Changes in DP Sea Time Reduction courses by the Nautical Institute

The Nautical Institute has changed the conditions of allowable Dynamic Positioning (DP) Sea Time Reduction courses: see the following, from here (PDF).

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New condition for Sea Time Reduction from 1st January 2013

The DPTEG meeting of 7th June 2011, determined that the allowable Sea Time Reduction

course should be reduced from 2 weeks (12 weeks sea time equivalent overall) to 1 week (6

weeks sea time equivalent overall).

In order to allow centres that run Sea Time Reduction courses to prepare themselves and

their booking system, the Nautical Institute is instigating this requirement from 1st of January

2013.

Intensive simulator training DP time reduction

1 week (Sea time reduction course)

6 weeks sea time equivalent overall

For students who commenced their Sea Time Reduction training before January 2013 and

have more than one entry for this course (more than 6 weeks) in their DP logbook before

January 2013, the entries will still be acceptable by the Nautical Institute, based in the old

criteria.

However, those students who have more than one entry for sea time reduction prior to 2013

and obtain further entries for the sea time reduction course in 2013, the 2013 entry or any

subsequent ones will not be considered by the Nautical Institute if the total sea time reduction

exceeds 6 weeks.
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Maersk Training Brasil will be providing the 1-week DP Sea Time Reduction course next year.  Our first such course will be from 13 May 2013 to 17 May 2013.  The detailed course description will be up on our website soon; get it early by signing up for our newsletter (see the signup form on the right) and by following our Facebook and LinkedIn pages!

Training of crane operators in Santos by Maersk Training Brasil

Maersk Training Brasil is currently carrying out a training programme for Brasil Terminal Portuário (BTP) in the port of Santos, São Paulo.  We are training crane operators on STS (Ship To Shore) and RTG (Rubber Tire Gantry) cranes.  We aim to train approximately 400 crane operators over the course of the project.

As part of this project, Maersk Training Brasil currently has 10 instructors in Santos. Prior to training, candidates undergo a technical assessment on Maersk Training Brasil's AssessSIM portable simulator.  About 200 candidates have been assessed already.

Candidates who pass the technical assessment then receive training on the BTP's ARI simulator.  The first candidates started to undergo training in the beginning of November.

This is also the first time that CENEPE and OGMO Santos have entered into a partnership for the certification of harbour operators for BTP.  Operators who have gone through Maersk Training Brasil's training for BTP are subsequently certified as harbour operators by CENEPE and OGMO Santos.

Maersk Training Brasil is very proud to be part of this partnership programme.  The end result will be a large number of qualified, certified harbour operators able to work in Brazil's most important port.  This in turn will increase operating efficiency and quality.

What do you think of this project?  Please leave your opinions in the comments below!



Our AssessSIM simulator in action!

What do you think about the state of Brazilian offshore language training?

Brazil is experiencing a boom in offshore language training.  The Brazilian offshore industry, involving such sectors as shipping and oil extraction, needs a high standard of language training to function effectively.  With many multinational crews and multinational companies operating in the area, it is ineffective and very unsafe for every vessel to be a tower of Babel.  Vessels need to be able to use English as the common language for operations, while foreigners also need to at least understand some basic Portuguese for better integration and functioning of crews.  However, is the current format of offshore language training effective?

Currently, much of the offshore language training being carried out is inefficient, ineffective, and often irrelevant.  Typically, crew members are obliged to attend language courses but have little motivation to progress.  The alternation between offshore working periods and shore leave means that students have language classes for weeks at a time typically followed by weeks of inactivity.  Furthermore, much of the teaching material is irrelevant; standard English courses will carry out training of typical language issues such as asking for directions in town and talking about families, but do not prepare students for the day-to-day tasks on board.

We believe that onboard language training has to be done differently.  Instead of transplanting typical one-size-fits-all language courses from schools on land into offshore vessels, offshore language training should be tailored to the needs and realities of the offshore industry.

First, offshore language training should be relevant to offshore duties from the start - starting with such simple issues as integrating maritime terminology into lessons from the start.

Second, offshore training should be tailored to the needs and circumstances of the students.  This also means taking shore leave periods into consideration, and providing the opportunity and motivation for students to continue their training while not on board to avoid extended periods of inactivity.

Third, training has to be efficient and effective.  This means setting clear and attainable goals and measurable standards of progress.  Goals, as well as methods and content, should also be adapted to the student - the language requirements of a mechanic are different from those of a radio operator, for example.

Maersk Training Brasil has developed its On-Board Language Training (OBLT) programme in accordance with the above views.  What do you think?  Is this a better way of carrying out language training?

Photo competitions and Anchor Handling

Our course in Theoretical Anchor Handling is still open for registrations; sign up here!  This is an essential for advanced maritime training, giving a thorough understanding of the theory and practice in deep water anchor handling and winch operation.  Don't miss it!  It will also be useful preparation for the simulator-based practical anchor handling training (and many other courses) we will be offering next year.

Photo competitions
Our anti-stress ball photo competition is now over.  Congratulations to Carol Soeiro, Renan Freire, e Karynne Mathias Netto, who each win an iPod nano!  See the winning pictures below!

By Carol Soeiro:

By Renan Freire:

By Karynne Mathias Netto:

It's not all finished, though.  We are also running another photo competition on our Facebook page, a Maritime Photos competition.  There are 3 categories - Maritime Life, Maritime Work, and Maritime Nature.  The best picture in each category wins an iPod shuffle!  Have a look at the entries on our Facebook page, and then participate yourself!

To participate - "like" our facebook page, and send your photos to maersktrainingbrasil@gmail.com.  Photos must be less than 1MB in size, and please include your name in the filenames.  Maximum 3 pictures per person per category.