Education Training News

Seatrium and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in Singapore have inaugurated a Digital Learning Lab.The ITE-Seatrium Digital Learning Lab is designed to be a leading educational and innovation hub for the marine and offshore energy industry.By providing a dynamic and immersive learning environment for students, the Lab features practical skills development in energy and engineering, technological literacy in digital advancements and hands-on learning experiences emphasizing active engagement and problem-solving.Courses on Digital Yard Technology Applications…

Lloyd’s Register’s (LR) Maritime Decarbonisation Hub has conducted risk assessment workshops which indicate that a comprehensive overhaul of seafarer training is required as the industry transitions to zero and near zero GHG emission fuels.A report has been produced as a result of the workshops by the Maritime Just Transition Task Force (MJTTF), in collaboration with Lloyd’s Register’s Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Ocean Stewardship Coalition.

Record-breaking numbers of cadets and ratings from across the globe have attended the 2024 Sailors’ Society’s cadet conferences.The four virtual interactive events held for North and South East Asia, Africa, and this month for the UK and Europe, explored wellness and mental health with a focus on key and current issues facing today’s cadets and seafarers.Now in their fourth year, the conferences which form part of the global maritime charity’s ongoing work with maritime cadets…

The world of maritime education and training continues to evolove, with the announcement last month that Lloyd's Register had acquired Ocean Technologies Group, and the announcement today that the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) launches its ICS Academy to provide on-the-go access to practical e-learning to help shipping companies ensure best practices and regulatory compliance on board. The courses that will feature on the ICS Academy have been specifically designed to complement ICS Publications…

Appalled that deaths in enclosed spaces continue to be all too frequent occurrences in the shipping industry, the Maritime Professional Council of the United Kingdom (MPC) has announced its support for fundamental changes to ship operation and design.MPC member InterManager has been at the forefront of raising this issue where, it says, seemingly innocuous compartments, cargo holds and fuel tanks, vital for storage and operation on board any vessel, have become graveyards for far too many seafarers due to a lack of attention…

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has awarded five scholarships to students at the University of Tasmania as part of its recognition of the importance of diversity.The funding of A$47,000 is part of its 2024 scholarship program.The recipients are:Tenisha Jones – AMSA Sara Bool Women in Maritime Engineering ScholarshipAngelica Starlight – AMSA First Year Access Scholarship for Maritime StudiesSamantha Roser – IMAS Environmental Excellence AMSA ScholarshipKyla Fuller and Tracey Vella – AMSA Vocational Near Coastal Seafaring Scholarship.AMSA Chief Executive Officer…

Memorial University in St. Johns, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada, is a microcosm of how this unique regional cluster has parlayed its geographic locale and harsh, unique operating conditions into world leadership in the maritime, offshore energy and subsea tech spaces. An alumni, a professional mariner and now the Director of the Center for Marine Simulation, the Fisheries & Marine Institute at Memorial University, Chris Hearn has his hand on the pulse of the tectonic changes reshaping maritime and offshore energy simulation training today.

Training Tips for Ships [#60]Last month’s Training Tips for Ships discussed the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the future of maritime training. My thoughts on this were triggered by the recent headline in the Financial Times: “Andreessen Horowitz raises $7.2bn and sets sights on AI start-ups“. Andreessen Horowitz is one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capital firms and they are seeing fit to deeply invest in the burgeoning AI revolution. Typically, this means change is upon us on a timescale that is now very meaningful to us.

Last week’s headline in the Financial Times was startling to me: “Andreessen Horowitz raises $7.2bn and sets sights on AI start-ups“. Oh boy. Andreessen Horowitz is one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capital firms with an eye for investing in the next generation of tech companies that will change our lives. Their new fund tells us that the people who know the science of AI now believe it is poised to make an outsized global impact. AI is no longer a “tomorrow” thing. It is a “today” thing.

The Maritime International Advisory Panel (IAP) held its third annual meeting on April 16, 2024, during the Singapore Maritime Week 2024. This year, the Maritime IAP held in-depth discussions on the key developments in the maritime sector, including decarbonization, green financing, digitalization and cybersecurity.Established in 2022 by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Maritime IAP aims to seek international perspectives on key long-term trends and developments that will shape the maritime industry.

Simulation-based training has its whole-of-ship/whole-of-team scenarios, but zooming in, the industry is now working on more specific targets.We have a close relationship with technology, evidenced by, for example, the phones we are estimated to unlock around 50-80 times a day. It has changed us. Half the people surveyed in a 2022 King’s College London study said that they feel like their attention span is shorter than it used to be. They are wrong, though, if they think that the average attention span of adults today is just eight seconds, one second less than goldfish.

The Singapore government has recounted the achievements of Maritime Singapore to date to highlight the nation’s successes as a maritime hub in 2023:Total business spending by key maritime companies overseen by MPA exceeded S$4.8 billion, up from S$4.3 billion in 2022. Twenty-five maritime companies established or expanded their operations in Singapore last year. These included maritime services companies and companies setting up sustainability desks in Singapore as part of their…

NYK has secured certification from ClassNK for Japan’s first training program for crew members of offshore wind industry crew transfer vessels (CTVs).The training is scheduled to be conducted at the Akita School of Wind and Sea training center in Oga City, Akita Prefecture, from April - offering three programs in total.The certification from Class NK is for simulator-based training for operating CTVs, which confirms that the training program meets quality and international standards after a review of the training framework…

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has inaugurated the ABS Global LNG Academy, a cutting-edge training center dedicated to using the latest techniques to educate mariners in modern liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel operations.Located in Doha and supported by QatarEnergy, the Academy is a coordinated effort with industry partners, who are working together to make the ABS LNG Academy the global epicenter for LNG-related training and development. Establishing the training center is also a key part of ABS’ support of Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and the Tawteen Program…

Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Acting Minister for Transport, announced a record year in 2023 at a Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Conversations event.The annual vessel arrival tonnage in the Port of Singapore crossed three billion gross tonnage (GT) for the first time, increasing by 9.4% over 2022 and setting a high of 3.09 billion GT in 2023. This reflects growth in all segments, including container ships, dry bulk carriers, liquid bulk and chemical tankers, ferries and specialised vessels…

As the maritime and offshore industries cumulatively search for ways to attract the 'next generation,' Saipem has come up with an innovative approach that gives thousands of students the ability to virtually visit work in the offshore environment: two days on board a naval vessel engaged in the construction of a large wind farm in the North Sea. This is the experience that almost 27,000 elementary and middle school students from over 850 cities were able to live thanks to an exclusive virtual and interactive school trip organized by Saipem…

A new labor forecasting tool (LFT) is predicting around 16,000 additional workers could be needed in the UK’s offshore wind industry by 2030, and 12,000 extra workers will be needed specifically for carbon capture and hydrogen projects by 2027. It also highlights a significant increase in demand for workers in the West of Shetland oil and gas basin.The new resource, the first of its kind to focus on the engineering construction industry (ECI), provides insights into workforce numbers across regions and sectors…

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has implemented SkillGrader for simulation assessment in the Naval Officer Training Centre’s Navigation and Bridge Simulator (NABS) environment.Developed by Marine Learning Systems (MLS), SkillGrader will gather, store and report training metrics from student assessments. The project supports the RCN’s efforts to continuously enhance the quality of professional development of their Naval Warfare Officers.SkillGrader is a first of its kind tablet-based…

Mintra have unveiled a new model of immersive digital learning course which includes Kongsberg Digital cloud-based simulations.The new course model weaves together a comprehensive learning framework that merges interactive digital learning and assessment with practical skills through simulation. The outcome is a technically accurate, high-quality, cloud-based, immersive learning experience that enables seafarers to seamlessly master essential theoretical and practical skills anywhere…

The Trustees of the Robert Allan Memorial Scholarship Trust and Robert Allan Ltd. Have awarded two scholarships for the 2023/2024 academic year.Awards have been made to Samuel Shanks of Port Alberni, BC, and Zachary Greenham of St. John’s, Newfoundland.Shanks is a second-year student of mechanical engineering at the University of Victoria, focussed on a career in marine engineering. Throughout high school and university he has gained considerable experience working in various aspects of the marine world.Greenham is a fourth-year student of naval architecture at Memorial University.

Managers of the two vessels involved in a fatal crew transfer accident off Brisbane, Australia, had not ensured personnel had a common and complete understanding of how the transfer would be conducted, an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation has concluded.On 9 August 2021, crew were being transferred to and from the bulk carrier Formosabulk Clement via the launch boat PT Transporter in the Port of Brisbane anchorage, about five nautical miles off the coast.The operation involved multiple visits from PT Transporter to transfer crew on and off the anchored bulk carrier.

At an award ceremony in Singapore this week, 60 MaritimeONE Scholarships and seven Tripartite Maritime Scholarships (TMSS) were presented, sponsored by 34 partners from industry, foundations, and unions.The number surpassed last year’s award of 54 scholarships by 27 partners. More companies have come onboard to support MaritimeONE Scholarships in recent years, reflecting the focus on talent development by Maritime Singapore. To date, 584 MaritimeONE Scholarships, with a sponsorship value of $16 million have been awarded since the program started in 2007.Besides maritime-related courses…

Vessel owners/operators, Maritime Education and Training Institutes and Seafarers are encouraged to participate in the 2023 MarTID survey of maritime training practices.The survey is designed to take only 20 to 30 minutes to complete, but the insights are invaluable in the quest to learn more granular detail on the current focus and future shifts in the way in which seafarer training is delivered, measured and funded globally.The Maritime Training Insights Database (MarTID) is…