Crew management qualification delivered online over 12 months

Course Director

Captain Tony Minns
Master Mariner
MNI

After attending pre-sea training at HMS Conway, Tony served his apprenticeship with Alfred Holt & Co of Liverpool.  He sailed to the Far East, Australia and USA in the general cargo liners of Blue Funnel Line and Glen Line.  After gaining his first Certificate of Competency in 1967, he broadened his experience in West Africa.

Upon gaining his Masters FG Class 1 certificate in 1974, he was appointed as Chief Officer in the then “new” trade of high speed Panamax containerships.

In 1980, he took up an appointment with Townsend Car Ferries in Dover during which service the company name changed to P&O Ferries (Dover).  His duties included maintenance, certification and repair of ferries together with the varied and interesting experiences of command.  Tony ended his 43 years at sea in 2006 whilst in command of the “Pride of Calais”.

During his time in Dover, Tony became well versed in crew industrial matters being latterly Chairman of the NUMAST Committee in direct consultation with top management at director level both in Dover and throughout Europe.  From 1995 until 2007, Tony served on NUMAST Council, for a while being Vice-Chair, where the responsibilities included consultation with Government Ministers and Agencies.  For a brief period, he was a Trustee Director of the Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund.

Currently, Tony is based at North West Kent College where his varied roles have included being the administration officer for the Large Yacht Certificates of Competency.  He also undertakes Marine Consultancy through his own business.

Course Authors 

Roger J Holt
Director
Knightsmart Limited

Roger started his career in the shipping industry in 1962 as an Apprentice Navigating Officer with the Cunard SS Co Ltd, progressing to his Master Certificate and command in various companies coastal and offshore. Coming ashore to work in 1976 he joined Glasgow College of Nautical Studies as a Lecturer where he initially taught general navigation and seamanship subjects to cadets and junior grades. He returned, after taking a BA(Hons) in Business Law, in 1984 when the subjects changed to mainly ship masters business and law for mates, masters and extra masters. In 1989, a move to the Centre for Advanced Maritime Studies to run the distance learning courses was followed by his first role ship management as Training Manager with a large Greek Tanker Company, Training Manager in Acomarit (UK) Ltd, a third party shipmanagement company, and HR Manager in an offshore company dealing crewing. In 1999 he set up a company called Knightsmart Limited. This company provides a complete range of consultancy work in the shipping industry, including training, management systems (safety, risk and security), feasibility studies and intergovernmental projects.

Dr Suresh N. Idnani
President
International Maritime Health Association (IMHA) and
Trustee
International Committee on Seafarer’s Welfare (ICSW)

Suresh is a maritime health physician with 26 years of experience and is a qualified and experienced Occupational Health and Nuclear Medicine Physician. He is the chairman of the International Committee of Maritime Health professionals of IMHA to develop medical fitness standards for seafarers. He was the founding President of the Maritime Health Association formed under the directive of the Director General Shipping in July 2005 which was formally launched in 2006. Dr Idnani is also on the Board of Directors of the International Maritime Health Association (IMHA) based in Antwerp, Belgium. His role as Director is to develop Quality Assurance in Maritime Health globally and to organise workshops and seminars on issues relating to Maritime Health. IMHA has consultative status with ILO, IMO, ITF, ISF, ICSW and other government and non-governmental organisations internationally. He is country-level ambassador for IMHA and recently organised a workshop on quality assurance in maritime health as was well as a seminar on prevention of drug and alcohol abuse. Dr Idnani is the Regional Co-ordinator for South Asia, International Committee on Seafarers’ Welfare (ICSW). This covers areas in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He is also South Asia Regional Co-ordinator for South Asia on Seafarers’ Health Information Programme (SHIP), International Seafarers’ Assistance Network (ISAN) and International Sports for Seafarers (ISS). He has assisted in the formation of the National Seafarers Welfare Board – India (NSWB) India and National Seafarers Welfare Board – Sri Lanka. He is also a visiting tutor and external assessor in maritime health to the “Fundacio Universitat Rovia I Virgili”, Tarragona, Spain. He is a certified Ship Visitor for the Nautical Institute, UK.

Captain Rodger MacDonald MSc
Secretary General
The International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations

Rodger Macdonald, Secretary General of the International Federation of Shipmasters' Associations served initially with British India up to acting Chief Officer. After a year as Flight Planner, he left to return to maritime industry and from 1967 to 1970 was appointed Surveyor of Ships for the New Zealand Government at the Port of Lyttleton. Initially to gain command experience, he took a leave of absence from the New Zealand Government to join Straits Steamship Ltd as Master. He was asked to set-up a new Offshore Supply Vessel in Borneo, which was the forerunner of Ocean Inchcape Ltd. After 25 years of senior management positions within Ocean Inchcape Ltd Captain MacDonald was appointed Director of Faculty at the National Sea Training Centre, part of North West Kent College, an Associate College of the University of Greenwich. In August 2006, he retired from North West Kent College and continues to represent the interests of  Ship Masters in his role as  Secretary General of IFSMA which is a non-governmental organisation with consultancy status at IMO.  He is also very active in supporting students in a number of LMA courses and in 2005, Captain MacDonald was awarded the LSM Lifetime Achievement Award at the Asia Pacific Manning and Training Conference in recognition of his contribution in the sphere of education and training.


Tony Townsend
Independent Consultant

Tony is a former seafarer who served in a number of ship types. Since 1981 he has worked ashore in the shipping industry, mainly in manning and HR management. He has held senior positions with a number of companies, including oil majors and independent owners, as well as having spent some time as a consultant. He has a master's degree in HR management and is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Mike Tyndall
Director
Goal Achievement Ltd

Director, Goal Achievement Ltd. is a training consultant specialising in: leadership and motivation; time management; customer care; presentation skills; and negotiation skills. He has extensive experience of running training seminars on behalf of a number of well known organisations who include: Timberland, Imperial Tobacco, Balfour Beatty, Unipart, Iron Mountain, Renault and Homebase. Mike spent 15 years with SC Johnson during which time he held senior positions in both sales and human resources. He set up his own training business, Goal Achievement Ltd. in 1994. Prior to this, Mike spent seven years as Director of Training for NHA International, a leading management consultancy.


Alan George Peake, ACII, MNI
Chartered Insurer, Independent Consultant

Coming from a maritime background, Alan joined the marine department of a firm of Lloyd’s brokers in 1967. He qualified as an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute in 1970, winning the Chairman of Lloyd’s and the Three Rooms Club’s prizes in the process. Having risen through the ranks on the broking side of the London marine insurance market and after a spell as the Senior Marine Tutor at the Chartered Insurance Institute’s College of Insurance, he was appointed the Technical Adviser to the Lloyd’s Underwriters’ Association – which organisation looked after the interests of the marine underwriters at Lloyd’s. Subsequently, he was appointed the Compliance Director of the Lloyd’s underwriting agents, GoshawK.

During his time with the Lloyd’s Underwriters’ Association and representing the members’ interests, Alan served on 18 insolvent insurance company Creditor Committees and 10 similar committees for insolvent insurance brokers. Previously, he had been a member of the Insurance Institute of London’s Advanced Study Group No 196 which published its report “Containerisation and Marine Insurance” in 1972. In 1975 Alan was elected member of the London and South East Committee of the Corporation of Insurance Brokers and appointed member of its membership sub-committee. He was a member and subsequently chairman of the Under 30’s Marine Insurance Group (having undertaken study tours of Canada, the US and Scandinavia) and of the Marine Discussion Group.
Alan is a past member of the Board of the Lloyd’s Underwriters Claims and Recoveries Office (LUCRO) as well as having sat on the Lloyd’s Market Training Advisory Group, Lloyd’s Underwriters’ Association Technical Sub-Committee, Joint Technical and Clauses Committee and n the Marine Insurance Education Council. He has also served on the Chartered Insurance Institute’s Examiners Committee, having also been both a Moderator and an Assessor. He also sat on the Association British Insurers Reinsurance Committee and is a member of board of management of Operation Raleigh.

Today he is a member of the Greenwich Maritime Institute’s Advisory Committee having previously been on the original Steering Committee from its inception.

In 1974, he established, and still runs to this day as a Consultant to brokers Winter & Co (Marine) Ltd, a specialised insurance account for historic vessels including Thames Sailing Barges, sailing smacks, steam vessels and so on.
During his career he made many radio and TV appearances including appearing on Jim’ll Fix It, arranging the insurance on a toy boat for a young boy with underwriters at Lloyd’s.
From 1981 to 1985 he ran his own financial consultancy and was a founder and a director of CanEuro Resources Ltd,  a publicly quoted Canadian Energy Resources Company.
In 1989 this company acquired Alta Petroleum and after amalgamation with the Miralta Energy Corp, Alan stood down as a director.

He is currently a trustee of the charity which owns the preserved paddle steamer PS “Kingswear Castle” and is Chairman of operating company.