Determined to support the growth of the Nigerian maritime sector, the NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Limited (NSML) is partnering with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety (NIMASA), to train 50 cadets in the United Kingdom to obtain their Certificate of Competency (CoC).
Speaking in Lagos recently at the induction of the NIMASA Romania cadets’ training and capacity development, Abdulkadir Ahmed, managing director of NSML, said the training programme is organised by NIMASA and anchored by NSML where certain cadets trained at Romania Shipping Academy would be provided training at sea on NSML vessels and offshore at the South Shields Marine School in the United Kingdom.
Ahmed said they are the first 50 engineering cadets and that the training will last for 12 months to enable come out with their CoCs.
“After the training at South Shields Marine School, they will get their CoCs to enable them to work in any vessel as qualified seafarers anywhere in the world. Shipping and marine is a global industry and the standards are the same and the CoC will help them work on any vessel globally,” Ahmed explained.
Pointing out that the idea is to ensure the cadets come out with their CoCs and have a career in the global maritime sector, Ahmed said NSML provides a platform where Nigerians can manage and run vessels at a global standard.
“In line with this vision, we run courses and training in the Maritime Centre of Excellence (MCOE) in Bonny Island. We are the single largest employer of Nigerian seafarers with over 800 seafarers on our vessels and they are trained with the best standard to compete with counterparts anywhere in the world,” he added.
On his part, Bashir Jamoh, director general of NIMASA, said the maritime industry demands the highest level of skills, expertise, and dedication, and it is through the support of organisations like NSML and other shipping companies, that aspiring seafarers are allowed to acquire knowledge and gain experiences to excel.
Represented by Isichei Osamgbi, director of special duties at NIMASA, Jamoh said the agency initiated the NSDP in 2008 to address the dearth of Nigerian seafarers on oceangoing vessels and the need to meet indigenous manning requirements in Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage).
“Two batches of NSDP cadets were offered admission in Romania and more than 97 percent of the cadets trained in the school have completed their academic requirements and were awarded bachelor’s degrees,” he said.
According to him, the first batch of 50 cadets inducted by NSML is the first set for the Certificate of Competence (CoC) as many other batches are being prepared to complete their training with NSML.
He said over 150 NSDP Romanian cadets have completed their onboard mandatory sea time training, and they are ready to proceed for the Certificate of Competence training and examination.
Jamoh added that the Certificate of Competency examination is the final stage of the training, which leads to the acquisition of the CoC license that will open the global doors of employment opportunities for the cadets.
Bamitale Erinle, general manager of Human Resources at NLNG, urged the cadets to make the best of the opportunities and also promised that NSML will continue to support them to get to the peak of their careers.
Christopher Grey, head of South Shields Marine School, England, expressed pleasure in the partnership between NSML and NIMASA, hoping to receive the cadets soonest.
Giving insight into the training, Effiong Ekanemata, manager of the Maritime Centre of Excellence, said the sea phase of the training will take place on NSML vessels while the college phase will be at the South Shields Marine School, the best marine training schools in the world.
He said the workshop skills, which comprise welding and fabrication would be carried out in the workshop of the school.
