Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) launched the second Sail Training Ship INS Sudarshini for the Indian Navy on January 25, 2011.

The first Sail Training Ship INS Tarangini, designed by Mr. Colin Muddie (a famous Naval Architect and yacht designer of U.K.) was built by GSL and commissioned on November 11, 1997.

Some interesting features of Sail Training Ship INS Sudarshini are:

• ceremoniously launched by Smt Letha Sushil wife of Vice Admiral K N Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command at Goa.
• is steel hulled, round bilged, three masted sailing ship, square rigged on the forward and main mast and fore and aft rigged on the mizzen mast with eighteen sails having a sail area of approximately 1035 square metres.
• can be under sail or propulsion power or a combination of both.
• can be deployed at sea continuously for a period of twenty days.
• can accommodate 61 crew.

Here are some photographs from GSL.

Read more from GSL press release.

An interesting, day long seminar on “Opportunities for Maritime Research in Academia and Industries” was hosted by the AMET University, Chennai in support with National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi on February 06 at Hotel Le Royal Meridien, Chennai.

The seminar was held to commemorate the 18th year of AMET’s establishment and the 3rd year of becoming the First University for Maritime Education in India.

After registration by the participants, delegates and media, the seminar started around 1000 hours with introduction of all speakers. A souvenir was also released and distributed on this occasion.

Welcome Address was given by Capt. S. Bhardwaj, Vice Chancellor, AMET University; followed by Opening Address by Mr. J. Ramachandran, Chancellor, AMET University and Theme Address by Dr. L.R. Chary, Prof. Emeritus, AMET University.

Inaugural Address was given by Chief Guest Dr. Björn Kjerfve, President, World Maritime University, Malmö, Sweden; followed by address by Guest of Honour, Admiral (Retd) Arun Prakash, Chairman, National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi, India.

Address by Dr. Prof Helen Sampson, Director, International Seafarers Research Institute, Cardiff University, Wales, UK; after lunch break address by Dr. Flemming Just, Director, Department of Maritime Research and Innovation, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.

Address by Dr. Philip Sayer, Reader/Associate Dean (Academic), Department of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering, University of Strathclyde, UK; and address by Prof. Dr. Vladimir A. Loginovsky, Head of Navigation Chair, Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.

Address by Mr. Philip Wake, Chief Executive, Nautical Institute, London, UK; and address by Mr. Richard Speight, Depute Principal, Glasgow College of Nautical Studies, UK.

Address by Prof. Dr. Capt. Masao Furusho, Faculty of Maritime Sciences, Kobe University, Japan; and address by Mr. Patrick Routledge, Head of Marine Engineering, South Tyneside College, South Shields, UK.

During the question and answer session, the participants brought out that

• development of Inland Waterways of India also be taken up in research.
• in addition to infrastructure based subjects, knowledge based subjects like commercial shipping, shipping management, marine insurance, arbitration also be taken up in research.

The seminar came to a close with a colorful cultural program by AMET Cadets, group photograph and dinner by 1930 hours.

For more details, contact AMET University, Chennai.

Lloyd’s Register’s Marine Training Services is going to conduct Essential Dry-Docking Course this month.

Some interesting features of this course are:

• to be conducted at Piraeus, Greece.
• duration: three days from June 29.
• course is designed to provide all the essential information needed to prepare, plan and execute a successful dry-docking.
• course is helpful to existing marine superintendents, technical managers, fleet managers, senior sea staff and anyone involved in planning a docking.
• the course will cover:
  • introduction to dry-docks
  • specification preparation and tender evaluation
  • the importance of planning
  • repairs
  • preparation for departure
  • a new feature called Lloyd’s Register’s lexicon of learning: heutagogy – ‘self-determined learning’
• on completion of the course, the candidate will
  • be able to prepare, plan and cost a dry-docking
  • have a more in depth knowledge of dry-docks
  • be able to contingency plan for repairs and modifications
  • be more pragmatic and understand what can and cannot be done within the Rules of classification

More dry-docking courses are being planned at Dubai in September, and Copenhagen and London later in 2009.

Fore more details regarding the course, log on to Lloyd’s Register.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

iRobot to Market Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Seaglider

The University of Greenwich is offering, MBA in Maritime Management through E-learning. You can complete the course by studying at your home or in your workplace and at convenient time to you.

The course is scheduled to commence in September 2009.

Some of the interesting features of ‘MBA in Maritime Management’ course are:

• Jointly developed by Greenwich Maritime Institute (GMI) and University of Greenwich Business School.
• Offered as Supported Open Learning programme.
• Duration:
  • Can be completed in four years.
  • No more than four modules are studied per year.
  • There are fourteen modules to pass to complete this degree.
  • The taught elements are introduced within the structure of an academic year, therefore the modules studied are for no more than eight months per academic year. (October to May)
• The 14 Modules are:
  • Foundations of Scholarship and Business Research Skills
  • Maritime Business Environment
  • Financial Management
  • Methods, Problems & Issues in Maritime Policy
  • Business Analysis
  • Leadership, Development and Career Management
  • Human Resource & Information Management
  • Economics of International Shipping
  • Maritime Law
  • Strategy & Transformation
  • Logistics, Operations & Marketing in Shipping
  • Creative Problem Solving & Consultancy Project
  • Integrative Strategic Workshops & Simulations
  • Maritime Business Research Project
• The entry requirements are:
  • A good honours degree or equivalent qualification AND a minimum of three years business experience, a significant proportion of which should be in the maritime sector OR
  • At least seven years appropriate experience within the maritime sector.

GMI also offers: MA in Maritime Policy, MA Maritime History.

For more details, log on to The University of Greenwich.

Posts in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

U.S Coast Guard Medevacs 83 Year Old Woman from Cruise Ship ‘Explorer of the Sea’

Scuba Divers of Taiwan Provide Tips to Survive at Sea for 48 Hours

AMET University at Chennai offers wide range of marine courses to seafarers and to those who want to be seafarers.

The courses offered for the academic year 2009-2010 are (click the image on the right):

• B.SC., Nautical Science
• B.E., Marine Engineering
• GME: Graduate Mechanical Engineering
• B.E., Naval Architecture & Offshore Engineering
• B.E., Petroleum & Offshore Engineering
• B.E., Harbour Engineering & Offshore Technology
• B.E., Electrical & Electronics Engineering – Marine
• B.E., Electronics & Communications Engineering – Marine
• B.E., Applied Marine Information Technology and Communications
• B.B.M., Shipping
• HND Marine Engineering (U.K)
• HND Nautical Science (U.K)
• M.B.A., Shipping & Logistics Management
• M.B.A., Shipping Finance
• M.B.A., Marine Human Resource Management
• M.B.A., Cruise Ship Hospitality Management
• M.Sc., Marine Bio-Technology
• M.Sc., Fleet Operations Management
• M.Tech., Marine Engineering Management

For more details, log on to AMET University.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Abuse of Indian Workers by U.S. Marine and Fabrication Company

Good news for youngsters.

Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR) conducts a free online test, to know your potential to become an Officer in the Indian Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force). DIPR is a premier research laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and has completed fifty-seven years of dedicated service to the nation.

Why to join Indian Armed Forces ?

To have a bright future, in the present state of recession and global meltdown. There is shortage of officers in the Indian Armed Forces as per Express India news report dated February 25, 2009:

• Army: 23.8 percent
• Navy: 16.7 percent
• Air Force: 12.1 percent

The free online test by DIPR is for Indian Nationals and consists of

• Cognitive Test:
  • you have to answer 20 multiple choice questions within 15 minutes.
  • each question has five choices to select.
• Temperament Test and Personality Test:
  • Temperament Test has 21 statements and Personality Test has 27 statements to answer.
  • each statement has five options ranging from “strongly agree to strongly disagree”.
  • there is no right or wrong answer for these statements and just reply honestly, spontaneously without wasting time.
• On completion of the test, result would flash on the screen stating whether you have the potential to join the Armed Forces.
• This test is not for discouraging anyone to apply to Armed Forces and this test gives an indication towards your potential for the job.
• This test can guide prospective applicants to make up their mind for choosing the right career.

If you have made up your mind to appear in the test, confidently log on to Military As A Career: A Self Assessment Tool, register for the test and appear in the test.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

World’s First Wave Powered Boat to Sail from Hawaii to Japan

National Geographic Channel India has launched TV series “Mission Navy : Lehron ke Sartaj” from February 02 on prime time at 2100 hours on Mondays. The show is about the Indian Navy in eight episodes. Those who missed the first episode can view the repeat telecast on Tuesday at 0300 hours and 0900 hours.

Some of the interesting features of Nat Geo Mission Navy TV series are:

• to give an insight of the Indian Navy personnel at sea.
• to view the Indian Navy through the eyes of five civilian young men and women. To know who are those, log on to Express Buzz.
• the purpose of launching the TV series is at Telly Watch.

After watching each episode on prime time, you can take part in a contest and answer simple questions. The lucky winner will get once in a lifetime opportunity to go skydiving with the Indian Navy.

View here, an interesting video clip on Indian Navy.

For more details, log on to Nat Geo Mission Navy.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Three Dimensional Indian Navy Faces Three Dimensional Accidents

Update: March 20

Twenty eight year old Chaitanya Datla, a human resource executive from Bengaluru, is the winner of the National Geographic Channel’s “Mission Navy: Lehron Ke Sartaj”. She will be the first woman to sail on an Indian Navy warship.

She is one of the five finalists selected out of 50,000 applicants, after a series of physical and mental tests conducted by the Indian Navy to participate in Mission Navy.

The other finalists were: Sakshi Havanoor (20) from Pune, Suranjani H.R (25) from Bengaluru, Arjun R Shetty (23) from Bengaluru and Sudanshu Budakoty (21) from Mysore. Read more from The Hindu.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, inaugurated the Naval Academy (NAVAC) in Ezhimala, Kerala on January 08. The Naval Academy was planned as a full-fledged permanent Naval Academy to replace the present Naval Academy, INS Mandovi at Goa.  Surprisingly it has taken almost 22 years to inaugurate the Academy for which the foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on January 17, 1987.

This Academy will prove to be the premier officer-training establishment of the Indian Navy and is the largest Naval Academy in Asia. From June this year, all officers inducted into the Indian Navy, under various schemes, will undergo basic training at this Academy.

Some of the interesting features of Naval Academy, Ezhimala are:

• Located 38 km north of Kannur (Cannanore) district of Kerala. Ezhimala was a flourishing sea port in ancient Kerala.
• Covers an area of 2452 acres along the North Malabar coastline.
• As Phase-1 of the project, INS Zamorin was commissioned in Ezhimala campus on April 06, 2005 to support the construction of the academy and all aspects of its training and administrative functions for the new naval academy. Also Naval Orientation Courses for Officers are going on since 2005.
• With the inauguration, all the training activities of Naval Academy, INS Mandovi, Goa, and Naval College of Engineering, INS Shivaji, Lonavla would be shifted to this new academy. The Academy would be conducting a four year ‘B Tech’ programme for all newly inducted trainees. Courses would be offered in ‘Electronics and Communications’ and ‘Mechanical Engineering’.
• The Academy would start training approximately 450 trainees this year and would progressively increase to about 1100 trainees by 2013. This would include officer-trainees from the Indian Coast Guard and friendly foreign countries.
• To be supported by Base Depot Ship (INS Zamorin), Base Hospital (INHS Navjeevani) and a Station Health Organization.
• The Academy will have a mix of uniformed and civilian staff for the conduct of training and other administrative support functions. There would be 161 officers, 47 professors/ lecturers, 502 sailors and 557 civilians. Along with the families of staff, the campus would have a population of about 4000.
• The academy would have
  • State-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories,workshops, a well stocked library and a modern auditorium.
  • Physical-fitness training-facilities like indoor swimming and diving pools, an athletics track and stadium, a variety of play fields and courts.
  • A firing range and a watermanship-training centre with several types of boats.
  • A comprehensive IT network, interconnecting various facilities.
• Cost of setting up has escalated from Rs.1.66 billion ($35 million) to Rs.7.21 billion ($150 million).

Here are two photographs of Naval Academy, Ezhimala during development from Sainik Samachar.

Chief Minister of Kerala, Mr Oommen Chandy being briefed on the Naval Academy project

A parade at INS Zamorin

Here is an amazing photograph of the Naval Academy, Ezhimala from LiveFist.

The five photographs below on inauguration are from MOD,India.

The Chief of Navy Staff, Admiral Sureesh Mehta presenting a memento to the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, at the inauguration of the Naval Academy, Ezhimala.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh releasing the first cover of the Naval Academy at the inauguration of the Naval Academy, Ezhimala.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh addressing after inaugurating the Naval Academy, Ezhimala.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh in a group photograph after inaugurating the Naval Academy, Ezhimala.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh inspecting the guard of honour at the inaugural function of the Naval Academy, Ezhimala.

Read the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh’s inaugural speech at the Naval Academy in Ezhimala on January 08 from PIB Press Release.

Know more about Ezhimala from here.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

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Update: January 09

View an interesting video clip covering the inauguration of Naval Academy at Ezhimala from Videos From India.

Update: May 10

Contact Naval Academy, Ezhimala directly, for any clarification regarding recruitment, courses etc.,

To know more about Careers and Opportunities in the Indian Navy, log on to Nausena Bharti.

Indian Maritime University (IMU) was inaugurated on December 31, at Chennai. IMU is the first central university to be set up by the Department of Shipping through an Act of Parliament. The Act was notified in the Government of India’s Gazette on November 11, 2008. IMU is bound to improve the quality of marine training further, to help Indian seafarers to compete globally and to increase from about 6% representation in the worldwide seafarers.

Maritime education was so far under the control of the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), India through the Indian Institute of Maritime Studies (IIMS). The Institutes under IIMS are:

• T.S. Chanakya, Navi Mumbai.
• Lal Bahadur Shastri College of Advanced Maritime Studies and Research, Mumbai.
• Marine Engineering and Research Institute (MERI), Mumbai.
• Marine Engineering and Research Institute (MERI), Kolkata.

In addition

• National Maritime Academy (erstwhile National Institute of Port Management) is at Chennai under the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India.
• National Ship Design and Research Center (NSDRC) is at Visakhapatnam under the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India.
• The Indian Institute of Ports Management (IIPM) at Kolkata.

Further there are around 120 private marine training institutes, approved by DGS and spread over India.

All the above institutes are going to be under the control of IMU and some of the interesting features of IMU are:

• To be set up like the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo, Sweden. WMU was established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1983.
• Being set up over an area of around 106 acres at Semmancherry (Chemmancherry), East Coast Road, south of Chennai at a cost of Rs 245 crore.
• The university will have regional centres in Mumbai, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam.
• The National Maritime Academy at Chennai; LBS College, Marine Engineering & Research Institute (MERI) and T.S. Chanakya at Mumbai; the MERI and Indian Institute of Ports Management at Kolkata; and the National Ship Design and Research Centre at Visakhapatnam will be merged with IMU.
• IMU has tied up with
  • Dalian Maritime University, China for MBA in Port Management.
  • Shanghai Maritime University, China and Institute of Transport and Maritime Management Antwerp (ITMMA) of University of Antwerp, Netherlands  for MBA in International Transportation and Logistics Management.
  • International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) of University of Malta for degree in Maritime Law. IMLI was established by IMO in 1988.
  • Delft University of Technology, Netherlands for degree course in Dredging from the Department of Maritime and Transport Technology (M&TT).
• IMU has tied up with IIM, Ahmedabad, for a one-year fast-track executive MBA in Maritime Management and with IIM, Bangalore, for a Certificate Course in Management for senior seafaring officers.
• The courses are expected to commence from June 2009 and the fully set up university will have around 1,000 students in various courses.
• Private maritime training institutes will now be under the control of IMU.
• P. Vijayan, Director, National Maritime Academy in Chennai, has been appointed as the first Vice-Chancellor of the IMU.
• To have initially eight departments, including port management, nautical science, maritime law and inland water transport. Under these departments, degree, postgraduate degrees and research programmes will be offered by the university.

In addition, a National Maritime Complex (NMC) in 194 acres is also being planned near IMU at a an approximate cost of around Rs.800 crores to Rs.1,000 crores. NMC will have a maritime art gallery, maritime museum, marine aquarium and marine food court and other related activities of the maritime industry.

It seems that IMU is yet to come out with its own website. National Maritime Academy website may be converted to IMU website.

Here is the Gazette of India, Extraordinary No 22 of 2008 dated November 11, 2008: The Indian Maritime University Act, 2008.

Read more from Web India 123, The Hindu Business Line.

Posts in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

New Year 2008 Greetings

World Class Seafood Floating Restaurants of Hong Kong and Manila

Update: January 09

IMU, Chennai Campus can be contacted in the following address:

“INDIAN MARITIME UNIVERSITY”

East Cost Road,  Uthandi, Chennai 600 119

Phone : 044-24530345, 24530344.

Marine Office: 044-24530341

Fax : 044-24530342 ; Emails to campus.imu@nic.in

For more details, log on to Indian Maritime University.

Update: February 19

The Indian Maritime University (IMU) will introduce several new courses starting from this session (2009-10).

The Courses are:

• Maritime Law programme in collaboration with the International Marine Law Institute at Malta
• M.B.A. programme in International Transport and Logistics Managements in collaboration with the University of Antwerp, Belgium
• E.M.B.A. programme in Maritime Management for Mariners in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
• B.Tech. in Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai.

Read more from Press Information Bureau.

Update: April 11

For course details, log on to Indian Maritime University.

Update: June 28

The Union Minister for Shipping, Shri G.K. Vasan released the results of the First All India Entrance Examination of the Indian Maritime University, in Chennai on June 27, 2009. The examination was conducted on June 21. Here is a photograph from Press Information Bureau.

Results and Counseling schedule are available at Indian Maritime University.

Update: July 09

The IMU vice chancellor P Vijayan has declared that institutions that have illegally collaborated with some deemed universities will not be granted affiliation to the IMU on a piecemeal basis. He further said that presently 41 maritime colleges including 15 in Tamil Nadu are affiliated to IMU. There are 125 maritime institutions in the country but some have been allowed to retain their affiliation with the respective state universities for this year alone for operational convenience.

Read more from The Times of India.

Update: July 11

The news report: Univs fight over maritime rights, students at sea from Chennai edition of The Times of India dated July 11 is given below:

The tug of war between Anna University and the Indian Maritime University (IMU) over the affiliation of the BE Marine Engineering course offered by five self-financing engineering colleges could put the future of some students at stake.
On Friday, when the single window counselling for Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions began, state principal secretary for higher education K Ganesan sought to know from admission authorities why the BE Marine Engineering course was not included in the list. When he was informed that the colleges had secured affiliation for the course from the IMU, Ganesan argued that the Central university had no powers or jurisdiction to grant affiliation to engineering colleges in the state. Also, colleges cannot affiliate one course with the IMU and the remaining courses with Anna University.
He immediately asked Anna University (Chennai) registrar S Shanmugavel to inform the colleges concerned that they would lose their affiliation with the university if they did not sever their academic relationship with the IMU. This stand is bound to affect students who have already been admitted into BE Marine Engineering courses in five colleges through the counselling conducted by the IMU over the past three days.
IMU vice-chancellor P Vijayan told TOI, “As per the Central Universities Act, we are fully empowered to affiliate colleges offering maritime education.” He said in April, when the engineering colleges approached him for affiliation, he wrote to vicechancellors of all the four Anna Universities seeking their views. “I did not receive any reply after which I wrote to the commissioner for technical education. He responded saying that the registrars of the respective Anna Universities will take a decision on this,” Vijayan said.

Update: July 14

As Indian Maritime University is operational, it is logical that all marine related courses so far offered by different universities should come under the purview of IMU. In Tamil Nadu, Anna University is not understanding this. The students are unnecessarily facing hardship.

Read more from The Times of India.

• dated July 13: Universities settle row over Marine Engineering course
• dated July 14: IMU suspends counselling as colleges play truant

Olympic Sailing Competition 2008 at Qingdao, China concluded on August 24. The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Sailing Competition witnessed participation by 400 of the world’s finest sailors in 272 boats represented by 62 nations. There were 11 sailing events during 13 days of competition to decide 33 medal winners.

Winning a race is purely the outcome of the training the sailors have undergone. Here is Virtual Sailing Simulator (also called as VSail Simulators, VSail-Trainer) which has helped the Olympic sailors to train themselves. VSail Simulator is the world’s first and only commercially available sailing simulator.

Some of the interesting features of VSail-Trainer are:

• Computer controlled, pneumatic powered full sized sail boat simulator.
• Interfaced with a computer to run on Windows 98/2000/XP with a dedicated nVidia graphics processor.
• Real time controls are available like a sail boat with a tiller for steering, a mainsheet for sail control and to apply body weight for controlling the heel angle by the sailors.
• At sea course configurations and wind conditions can be preset to suit any level of sailor from complete beginner to advanced sailor.
• An optional “Access Unit” inside the cockpit helps the simulator to be controlled by either a mechanical joystick or an electronic joystick depending on the ability of the sailor.

Here are some photographs of the VSail-Trainer:

Here is simulator screen

The above two Images are from virtualsailing.

Here are some Olympic sailors who have used and praised this VSail Simulator:

• Ben Ainslie – United Kingdom – Finn Class
• Sarah Blanck – Australia – Laser Radial Class
• Monica Azon – Spain -Yngling Class (Helm)
• Krystal Weir -Australia-Yngling Class (Helm)

Here is an interesting video clip to demonstrate virtual sailing.

More information on VSail Simulator is available at virtualsailing.

Here is a good news to Indian youth to join Merchant Navy. The age limit is now twenty five to join pre sea courses.

The reason ? Here is an interesting news report from Live Mint which highlights:

• Presently Indian seafarers are about 82,000 including about 26,900 officers and 55,000 ratings.
• Every year, 15% of 1.18 million global seafarers quit seafaring profession to take up shore based jobs.
• Due to this, there is going to be an estimated global shortage of 27,000 marine officers by 2015 from the present shortage of about 10,000.
• Seafaring profession is no more attractive to Indian urban youth.
• Age limit is now increased to facilitate the youth from rural areas to join the seafaring profession.
• Unfortunately, the maritime education fee currently ranges from INR 2.5 lakh to 10 lakh, depending upon the course and the college, though education loans are available from banks.

As per Director General of Shipping, Training Circular No.19-TR(4)/2008 dated 7th August 2008, the maximum age limit is now upto 25 years for admission in the following pre-sea courses:

• 4 Years Marine Engineering Degree course
• B.Sc. (Nautical Science)
• B.S. (Nautical Technology)
• B.Sc (Maritime Science) – [Polyvalent]
• B.E.(Marine Technology)
• Diploma in Nautical Science leading to B.Sc Nautical Science. (IGNOU)
• Alternate Training Scheme
• Pre-sea Training for Mechanical Graduate Engineering (GME)
• Pre-sea Training for diploma holders (DME)

The Training Circular is effective from the academic year 2008-09 for all degree/diploma courses and from the date of issue of this circular for other pre-sea courses.

For more details about the Training Circular and for List of Training Institutes approved by D.G. Shipping, log on to Director General of Shipping.

News report from Live Mint is here.

Update: February 22, 2009

Based on reader comments, I have included the following:

1. Those who want to join the Indian Navy:

• log on to Indian Navy Career and Opportunities.
• To know the latest job opportunities in the Indian Navy, click here.

2. Merchant Marine Personality Evaluation  (MMPE) test:

• is a psychological screening test for entry level candidates to join pre-sea officer courses introduced by DG Shipping.
• no preparation is necessary for this test.
• it is a multiple choice objective type question paper to be answered in a given time.
• the questions will be about a real life situation. you will have to select an appropriate answer for that.
• there is no right or wrong answer for these questions.
• there is no negative marking. the answers will be evaluated by a psychologist.
• read more about the test from DG Shipping.

3. Those who want to join Merchant Navy

• refer Marine Engineer career path 1
• refer Marine Engineer career path 2
• candidates with Electrical and Electronics Diploma/Degree: log on to AMET University.

An interactive International Marine Insurance Seminar by Lloyd’s Maritime Academy is going to start from April 28. The seminar would go on for three days at Lloyd’s Maritime Academy Training Suite, London. This year the seminar has been extended to include Norwegian, US and German law.

Seminar highlights are:

Day 1

• Marine insurance law: Overview and latest developments
• Hull and machinery insurance: The fundamentals
• War risks and war P&I
• Reinsurance of state insurers and captives
• Brokers duties and the duty of good faith
• Marine liability cover (protection & indemnity) through the P&I clubs

Day 2

• International regulation and ship owners’ limitation of liability
• Claims settlements: Procedures in getting payment from underwriters
• Norwegian marine insurance plan: A different approach to marine insurance
• Workshop – Claims

Day 3

• Practical Sessions
  • The role of the underwriter
  • Mind the gap with differences in conditions
• FPSO’s (by a loss adjuster)
• The broker’s perspective
• Workshop – Marine insurance “in action”: A group interactive case study and workshop involving a major maritime casualty

Who should attend ?

• Ship Owners
• Ship Operators, Agents & Managers
• Shipping Bankers & Financiers
• Marine Surveyors
• Crewing Agents
• Ship Charterers
• Insurance Brokers
• Claims Adjusters, Assistants & Managers
• P&I Executives
• Maritime Lawyers
• Marine Insurance Organizations
• Regulatory & Government Representatives

More details are available at lloydsmaritimeacademy.

The Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA) known as the best seafaring Training Institution in the Asia Pacific, has in partnership with Teledata Marine Solutions (TMS) started offering online courses for (Certificate of Competency) CoC 3 Deck and CoC 5 Marine Engineering programmes.

Successful preparations for Certificates of Competency by sea-going Officers was so far possible only by attending courses in a qualified marine training institute. This method, inspite of providing interactive learning between the Faculty and the Learner, has many shortcomings.

• The sea going officer has to spare most of his leave to attend classes by sacrificing his happy leave period with his family.
• Courses are mostly conducted only in major port cities, thus increasing the cost by relocating the sea farer for the duration of the course.
• Merely joining a course does not guarantee successful completion of the course.

At SMA, Certificate of Competency Class 3 (Deck) Course which normally takes 18 weeks and Class 5 (MEO) Preparatory course of 2 weeks can now be completed in less than half the time, by successfully completing the on line courses. This is going to help the seafarer to cut down the course expenses, save his leave and improve his pass rate.

Also the running costs of SMA for these courses will reduce, by these online CoC E-Learning Programme.

Source:businesstimes

Many of us know that ships are generally utilised for cargo movement,fishing and for military applications. There are ships being deployed as Mobile Floating University also. This post is to highlight about Mobile Floating University.

1.The Institute for Shipboard Education:

Established in 1976 has in fact commenced mobile floating university operations from the year 1920s. Since then different ships S.S. Ryndam, M.S. Seven Seas, S.S.University Campus, S.S.Universe, S.S.Universe Explorer, M.T.S. World Renaissance have contributed to this program.

2.Institutions represented on Semester at Sea:

More than 100 colleges and universities from which students and faculty have come over the years. The program began in 1963 as the University of the Seven Seas. It was renamed World Campus Afloat in 1965 and Semester at Sea in 1976. Over 45,000 students have so far enrolled in this programs.

3.Strategic Alliances:

The Institute for Shipboard Education has formed a strategic alliance with Global Nomads Group (GNG), a non-profit organization dedicated to heightening children’s understanding and appreciation for the world and its people. The Institute for Shipboard Education is also having a strategic alliance with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML). NOAA/AOML is a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and is located in Miami, Florida

4.Semester at Sea:

The courses are conducted currently on board M.V.Explorer. Semester at Sea is far more than a travel adventure and much more than another semester at school. It is a quest for knowledge about our world; it is a meaningful preparation for life; it is an eager investigation of universal ideas; and it is a close personal relationship built on international interests, between students and faculty. The program is based on the simple belief that the most effective way for students to develop into well-rounded individuals is through an organized educational experience that exposes them to the realities of our vast and varied world.

5.M.V.Explorer:

Built in 2000, the MV Explorer is a modern oceangoing vessel with the latest technology and amenities to serve today’s university students.The following facilities are available 24/7 during the trip.

• Classrooms

• Study area

• 8,000-volume core library
• Two dining rooms

• Student union
• Campus store
• Swimming pool

• Fitness facilities

• Wellness center
• Health clinic

Oldsailor suggests a virtual tour of the ship may be taken by clicking here.

6.M.V.Explorer facts:

• Length: 590 ft.
• Width: 84 ft.
• Tonnage: 24,300
• Speed: 28 knots
• Crew: 125
• Constructed By: Blohm & Voss Shipbuilders, Germany
• Guest Capacity: 600+

7.Semester at Sea Programs

Three study abroad voyages are conducted in a year. Currently the following voyages are scheduled for the Year 2008:

• Spring 2008 – January 2008 to May 2008
• Summer 2008 – June 2008 to August 2008
• Fall 2008 – to be announced

8.Programs conducted:

• Undergraduate study abroad program
• Engineering cohort
• Lifelong learning program
• Teachers at sea program

9.ePulse at Sea:

The Eugene M. and Christine E. Lynn College of International Communication publishes a daily online newsletter, The ePulse at Sea, which provides updates of the journey.

10.Contact details:

Institute for Shipboard Education
Semester at Sea
2410 Old Ivy Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903. Phone: (800)-854-0195. Fax: (434)-243-4076. Email:info@semesteratsea.com

1.On 16 October 2007, Indian Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways T.R. Baalu, inaugurated the state-of-the-art Mauritius Maritime Training Academy at Pointe aux Sables.

Speaking on the occasion, Thiru T.R. Baalu said that this Training Academy would act as a bridge to further augment the bilateral cooperation between the two countries. He said that in due course, apart from having experienced trainers, this Academy would have to conduct training for even deck and engineering officers and would also have to install a large number of training equipments such as lifeboats, life rafts and various types of simulators etc. To equip the Academy with all these necessary facilities, there would be need for tangible cooperation between India and Mauritius, Thiru Baalu added.

2.The building area is 2125 sq metres and comprises modern facilities, including

• Two workshops.
• A documentation center.
• Five classrooms.
• A conference room.
• An auditorium of 280 sq meters, with capacity to accommodate 200 persons.

3.The courses conducted by the academy are as follows :–

• Training course for grade certificate as Efficient Deck Hand (EDH) and Able Bodied Seaman (AB) as per ILO conventions.
• Training for Seafarers forming part of a navigation/engine room watch as per STWC 78 as amended.
• Basic safety training for Seafarers as per STCW 78 as amended.
• Crowd Management, Passenger Safety and Safety Training for personal providing direct services to passengers.
• Proficiency in crisis management and human behaviours training.
• Training for skipper and Second Hand for Certificate of Competency for Local Fishing Vessels of 24 metres in length.
• Training for Chief Engineer and Second Engineer for Certificate of Competency (COC) for Local Fishing Vessels of 24 metres in length.
• Ad Hoc courses upon request from other Ministries and private sector as appropriate.

4.IMO support:

IMO delegated an expert Mr. Leslie Hemachandra for a period of three months from 01 March 2007 to advise on the organization structure of the Academy, the programme of courses, the syllabus and the training of staff of the academy.

5.Geography

Mauritius is located approximately 2000 kilometres to the south eastern coast of Africa and lies east of Madagascar on 20°5, 57.5E. The country covers an area of 1865km_ with 330 kilometres of coastline. Mauritius is 45km in width and 65km in length.

6.Contact Details

Address: Royal Road, Pointe aux Sables
Telephone: (230) 234 2008, (230) 234 2010
Fax: (230) 234 2017
E-Mail: seatraining@intnet.mu

Oldsailor wishes all the best.