On 11^th October, Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centre (AEMTC) held the grand opening of its new facility at Leela Business Park in Mumbai. The inauguration witnessed approximately 40 participants that included shipping industry dignitaries and officials from the Directorate General of shipping along with Senior Managers of AESM offices, who have been supporting the continuous growth of AEMTC.

The  Chief Guest, Mr Kumar Sanjay Bariar, Additional Director General of Shipping along with Capt RK Muduli, Deputy Nautical Advisor cum Sr Deputy Director General (Tech); Capt Abdul Kalam Azad, Principal Officer (In-charge of Mercantile Marine Department (MMD); Mr Carsten Ostenfeldt, Chief Operating Officer, Asia, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Ltd; Capt Pradeep Chawla, Managing Director- Group QHSE & Training, AE Ship Management Ltd; Capt Vinay Singh, Group Managing Director Marine HR, AE Ship Management Ltd; Mr Maneesh Pradhan, Managing Director, AE Ship Management Ltd, India; Capt Kersi Nariman Deboo, Principal and Director of AEMTC; and Vice-Principal and Assistant Director of AEMTC, Mr Francis Akkara, graced the occasion.

Mr Philip Elberling, Head of MAN Prime Serv Academy, Denmark inaugurated the new Mk 2 two-stroke of MAN Electronic Engine Simulator, supplied by MAN Energy solution.

Capt Deboo briefly presented an overview of the various courses offered at the AEMTC.

Congratulating the AEMTC team for its exceptional work in training seafarers, who are the backbone of the economy, Mr Bariar said, “The technology used is at par with global standards. I express my sincere gratitude to Anglo Eastern for setting up both Pre Sea and Post Sea training with state-of-the-art facilities for Indian seafarers. I also take this opportunity to thank Anglo Eastern management for providing many jobs for such a large number of Indian crew.”

In his opening address, Mr Ostenfeldt mentioned “Anglo Eastern is very serious in providing training to Indian Seafarers and keep employing them on AESM managed vessels. Training is our backbone and we believe imparting training to the crew is of paramount importance to ensure safe and efficient ship operation. The efforts to upgrade maritime training in India is a continuous process and Anglo Eastern will ensure more and more Indian seafarers pass through this latest knowledge centre.”

In his virtual address, Mr Bjorn Hojgaard, CEO of Anglo Eastern group said, “AEMTC is Anglo-Eastern’s flagship training centre and one of India’s leading maritime training institutions. It is only fitting that AEMTC Mumbai should set the standard – not only in terms of our excellent faculty and quality training – but from the moment a seafarer or visitor steps through the door.  It’s safe to say that we haven’t just set the standard; we’ve raised the standard!

The rejuvenation of our flagship training centre is symbolic of our continued investment in and commitment to lifelong learning, which has been key to Anglo-Eastern’s DNA and success over the years. The relocation above our crewing division also supports the concept of One Team, which I am equally passionate about for Anglo-Eastern as an organisation.

I congratulate AEMTC Mumbai – as well as the associated MAN PrimeServ, WinGD and Wӓrtsilӓ training facilities – on their new office space.”

Mr Elberling reiterated that the cooperation of Anglo-Eastern and MAN Energy solution will continue and grow to more strength in the coming years. Mr Akkara mentioned the cooperation between AEMTC and then MAN B&W started by then Head of Technical service, Mr Ostenfeldt way back in early 2000. Subsequently, the cooperation grew from just one course, twice a year to more than six Prime Serv Academy courses in India, that too with the latest simulators and course content. On behalf of AESM Management, Mr Akkara thanked MAN Energy solution for providing the latest simulator to train Indian customers with the latest types of controllers and making AEMTC ready for training the crew for the future.

Expressing his gratitude to the faculty, Capt Chawla said that he and the team has tried to enable ‘best practice sharing’ as he gets exposure with international groups and ensure that AEMTC is at par with the best maritime training centres globally. He added that all facilities require money, but what makes it all work is a good team. He acknowledged and appreciated his colleagues one by one and mentioned their contribution to their venture. He elaborated on how students were brought-in, some gadgets were invented and pointed out that the faculty is a very well-experienced one with an experience onboard of over 20 years. He complimented the teaching staff for giving their best, saying that teaching isn’t one of the well-paid jobs so it’s definitely their passion that makes them give their best. Capt Chawla expressed his happiness that they were able to retain the best brains in the maritime industry for AEMTC. He credited ARI Simulations, founded by Capt SSS Rewari, a former seafarer who is known as a visionary educator, for enabling ‘The State Of The Art ‘Engine Room simulator facility which will put India on the map due to the high-end simulators at AEMTC.

Capt Deboo informed that they have been training since 1994 but since they wanted to build something that goes a long way, they ventured into setting up ‘The State of The Art’ facility which comprises of several high-end simulators such as the Full Mission Navigation Simulator, Full Mission Engine Simulator, Liquid Cargo Handling Simulator for LPG, LNG, Chemical and Oil among others. He said they are mainly focussing on the development of automation training and control systems because that’s an area which is growing considerably well and fast in the shipping field and seafarers especially engineers and electrical officers need to be trained on that. The Director of AEMTC also said that they were keen to provide a great learning experience to encourage productivity by making the trainees enjoy the ambience and the feedback has also been very good so far. Capt. Deboo was optimistic that the Directorate General of Shipping, being the administrators have set certain standards and as a Training Centre they were extending their services to all seafarers besides their own so that the marine fraternity in India is sought for jobs at sea, making India mint out the best seafarers, that the world has to offer. He said AEMTC is currently offering 22 courses which are D.G approved and some other courses which are for value addition, specific engine and machinery related courses and ones developed by their in-house team. He added that AEMTC was delighted to welcome clients who had attended the inaugural event and offered to create tailor-made courses as per the client’s requirements.

On gender diversity, Capt Deboo said, “We strongly support it and are happy to have 22 lady cadets currently undergoing pre-sea training at their Maritime Academy in Karjat.”

Mr Bariar and the guests were led on a tour through the facility along with all attendees and was briefed by the training staff about the various functions of each equipment and their practical application at sea. Mr Bariar asked relevant questions and was pleased to learn that the trainers knew their job well and gave an interesting explanation to back their answers. Mr Bariar expressed his wish to visit the facility once again when he has more time at hand so that he can study all the equipment at leisure.

One of the primary attractions of the AEMTC was the ice-simulator, wherein the cadets get a 360-degree feel and gives them a real visualization of how the ship can be navigated through icy sea-waters with ice-bergs and snow-fall in sight. The ice-cover can be made thick or thin to make seafarers undergoing training understand the challenges posed in such tough weather conditions. The usage of these simulators are to make the candidates understand the procedure and for them to repeat them until they gain perfection, without putting them in real hazards or dangerous situations before they move to hands on operation in real life scenario. The numerous practical labs allows trainees to have a hands-on experience on equipment. AEMTC also  has a well-stocked library, an auditorium and classrooms equipped with multimedia and marine software.

AEMTC is the only centre in South East Asia, who has the OEM approval to conduct Engine builder’s specific courses, mainly MAN Prime Serv, Wartsila and WINGD’s electronic and Gas Engines. The co-operation with AEMTC and three major engine builders started more than two decades ago with regular support given by the engine builders to upgrade the training facilities. This initiative also has helped Indian ship managers to send their Officers for training to Mumbai, instead of sending them all the way to Europe for undergoing this specialised training.

After a long, educative tour, all the guests had lunch with other dignitaries and Anglo Eastern managers, in their well-designed cafeteria, and later the centre was left for the trainers to get back to their training activities.

Marex Media