Again, Charkin Offshore Training and Safety Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State has won the NIMASA recognition as the Maritime Education and Training Institute of the year 2018.
Owned by Charles Wami, a maritime educationist and safety expert, the centre won same award in the maiden edition of the programme in 2017.
The award was presented to Wami by his imperial majesty, Ooni Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife to the delight of eminent personalities and stakeholders in the maritime industry who graced the occasion.
Charkins has trained hundreds of persons in various aspects of the maritime industry, as well as oil and gas. It is on record that Wami is also the promoter of Charkin Maritime Academy (CMA), Port Harcourt which has the first ever land ship in the country, MV Rivers Pride, formally unveiled on February 9, 2017 by Governor Nyesom Wike. CMA prides itself as an indigenous and privately-owned maritime training institution.
Wami pointed out that the academy needs the encouragement of all stakeholders to continue to provide maritime education and training of international repute.
“The school has a trend of rendering and improving on high quality training to guarantee competence in a conducive and friendly environment. It is a one-stop-shop for marine, oil and gas training,” he said.
The land ship comprises of full mission navigational bridge simulator; ECDIS Simulation Room; GMDSS (Navigation) Simulation Room which conforms to the 2010 Manila Amendments by the global maritime watchdog, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO); and the basic dynamic positioning class.
Other components of the land ship include advance dynamic positioning and examination class; nautical institute examination room, and the drilling system crane simulator.
Charkins has the approval of local and international regulatory agencies across the globe including NIMASA; Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR); OPITO, United Kingdom, and the International Well Control Forum (IWCF), United Kingdom.
Others are the Nautical Institute (NI); Oil and Gas Training Association of Nigeria (OGTAN); International Association of Safety and Survival Training (IASST), United Kingdom, and the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigerian (PETAN).
Besides the fact that it is a member of the British Safety Council, it is also affiliated to the Regional Maritime University, Accra, Ghana.
Uzoamaka Anagor-Ewuzie
