The Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES), Nigeria, has called on the Federal Government to consider acquiring a product tanker that can serve for both the commercial purpose of product lifting and distribution as well as give sea time training to cadets educated in the country.
President of the Association, Engr. Israel Obadan, made the call in his goodwill message delivered on the 14th of December at the 2023 Passing out Parade (PoP) of graduating cadets from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, Akwa Ibom.
He said: “…there are long standing maritime demands that could enhance the training program of the Academy. I am talking about the absence of a sea training fleet of vessels for graduates of the Academy.
“AMES therefore proposes that the Federal Government start a program of acquiring a medium size commercially viable Product Tanker of about 15,000 DWT capacity to be attached to the national refineries for petroleum product transportation and distribution.
“It can be a training ship to accommodate the cadets for the all-important practical sea training. Because of the absence of ships for training, sea cadets are forced to sign on ships as ratings; a very disturbing trend.”
The AMES president advised that the government could turn to other existing models to enable cadets get sea time training.
“I am aware there are other models of sea training put in place in an arrangement with offshore service providers that take on cadets for training on their vessels. Government can encourage such indigenous companies by granting them commensurate incentives to do more.
There was other successful model with foreign shipping companies. These involved bilateral agreements between foreign governments who allowed their ships train some Nigerians in years past.
“There were prominent foreign shipping companies like, ELDER DEMPSTER shipping lines and Palm Lines. They helped in training Nigerians during the era of our national shipping development. Presently, Nigeria is only training her cadets for other nations because we lack the national fleet to absorb them,” the AMES president said.
He highlighted the fact that simulators are great, but they are just for soft training purposes.
“There is nothing compared to the real thing. That is, practical sea training, because that is the weeding period for future seafarers. Until seafarers go through that period of training, you may not be too sure of his readiness to pursue the career. The rigours at sea can be very challenging and testing,” he said.
Speaking further, Obadan urged the graduating cadets on the importance of dedication to assignments in their careers at sea. He also encouraged them to serve mutual respect to one another as they begin to build their professional lives.
Thanking the Rector of the Academy, Commodore Duja Effedua (Rtd.) for developing the institution both in infrastructure and in Faculty, the AMES president also charged the stand the tests of time when challenges of life at sea face them.
