Trainee seafarers
22 September 2014, Lagos -The Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron, Joshua Okpo, said the academy has signed a bilateral agreement with the World Maritime University (WMU), Malmo, Sweden and another corporation in India to train 50 students of the academy.
Similarly, the academy, which is recognised by the global maritime watchdog, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as Nigeria’s premier maritime training institution, has also entered into agreement with the Shipping Corporation of Singapore to be taking some of its cadets onboard their vessels.
Sea time training, which entails cadets of the school getting practical acknowledge of what they have learnt in the classroom, is mandatory for the issuance of the certificate of competency (COC).
Okpo, who spoke at an event in Lagos, through the Assistant Registrar,MAN, Mrs. Alice Mkpandiok, said 25 students would be taken from the deck cadets and another 25 from the engineering department every year.
He also disclosed that the academy was using part of the five per cent accruing to it annually from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) annually to place the cadets for sea time experience.
He revealed that the academy had signed all the necessary papers and would commence the training as soon as NIMASA gives it the go ahead.
On efforts of other firms and organisations on sea time training, he said: “Some indigenous companies like the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) had also agreed to take 15 cadets and 15 engineering students on a yearly basis with Exxon Mobile ready to give scholarships to the students.
He noted that WISTA Nigeria has been helping some female cadets who excelled so much in academics by granting scholarship to them. So, some of them use that for sea time apart from the help from NIMASA and the government.
“Then very recently the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar made it mandatory for shipping companies operating on Nigerian waters to take some cadets on board their vessels. That is how far the country and organisations had gone to place our students on board vessels,” he said.
– This Day
