"The majority of accidents at sea are due to crew errors. One of the main goals of Kongsberg Maritime courses is to provide confidence through training, in order to avoid accidents and ensure the safety of vessels and crew. When the crew members know more about the various functionalities of the systems on board, a vessel can operate much more efficiently," he comments.
First of all, equipment will have fewer breakdowns and less down time.
For a client who invests millions in expensive technologies just to stay ahead of competitors, spending a few thousand dollars more on training will ensure that he reaps the full benefits of his investment. "KONGSBERG deals with high-end, innovative and cutting edge technologies, and it is important for our customers to stay current. DP instructor Surinder Mahandwan emphasises the importance for clients of staying updated with the latest technology, and points to several benefits of staff training. One example is the DP advanced course, where the participants are presented with various scenarios that could potentially occur on board a vessel. Kongsberg Maritime courses are well known for their practical, hands-on approach by the use of simulators and practical exercises. Our clients book their courses several weeks in advance, so we don't want to cancel at the last minute just because there is only one participant," explains Mørken.
We have even conducted courses with only one participant. "With local training staff at the Singapore office, we ensure that courses are conducted regardless of the amount of participants. Most weeks, the centre is fully booked in all classrooms, and the philosophy is to never cancel a course, regardless of the number of participants. The new training centre has a qualified team of seven instructors who specialise within their respective fields, meaning that the centre has the capacity to offer several courses in parallel. The training centre with its team of expert instructors, is aiming to be a central hub for training for the Asian region, also offering support to Kongsberg Maritime's training facilities in China and Korea. In addition, we offer general KONGSBERG type specific courses that are open to anyone interested." Never cancel
We can offer custom made courses in connection with specific deliveries, ensuring that our clients get customised training suitable for their specific vessel. "The increase in demand for courses is related to the steady number of newbuildings in this regiony" Bjørn Andrea Mørken, Regional Manager Training and Customer Support, Kongsberg Maritime Singaporeījørn Andreas Mørken, Regional Manager Training and Customer Support comments: "The increase in demand for courses is related to the steady number of newbuildings in this region, meaning that more qualified personnel need to be trained.
They have also just started a new train the trainer course, where ship Captains come to learn how to use ECDIS. In addition, there are five technical rooms, giving students the possibility to practice real-life scenarios as realistically as possible in a safe environment. The centre features five classrooms dedicated to navigation, automation and DP, compared with three classrooms in the previous training facilities. Kongsberg Maritime Singapore is taking bookings from all over the Asian region, offering a range of both tailor made and open courses in its brand new training centre which opened in Q1 2013.