The training of no fewer than 150 cadets is underway as the management of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the NLNG Ship Management Limited (NSML) join forces on human capacity development.
To this end, NIMASA and NSML have signed a training agreement to facilitate Certificate of Competency (CoC) examinations for beneficiaries of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).
Maritime Bits had reported that NSDP which was initiated by NIMASA when Dr. Ade Shamsudeen Dosunmu was its Director General is a sponsored intervention programme to grow capacity of young Nigerians to be certified as seafarers with global recognition and acceptance, thus bridging the gap in the dearth of seafarers globally.
The CoC examination is the final stage of the NSDP training, culminating in the acquisition of the CoC license which potentially opens the doors of global employment opportunities for the cadets.
Speaking at an induction ceremony by NSML for 50 of NIMASA’s Romanian trained NSDP beneficiaries, NIMASA Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh highlighted the success of the collaboration between both parties in fostering the development of Nigerian seafarers.
Jamoh who was represented by NIMASA Director, Special Duties, Mr. Isichei Osamgbi, noted that the agency sincerely appreciates NSML for its leadership and vision in partnering NIMASA to support the development of seafarers and promotion of our local content onboard their vessels.
His words: “It is worthy of note that a good number of NSDP officers trained onboard NSML vessels are now employed by the company. Today, we are proud to announce that 150 Romanian-trained NSDP cadets have concluded their mandatory onboard sea training and are ready to proceed for the Certificate of Competency (CoC) training and examinations. The signing of this training agreement between both parties resulting in the commencement of CoC for the first batch of Romanian trained cadets will go a long way in ensuring all backlogs of cadets awaiting CoCs are cleared”.
According to a statement issued by the agency which was made available to Maritime Bits, the NIMASA helmsman enjoined other organizations in the industry to take a cue from NSML and give opportunities to aspiring Nigerian seafarers to acquire knowledge and gain experiences to excel in the field.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, in her remarks at the occasion charged the lucky cadets to be worthy ambassadors of Nigeria.
Ajani who was represented by a Deputy Director from the Ministry, Mrs. Ekanem Saila noted that the collaboration between NIMASA and NSML was a welcome development and the outcome of discussions which have been on for some time.
The statement which was signed by NIMASA Assistant Director, Public Relations, Mr. Edward Osagie quoted the Managing Director of NSML, Mr. Abdulkadir Ahmed saying that the organisation is sponsoring 50 of the cadets to the South Shield Marine School in the UK for a 12 month programme to get their certificates of competency required to trade on vessels globally.
He said this is aimed at addressing the dearth of Nigerian seafarers on ocean going vessels and the need to meet indigenous manning requirements in coastal and inland shipping (Cabotage).
Ahmed stated that the training programme in the UK is the gold standard in maritime training, noting that with the certificate of competencies, the cadets will become qualified seafarers and work on any vessel globally.
“So our support here is really in coordinating and ensuring we actually support these cadets back to back because the goal is to ensure they come out with good Certificates of Competency and to ensure they have a career in the global shipping marine sector,” he stated.
He also noted that, with the emerging transition in the shipping and maritime industry, such as in energy and decarbonisation, which requires bringing in new technologies, it is important that seafarers continue to upgrade their skill sets and train on new technologies to be abreast of new developments.
