– To address industry challenges
Mkpoikana Udoma
Yenagoa — The Oil Producers Trade Section, OPTS, has announced plans to expand its Marine Accelerator Programme by Q1 2025, following the success of its pilot phase launched in May 2024.
The programme, designed to address ongoing safety and quality challenges in the marine services industry, aims to train more industry operators, particularly those from vessel categories not yet covered in the initial phase.
Speaking at the 13th Practical Nigerian Content Forum organized by the Nigerian Content Development Board, NCDMB, the Executive Director of OPTS, Mr. Gwueke Ajaifia, also announced plans to train additional operators and vessel crews as safety and compliance issues persist
Ajaifia explained that the pilot training session saw 120 participants from priority vessel categories and received high satisfaction ratings for both the content and delivery of the programme.
He assured that moving forward, OPTS will target additional technical management and vessel crew, as well as operators from priority categories who missed out on the first round of training.
“Despite slight improvements in safety incidents and regulatory compliance, a recent qualitative reassessment revealed that many of the challenges faced by the industry four years ago persist today.”
According to OPTS, the Nigerian marine services sector still falls behind global standards compared to operations in other regions.
“The Marine Accelerator Programme would not have been possible without the support of NCDMB. As a strong advocate for local content, OPTS believes that creating an enabling environment with skilled personnel is crucial to reducing the cost of doing business and attracting more investments,” Ajaifia said.
