Skip to content
Quest Training

Port HSSE & Emergency Management Training Course

Integrates port safety, health, security, environment and emergency response into one management system, going well beyond a security-only approach.

PMM · Port & Maritime ManagementAll Levels#3124ClassroomEnglish , Arabic
Duration
5 Days
Download BrochureView Upcoming Dates

Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy

Sectors:Procurement, Contracts & Supply ChainCategories:Port & Maritime Management

Course Overview

The Port HSSE & Emergency Management Training Course equips port managers, HSSE leaders, and maritime authority officials with the management knowledge needed to run health, safety, security, and environmental performance as one integrated system across a port and its terminals. Ports across the Gulf and Africa combine ships, heavy equipment, trucks, dangerous goods, contractors, and public interfaces in a confined area, where a single event can stop trade, harm people, and pollute coastal waters, and where accountability is shared between the port authority, terminal operators, and many other parties. The course takes a whole-of-port management view rather than a security-only one. Security under the ISPS Code is treated as one element beside occupational safety, health, environmental protection, and crisis management, and the focus is on how these disciplines are governed together. Participants examine quay and yard traffic risk, lifting and contractor oversight, dangerous goods governance, pollution preparedness, and the ship-shore interface. This is a management and governance program: it does not train equipment operators, responders, or security personnel in hands-on skills. Participants work with the frameworks that shape good port practice, including ISO 45001, ISO 14001, ISO 22301, the ILO code of practice on safety and health in ports, the IMDG Code, the IMO recommendations on dangerous cargoes in port areas, MARPOL, the OPRC Convention, and the OPRC-HNS Protocol. They also learn how to structure a port-wide emergency plan, an incident command structure, mutual aid with civil defense and coast guard agencies, crisis communication, and the recovery of operations after a disruption. The course is delivered through port case studies, risk mapping exercises, plan reviews, a tabletop emergency simulation, and a final integrated HSSE workshop. Participants leave with a port HSSE risk register, a governance and responsibility matrix, a contractor oversight checklist, a port emergency plan outline, and an integrated HSSE improvement plan they can adapt to their own port.

Learning Objectives

  • Analyze the combined health, safety, security, and environmental risk profile of a multi-terminal port.
  • Define HSSE accountability between the port authority, terminal operators, contractors, shipping lines, and government agencies.
  • Design an integrated port HSSE management system that draws on ISO 45001, ISO 14001, and ISO 22301.
  • Position ISPS Code security duties within a wider port risk and emergency management framework.
  • Establish management controls for quay, yard, and gate traffic, lifting operations, and pedestrian separation.
  • Govern contractor selection, permit-to-work arrangements, and performance oversight across port areas.
  • Oversee dangerous goods governance using the IMDG Code and the IMO recommendations for port areas.
  • Plan pollution preparedness for oil and hazardous substance spills, drawing on MARPOL, the OPRC Convention, and the OPRC-HNS Protocol.
  • Structure a port emergency plan with clear scenarios, command roles, resources, and interagency mutual aid.
  • Prepare crisis communication arrangements for staff, port users, regulators, the media, and neighboring communities.
  • Develop business continuity arrangements that protect critical port functions and restore trade flows.
  • Design an exercise program that tests plans and captures lessons from drills and real events.
  • Measure HSSE performance with leading and lagging indicators and report the results to port leadership.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for port directors, harbor masters, terminal managers, HSSE managers and advisers, port facility security officers, environmental managers, marine operations managers, emergency planners, and the supervisors who oversee contractors and cargo operations in port areas. It is equally relevant for officials in transport and maritime ministries, port authorities, maritime administrations, customs and border agencies, coast guard services, civil defense authorities, and environmental regulators who oversee ports or share responsibility for incidents in and around them. Professionals in port authorities, container, bulk, and liquid terminal operators, free zones, shipping agencies, marine service providers, national oil companies with marine terminals, port development programs, and the consultants and insurers advising them will find the course directly applicable. It is particularly valuable for organizations moving from separate safety, security, and environmental functions toward one integrated system, for ports expanding or taking on new terminals, and for managers newly responsible for port-wide emergency arrangements.

Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
  • Explain why port safety, health, security, and environmental risks should be managed together in a multi-terminal environment.
  • Allocate HSSE accountability between the authority, terminal operators, contractors, and agencies.
  • Build a port-wide HSSE risk register covering routine operations, contractor work, and major events.
  • Outline an integrated HSSE management system drawing on ISO 45001, ISO 14001, and ISO 22301 and suited to the size of the port.
  • Set management controls for port traffic, lifting operations, and contractor performance.
  • Connect ISPS Code security arrangements with wider port risk management and emergency planning.
  • Review dangerous goods governance using the IMDG Code and IMO port guidance, from declaration through storage.
  • Assess the pollution preparedness of a port under MARPOL and the OPRC Convention.
  • Structure a port emergency plan with credible scenarios, command roles, and interagency mutual aid.
  • Prepare crisis communication and business continuity arrangements for port disruption.
  • Design and evaluate an exercise program that turns lessons into corrective actions.
  • Develop an HSSE improvement plan with priorities, owners, indicators, and reporting to port leadership.

Course Outline

Course Outline:

Day 1

Port Risk Profile and HSSE Governance

  • The port as a complex workplace: ships, cargo, equipment, trucks, contractors, and the public in one operating area
  • Why an integrated approach matters: the limits of managing safety, security, and environment as separate functions
  • HSSE accountability between the port authority, terminal operators, shipping lines, contractors, and agencies
  • Governance structures: HSSE committees, reporting lines, board oversight, and the role of the harbor master
  • Designing an integrated system that draws on ISO 45001, ISO 14001, and ISO 22301
  • Port-wide risk assessment methods, risk registers, and the use of bowtie analysis for major events
  • Concession and lease agreements as tools for setting HSSE expectations for terminal operators
  • Practical application: participants build a port HSSE risk register and a responsibility matrix for a multi-terminal port
Day 2

Safety and Health Management in Port Operations

  • Management controls for quay, yard, and gate traffic, pedestrian separation, and truck movements
  • Governance of lifting operations, cargo handling equipment, and lashing work from a management perspective
  • Guidance in the ILO code of practice on safety and health in ports and how to apply it to local systems
  • Contractor selection, induction, permit-to-work arrangements, and performance oversight
  • Occupational health in ports: heat, dust, noise, fatigue, fumigated containers, and shift patterns
  • Safety at the ship-shore interface: access, mooring operations, and coordination with vessel crews
  • Near-miss reporting, safety culture, and investigating incidents to find the management causes
  • Practical application: participants prepare a contractor oversight checklist and a traffic risk review for a terminal
Day 3

Security, Dangerous Goods, and Environmental Management

  • How ISPS Code duties connect with wider port risk management, access control, and cargo integrity
  • Threat scenarios that cross security and safety: intrusion, stowaways, cyber incidents, and tampered cargo
  • Dangerous goods governance: the IMDG Code, declarations, segregation in storage, and information flows
  • IMO recommendations on dangerous cargoes in port areas and how responsibilities are assigned
  • Environmental aspects of ports: air emissions, dredging, stormwater, waste reception, and noise
  • Pollution prevention obligations under MARPOL and the management of port reception facilities
  • Aligning environmental management with ISO 14001 and engaging neighboring communities
  • Practical application: participants map the shared controls for a dangerous goods container arriving at a terminal
Day 4

Port Emergency Planning and Incident Command

  • Structure of a port emergency plan: scenarios, triggers, resources, roles, and communication channels
  • Credible port scenarios: fire on a vessel or quay, dangerous goods release, spills, collapse, and severe weather
  • Incident command principles and how a port connects its command structure to national responders
  • Mutual aid with civil defense, coast guard, hospitals, neighboring ports, and terminal emergency teams
  • Oil and hazardous substance spill preparedness, drawing on the OPRC Convention, the OPRC-HNS Protocol, and tiered response
  • Places of refuge, marine casualties near the port, and decision making under uncertainty
  • Crisis communication with staff, port users, regulators, the media, and affected communities
  • Practical application: participants review a port emergency plan and run a tabletop dangerous goods scenario
Day 5

Continuity, Exercises, and HSSE Performance

  • Business continuity under ISO 22301: critical functions, recovery priorities, and alternative arrangements
  • Restoring operations after an incident: assessment, safe restart, and cooperation with port users
  • Designing an exercise program: drills, tabletop sessions, full-scale exercises, and capturing lessons
  • Leading and lagging HSSE indicators, audits, management reviews, and reporting to port leadership
  • Benchmarking across terminals and building HSSE expectations into new projects and expansions
  • Final workshop: participants develop an integrated HSSE and emergency management improvement plan for a port

Upcoming Dates

Selected date

Makkah · 1 – 5 Feb 2027 · Classroom

Need more details?Chat with us on WhatsApp

CityDatesPrice per ParticipantEarly Bird
BakuScheduled
2 – 6 Nov 2026€4,800—
SelectDownload Brochure
BarcelonaScheduled
9 – 13 Nov 2026€5,400—
SelectDownload Brochure
BeirutScheduled
15 – 19 Nov 2026€4,000—
SelectDownload Brochure
BerlinScheduled
16 – 20 Nov 2026€5,800—
SelectDownload Brochure
CairoScheduled
22 – 26 Nov 2026€3,300€2,970until 2 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
CasablancaScheduled
30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026€4,300€3,870until 9 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
Cape TownScheduled
30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026€5,100€4,590until 9 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
DammamScheduled
6 – 10 Dec 2026€4,200€3,780until 16 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
DohaScheduled
13 – 17 Dec 2026€4,400€3,960until 23 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
DubaiScheduled
20 – 24 Dec 2026€4,400€3,960until 30 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
ErbilScheduled
20 – 24 Dec 2026€3,100€2,790until 30 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
IstanbulScheduled
28 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027€4,700€4,230until 7 Dec
SelectDownload Brochure
JeddahScheduled
3 – 7 Jan 2027€4,200€3,780until 14 Dec
SelectDownload Brochure
KigaliScheduled
4 – 8 Jan 2027€5,100€4,590until 14 Dec
SelectDownload Brochure
Kuala LumpurScheduled
11 – 15 Jan 2027€4,400€3,960until 21 Dec
SelectDownload Brochure
LondonScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€5,600€5,040until 28 Dec
SelectDownload Brochure
LisbonScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€5,400€4,860until 28 Dec
SelectDownload Brochure
MadinahScheduled
25 – 29 Jan 2027€4,200€3,780until 4 Jan
SelectDownload Brochure
MadridScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€5,400€4,860until 11 Jan
SelectDownload Brochure
MakkahScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€4,200€3,780until 11 Jan
✓ SelectedDownload Brochure
ManamaScheduled
8 – 12 Feb 2027€4,700€4,230until 18 Jan
SelectDownload Brochure
MuscatScheduled
15 – 19 Feb 2027€5,300€4,770until 25 Jan
SelectDownload Brochure
OnlineScheduled
21 – 25 Feb 2027€1,700€1,530until 1 Feb
SelectDownload Brochure
ParisScheduled
22 – 26 Feb 2027€5,700€5,130until 1 Feb
SelectDownload Brochure
Sharm El-SheikhScheduled
1 – 5 Mar 2027€4,300€3,870until 8 Feb
SelectDownload Brochure
AbujaScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€5,100€4,590until 15 Feb
SelectDownload Brochure
SingaporeScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€6,700€6,030until 15 Feb
SelectDownload Brochure
AccraScheduled
15 – 19 Mar 2027€5,100€4,590until 22 Feb
SelectDownload Brochure
AmmanScheduled
21 – 25 Mar 2027€3,100€2,790until 1 Mar
SelectDownload Brochure
AmsterdamScheduled
22 – 26 Mar 2027€5,400€4,860until 1 Mar
SelectDownload Brochure

Available in: Istanbul · Dubai · London · Doha · Amsterdam

Related Courses

Ready to Elevate Your Team's Capabilities?

Speak with our advisors about upcoming programmes or a bespoke corporate training plan.

Download BrochureContact Our Team