NIMASA partners Maritime Academy of India on seatime training for Nigerian cadets

Tayo Oladipupo

Hope seems to be on the horizon for the Nigerian cadets who are graduates of the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) as the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maritime Academy of India to provide sea time training for the cadets.

According to the statement, Dakuku maintained that the MoU covered the training of 60 cadets in three batches of 20 each.

His words, “This MOU will help reduce the amount of cadets awaiting sea-time by clearing up the first 60 of the backlog in three batches of 20 each,” he stated.

He added that Dakuku congratulated the 20 trainees under the first batch of the scheme and tasked them to be dedicated, disciplined, and committed to making the best use of the opportunity to develop them and aid national development.

“We are proud that you will be joining the global merchant fleets. Be sure to represent Nigeria positively,” the DG told the trainees.

“We are determined to get all of your mates the much needed sea-time. Under the current leadership of NIMASA, we are working very hard to provide sea-time for all that have gone through our NSDP,” he added.

He expressed NIMASA’s determination to explore and use appropriate avenues to ensure that Nigerian seafarers got the right exposure and training to excel in the global maritime space, saying in the near future Nigeria would be a supplier of qualified seafarers to the rest of the world.

Dakuku said the Agency was in negotiation with other academies with access to ocean going training vessels in countries, like Turkey and United Kingdom among others, to secure sea time for Nigerians.

He said he wanted to replicate in Nigeria the progress recorded under similar partnerships in countries, like Philippines, in the area of providing seafarers to the international market.

The Maritime Academy of India was represented at the MoU signing ceremony by Managing Director, TMC Shipping Pvt. Limited and the maritime Academy, Neeraj Kumar.

In his remarks, Kumar appreciated NIMASA’s effort to develop the seafarers and commended the NSDP initiative.

TMC is India’s leading maritime education, training and recruitment company.

NIMASA has trained about 2000 Nigerians under the NSDP scheme, with many cadets at various stages of completion of the programme.

The Agency is tackling the issue of sea-time training for the cadets through full sponsorship, in partnership with some international institutions that have access to ocean going training vessels.

Some cadets have done their on-board sea time training under the first phase of the NIMASA fully-sponsored sea time training programme, facilitated alongside the Arab Academy of Science, Technology and Marine Transportation in Alexandria, Egypt.

On-board training for another set of cadets was facilitated by the South Tyneside College, UK.

The Agency has also trained some Nigerians under partnership with universities in The Philippines.