Iona supports Junior Royal Navy officers to complete bridge training

P&O Cruises Iona recently hosted two Junior Royal Navy officers to support them with completing their qualifications. Thanks to an exchange scheme between HMS Collingwood and the Merchant Navy, Luke Orrin and Matt Handisides joined as deck cadets, working on the ship’s bridge alongside Iona’s bridge team.

All warfare young officers must spend 365 days at sea to qualify as Officers of the Watch in the Royal Navy – allowing them to work on the bridge of a warship, safely guiding them on operations worldwide.

Iona’s Staff Captain Chris Kennedy said the two junior Royal Navy officers had represented the Senior Service “admirably and embraced the opportunities offered to them”.

He continued: “It was a fantastic opportunity for Royal and Merchant Navy to come together, share knowledge, experience and best practice and learn more about the differences and similarities in how we operate our fleets.

At 184,000 tonnes, Iona is nearly three times the weight of the flagship aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales – and 60 metres longer. Whether 184 tonnes or 184,000 tonnes, the principles of safe seafaring and rules of navigation remain the same, from negotiating the ‘maritime motorway’ which is the Dover Strait, to manoeuvring a 344-metre-long vessel – more than 1,130 feet – in the confines of a fjord.

Having taken Iona to Norway, Matt and Luke (plus 1,800 shipmates) headed south to Portugal and Spain.

“The experience was extremely rewarding working with such a professional bridge team piloting such a large vessel into some extremely tight ports,” said Matt.

“Working with a crew from all over the world exposed me to other cultures and ways of working. And it’s given me a keen understanding of the considerations of the merchant fleet and how much overlap there is when it comes to the legal requirements at sea.”

Luke added: “My time on Iona benefited me a great deal. It taught me not only how to keep a ship safe – especially one with around 7,000 people on board – but also how this part of the maritime industry operates compared to the Royal Navy which can be applied later in my career when interacting with cruise vessels.”

As part of the exchange programme, P&O Cruises Captain Andrew Wolverson and Staff Captain Chris Kennedy were invited to Collingwood to see the training the Royal Navy offers – not least the new 3D/virtual reality bridge simulator suite opened last year.

Lieutenant Commander David Carter, the RN’s Merchant Navy Liaison Officer, said the exchange programme benefited both navies with “shared wins on learning and training” and that Carnival UK had been “particularly helpful” in accommodating the two junior officers to complete their Officer of the Watch training.