Poised to ensure that seafarers are properly-trained, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, is set to spend over N28million to train seven officers of the Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association.
This is coming barely few weeks after the association sent a proposal to NIMASA requesting for manpower development.
In a chat with Shipping Position Daily, in Lagos last week, the Deputy Secretary General of Merchant Navy, Comrade John Okpono, said that exercise was aimed at bridging the gap between the ratings and the officers.
“As the senior staff , their issues are different we had written to the Director General of NIMASA, Dr Peterside Dakuku, a few months ago during our courtesy visit about the manpower development of some of our officers. Because we have discovered that there is a vacuum between the ratings and the officers and the DG had promised that he was going to bridge the gap. We also had the meeting February this year with the executive director, Maritime Safety and in that meeting, we presented our common request which is training”, he stated.
Confirming the good news, he said: “As I speak to you now with the approval given by the director of Maritime Safety, about seven of our officers are being trained on Dynamic Positioning 1 at Charkins Marine in Port-Harcourt. It is an international training”
“The instructor is from Singapore, so it is an international course. It’s for qualified officers for both deck and engine room. About 2 chief engineers and 5 captains are there. We are very grateful to NIMASA for bridging the gap and giving us the opportunity to train our officers. It is a very welcomed development. It is a good action in the right direction" he said.
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