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By Steve Agbota
In order to ensure that Nigerian seafarers get certified globally and work on international going vessels, NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Limited (NSML) has sponsored the Romanian trained cadets of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to the United Kingdom (UK) to get their certification of competency (CoC).
The cadets are part of the 150 beneficiaries of the Nigerian Seafarers’ Development Programme (NSDP), designed to develop and boost a robust pool of qualified, certified and competent Nigerian seafarers to service the local (coastal) and international demand of shipping.
Speaking at the induction ceremony organised by NSML for NIMASA’s Romanian trained cadets for the facilitation of the cadets’ Certificate Of Competency (COC) examination, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, NSML, Abdulkadir Ahmed, said the cadets trained in the Constanta Maritime University, Romania, completed their academic requirements and were awarded bachelor Degree with honours in Nautical Science and Marine Engineering respectively.
According to him, the organisation is sponsoring 50 of the cadets to the South Shield Maritime Academy in the UK for a 12 month programme to get their certificate of competencies required to trade on vessels globally.
“This is aimed at addressing the dearth of Nigerian seafarers on ocean going vessels and the need to meet indigenous manning requirement in Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage). The training programme in the UK is the goal standards in maritime training, noting that with the certificate of competencies, the cadets will become qualified seafarers and work on any vessel globally,” he said.
He said the training for certification is in line with NSML’s vision to support growth and development of the Nigerian maritime sector “So our support here is really in coordinating and ensuring we actually support these cadets back to back because the goal is ensure they come out with good certificate of competencies and to ensure they do have a career in the global shipping marine sector,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Director General, NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, appreciated NSML’s valuable commitment to the training and employment of Nigerian seafarers, adding that the maritime industry is one that demands the highest level of skills, expertise, and dedication.
He said it is through the support and mentorship of organisations like NSML and other shipping company’s alike, that aspiring seafarers are given the opportunity to acquire knowledge and gain experiences to excel in the field.
Jamoh, who was represented by the Director of Special Duties, External Relations and Technical Cooperation, Isichei Osamgbi, said the over 150 NSDP /Romanian cadets have concluded their on board mandatory sea training and are ready to proceed for the Certificate of Competency training and examinations.
According to him, the certification examination is the final stage of the training, which leads to the acquisition of the COC licensure that will open the global doors of employment opportunities for the cadets.
He said the signing of the training agreement of both NIMASA and the NSML, which culminated into the commencement of the COC for the first batch of the Romanian trained cadets, will go a long way into ensuring that all the backlogs of Romanian cadets awaiting COC are cleared.
“We appreciates NSML for their vision, leadership, and magnanimity in partnering with NIMASA to support the development of seafarers and promotion of our local content in their vessels crew. It is worthy of mention that a good number of the NSDP Officers trained on board NSML vessels are now in the employment of this prestigious Company, working as officers aboard various vessels managed by them,” he said.
