Videotel Secures NMA Approval
Videotel, the leading international provider of e-Learning maritime training solutions and a company of KVH Industries, Inc., has received the approval of the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) for its security training courses.
Videotel’s “Maritime Security Awareness,” “Designated Security Duties,” and “Shipboard Security Officer” training courses have been approved in their entirety by the NMA for meeting the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) codes, and seafarers completing these courses will receive the necessary qualifications and certificates for shipboard duty. The NMA approval enhances Videotel’s reputation with Norwegian ship owners, ship managers, and the offshore sector, which are guided by the Authority on maritime issues. A major maritime center, Norway has a merchant fleet of approximately 1,400 vessels; in 2013, it had one of the top 10 merchant fleets in the world according to deadweight tonnage.
“Norway is an increasingly important market for Videotel and I am delighted that the commitment to our Norwegian clients and their seafarers has been recognized by the NMA,” says Nigel Cleave, CEO of Videotel. “First-class customer service has been at the forefront of our philosophy and guides us in developing our training programmes. As part of KVH, we now have a regional office in Horten, Norway, and are even more aware of the issues that are important to the Norwegian maritime industry.”
Videotel has been a leader in developing world-class training material, including videos, 3D animation, computer-based training (CBT), and interactive e-Learning courses to help ship owners and ship managers comply with the STCW Convention, operational practices, and pertinent health and safety regulations since 1973 when the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO), the forerunner to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), wanted to improve the quality of training materials available to seafarers and called on the company’s services. Videotel recently announced a new milestone in the company’s history, namely, the production of its 500th CBT.
Videotel’s focus on maritime training materials is a vital aspect of the overall maritime solution offered by KVH, which operates the mini-VSAT Broadbandsm satellite network providing broadband connectivity to vessels around the world, including the Norway-based fleets managed by V.Ships Norway and Torvald Klaveness. In addition, KVH’s IP-MobileCastTM content delivery service provides affordable, multicast delivery of entertainment content such as Hollywood movies, daily news, sports highlights, and popular TV series to vessels worldwide.
