AIRLINE MAINT PROC AND GND CREW TRAINING DEFICIENCIES ARE INDICATED AFTER A WINGTIP STRIKE OCCURS BTWN 2 ACFT DURING A RAMP OP RAMP DEP PROC.

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I FIRST BRIEFED THE FO ON HOW I EXPECT THE OP OF THE FLT TO BE HANDLED AS PER THE SOP; AND BRIEFED HIM THAT IF HE DOESN'T LIKE ANYTHING ABOUT THE OP OF THE FLT TO PLEASE SPEAK UP. WE THEN DID A BEFORE START CHKLIST. THE FO THEN SAID THAT ON TAXI OUT I WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A HARD L TURN TO AVOID GETTING WITHIN 3 FT (COMPANY MINIMUM SEPARATION) OF THE L WING OF ACFT. I AGREED WITH HIM AND TOLD HIM TO MAKE SURE WE HAD AT LEAST 3 FT CLRNC WITH THE WINGS. I ALSO TOLD HIM NOT TO BE HESITANT TO STEP ON THE BRAKES AND STOP THE ACFT IF HE NEEDED TO. AFTER COMPLETING THE TAXI CHKLIST; WE TAXIED OUT UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF A MARSHALLER AND A 'WING WALKER' ON THE R WING. THE L WING WAS CLR OF ANY OBSTRUCTIONS. THE WING WALKER WAS GIVING 'NON STANDARD' SIGNALS WITH 'THUMBS UP.' THE FO REQUESTED STANDARD SIGNALS BY HOLDING HIS HANDS ABOUT 3 FT APART. AT THE SAME TIME THE FO SAID TO STOP THE ACFT AND I DID. THE MARSHALLER LOOKED AT THE WINGTIP AND BEGAN TO FLAG US OUT AGAIN. WE MOVED NO MORE THAN 1 FT; THEN THE FO SAID TO STOP AND WE BOTH STEPPED ON THE BRAKES AND STOPPED THE ACFT. I SET THE PARKING BRAKE AND CALLED FOR A RAMP SUPVR AND MAINT TO COME OUT AND LOOK AT THE WINGTIP. WHEN THE RAMP SUPVR CAME OUT; HE TOLD ME TO SHUT DOWN BOTH ENGS. I DID SO AND GOT OUT OF THE AIRPLANE TO LOOK AT THE WING. MY WINGTIP WAS BRUSHING THE WINGTIP OF ACFT. I ENTERED THE DISCREPANCY IN THE LOGBOOK. IF OUR RAMPERS WERE TRAINED TO A MUCH HIGHER STANDARD WE WOULD NOT HAVE THIS PROB. MAYBE IF WE INCREASED THE MINIMUM CLRNC LIMIT TO 5 FT OR MAYBE 10 FT THEN THIS MIGHT HAPPEN LESS FREQUENTLY. THIS PROB IS THE BIGGEST PROB WE HAVE ON THE RAMP. NEAR MISSES HAPPEN MANY TIMES EVERY DAY. THE FO CANNOT JUDGE THE DISTANCE BTWN THE WING AND ANY OBSTACLES AT THE ANGLE HE MUST LOOK; AND THE CAPT IS IN A TOUGH SIT BECAUSE HE MUST ALSO WATCH THE MARSHALLER. IF THE CREW CANNOT TRUST THE MARSHALLER AND WING WALKERS; THEN THE OP AT LEAST WHILE TAXI OUT OF RAMP CANNOT BE A SAFE ONE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE WING WALKER HAD NEVER BEEN QUALIFIED FOR THE POS AND WAS HOLDING 1 THUMB UP AS SHE WAS TRYING TO WAVE A 'STOP' TO THE MARSHALLER. THE PIC WAS PLEASED THAT THE FO DID APPLY BRAKING IN ACCORD WITH HIS PREVIOUS COCKPIT/FLC BRIEFING. THE ACFT HAD NOT ACTUALLY BEEN DAMAGED AND WAS FLOWN THAT DAY WITHOUT NEEDING REPAIRS. RPTR CITES A LOOSENESS ABOUT THE MGMNT'S ATTITUDE ABOUT THE RAMP SIT AND THE CLOSE PROX OF THE ACFT WINGTIPS.