain having attended the South African Maritime Training Academy in Cape Town, the Maritime Professional Training in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Falck Safety Services in Houston, Texas and the Canarian School of Navigation and Maritime Safety in Tenerife, Spain while William Lassanah pursued an advance Maritime training and certification in Bahrain and achieved a significant professional milestone by earning his Master near coastal line license.
For his part, the Managing Director for Svitzer Cedric Guiraud said the training of Liberians as captains signified the importance of Liberianization of the Marine service to the Liberian Maritime sector.
Receiving Captains Sam Jabbah and William Lassanah, NPA Managing Director Dukuly lauded the two Liberian captains for their extraordinary efforts in putting Liberia on the map. Dukuly said the success of Captains Sam and William opens a new chapter in transforming the Maritime sector of Liberia.
Dukuly remarked that as Liberia’s trade relations with the international market expand, there is a need for a corresponding expansion in expertise to man the sector. He said the Freeport of Monrovia which is the gateway to the Liberian economy is the major trade infrastructure serving as the conduit for the import of critical goods and the export of commodities to other markets. Just like any industry, Dukuly stressed, it is critical to the human resource need at the Freeport of Monrovia and needs continuous professional development to be able to meet global standards.
The NPA boss said President Joseph Nyuma Boakai believes that it is important for the industry to further position itself globally through knowledge and technology. He said President Boakai is trailed by the level of achievements received by Sam Jabbah and William Lassanah which opens the door for many young Liberians to acquire training in the Maritime industry.
