NLNG’s $3m maritime training facility to curb capital flight
Determined to help government agencies, shipping firms and multinational oil companies save millions of dollars revenue in capital flight invested in training seamen overseas on maritime and shipping related courses, the Nigeria LNG has developed a state-of-the-art maritime training facility at the Bonny Island, Rivers state.
The desire to develop the over $3 million training facility called the ‘Maritime Centre of Excellence’ (MCoE), was not only prompted by the widening gap in manpower supply in the shipping sector, but also as a fallout of the NLNG’s drive to deliver on its Local Content expectations, which aim at building capacity among seamen in the nation’s shipping sector.
The facility, which was designed to offer Advance Maritime Training and short courses to seamen and professionals, who have been at sea but needed to bridge a particular knowledge gap or learn new shipping technology, also aimed at training engineers, navigators including pilots, tug boats drivers and others.
MCOE will also enable NLNG, a big player in the global shipping business, to save huge revenue formerly invested in training and re-training personnel as it currently has over 200 seafarers in its employment, who used to go abroad to obtain different certification.
MCOE is well equipped with facilities such as Full Mission Bridge Simulator; Navigation Classroom; Vessel Traffic Service (VTS)/ Desktop Simulator; Full Mission Engine Room Simulator; Engine Classroom; Cargo Handling Simulator and Instructor Stations.
Top on the list of the courses to be offered by the team of experienced mariners, who manage the Center include Electronic Chart Display Information System; High Voltage Management Level; Global Maritime Distress and Safety System; Human Element Leadership Management; Train the Trainers; Liquid Cargo Handling Operations; Ship Handling and Pilotage; Tug Handling; Crew Resource Management and among others.
“NLNG invested in the development of the training facility to help reduce the cost of doing business for players in the shipping and oil sectors, who invest millions of dollars annually in training and re-training of their employees abroad,” said Adebisi Olowu, head, MCOE in a chat with selected journalists last Wednesday in Bonny Island.
According to him, the training facility has been subjected to the evaluation, accreditation and audit of local and international bodies including DNV-GL accreditation, given it the status of an approved Maritime Training Centre and Maritime Simulator Centre.
“Our Kongsberg simulators are ISO 9001:2000 and 14001:2004 certified. All Engine Room and Cargo Handling Simulator Models are DNV certified while we are at the verge of completing the process for obtaining the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) approval. The Standard for the certification is 2:14 of January 2011 (Class A, B, and C).”
Olowu, who observed that Nigeria does not build ships, said that another aim of the training facility is build indigenous capacity that would enable Nigerians to start being involved in the design and writing out the technical components of ships that are for Nigerian companies. We are open to developing maritime capacity in companies all over the country and we are also open to training individuals as well,” Olowu stated.
Stating that Nigeria is yet to tap about 10 percent opportunities in the nation’s maritime sector, said that the Centre would be partnering organisations to bring solutions to the problems of capacity and technical know-how in shipping sector.
“We want to work with local companies in Nigeria to develop the economy in accordance with the international set standard.
Olowu further assured Nigerians that the training facility will always subject itself to annual quality control management system audit. He listed the targeted clients to include NIMASA, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), NNPC, Total, eni, IOCs and other indigenous companies.
Conducting the visiting journalists round the expensive training facility, Effiong Attah, senior project engineer, who disclosed that the facility is designed for advance maritime training for professionals, also stated that it was the first Nigerian owned training centre that uses simulators that are loaded with four Nigerian water channels- Lagos, Calabar, Warri and Onne.
Attah observed that the facility has High Voltage Room for training delegates on a new shipping technology, which has high cost reduction implication for shipping companies.
“We try to make the learning process as interactive as possible. Our training was mostly tailored towards the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) STCW-Watch Keeping and our courses are mostly short courses but the delegate must be someone, who has been to sea before as seamen.
Uzoamaka Anagor-Ewuzie