Strengthening Collaboration: IHM on the benefits of hosting secondments

By Lt Cdr Luis Javier Gomez Saavedra

Top photo: Jorge Henríquez Garrido (left) from Chile

Bottom photo: Rocío Borjas (right) from Argentina

Background

Since the IC-ENC funded secondments between Member states personnel were established in 2024, the Instituto Hidrográfico de la Marina (IHM) has offered to host two secondments per year.

As part of a collaborative strategy among hydrographic services of Spanish-speaking countries, the IHM has focused the two-week secondments on exchanging knowledge and experience in in the transition to S-100 and its derived products, in Spanish.

In 2024, the IHM received personnel from the hydrographic service of Chile (SHOA), as member of SEPRHC, and also from the hydrographic service of Argentina (SHN), as member of SWAtHC, to focus on training in S-102 and S-101 respectively.

In 2025, IHM has already received personnel from the hydrographic service of Colombia (DIMAR-CIOH), member of the MACHC, and is expected to receive personnel from the hydrographic service of Ecuador (INOCAR), as member of the SEPRHC.

Likewise, the training periods will focus on S-101 and S-102, with the opportunity to participate in a one-week workshop given by CARIS at the IHM facilities.

Assessment of secondments

These secondments are an excellent opportunity to collaborate between hydrographic services at such a crucial time for the hydrographic community, transferring knowledge and facilitating the sharing of experience, best practices and technical expertise across different teams or institutions.

A large part of the success lies in having the same language, that facilitates the understanding and achievement of the objectives set for each secondment.

For the IHM, it has allowed not only to check the internal procedures, but also to improve and implement certain processes thanks to the knowledge of the secondees. In this regard, it is important to note that during the period of the secondment, human resources are assigned exclusively to facilitate the secondees. This sometimes requires interrupting the regular workflow and assigning alternative personnel to maintain operations. However, this is not time lost. It is a period of time from which the above-mentioned benefits are obtained.

For secondees, it is an opportunity for improvement and professional growth, gaining a broader understanding of the hydrographic and cartographic field and stablishing links with the hosting personnel to solve each other’s problems/doubts in the future. Their stay at IHM could lead to a significant impact on what they can contribute to their respective hydrographic service.

If you would like to host a secondment within your organisation, please click here to complete a short form, or contact alexandra.boobyer@ic-enc.org for more information.