Seafarers’ Log, Maritime Education and Training
Principal Secretary State Department for Shipping and Maritime Affairs Mr. Geoffrey Kaituko flanked by Kenyan Cadets before they flew out of the country to South Korea last week/ (Photo/ Courtesy)
By Andrew Mwangura
Email. thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com
Kenya has signed a memorandum of understanding on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping for Seafarers(STCW) with other countries including Jamaica and South Korea.
These MoUs were signed to enhance cooperation in maritime safety and training standards. Such agreements focuses on ensuring adherence to international maritime regulations and training standards.
Plans are underway for the government of Kenya to sign an MoU with the Saint Kitts and Nevis.
This will further enhance Kenya’s collaboration in maritime training and certification with various countries.
These deals aim to enhance maritime training and certification for Kenyan seafarers, effecting Kenya’s commitment to improving it’s maritime workforce.
Kenya has also inked seaboard training deals with CMA CGM shipping line, MSC shipping company, the UAE based Bahar shipping company, Danish Ferry Company DSDF, Orion bulkers, South Korea Shipowners Association and South Korea Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology.
Technical University of Mombasa and Wilhelmsen ship management are working on a collaboration framework to benefit both TUM and Wilhelmsen ship management trainees.
This will ensure TUM cadets benefit for seatime, thus, guaranteeing them a ready labor supply for Wilhelmsen ship management.
Wilhelmsen ship management, currently operates a fleet of around 450 vessels manned by 11,000 active seafarers.
Types of ships managed by Wilhelmsen ship management includes bulk carriers, container ships, tankers, gas carriers and cruise ships.
Orion bulkers operates a fleet of 21 bulk carriers. Their fleet typically includes handysize bulk carriers, supramax bulk carriers and panamax bulk carriers.
MSC, one of the largest container shipping lines in the world, manages 850 cargo vessels currently in operation and moving an estimated 24.5 million TEUs annually.
The majority of MSC fleet comprises container ships, including some of the largest container ships in the world with a capacities exceeding 24,000 TEUs.
MSC fleet also includes a selection of tankers for transporting various liquid cargoes, it also operates a number of bulk carriers and cruise ships.
Danish Ferry Company ( DFDS) operates approximately 50 vessels including Ro-Ro-Ferries, Ro-Pax Ferries and some dedicated cargo vessels for freight operations across trans-Atlantic and the North Sea.
South Korea Shipowners Association has a total of 126 members operating 2,147 fleet flying national flag of South Korea with a 15,666 thousand DWT. The vessels are being manned by 27,919 multi national crew compromised of Korean, Indonesian, Filipinos and Malaysian.
Plans are underway to recruit 1,000 Kenyan s eafarers annually and to offer training berths for Kenyan cadets aboard South Korean foreign ocean-going merchant ships.
CMA CGM operates a total fleet of 627 vessels with a total capacity of over 3 million TEUs. The company has charterd 385 vessels and she owns 242 vessels. Its 103 vessels are in its order book.
Bahar ship management currently operates a fleet of 95 vessels including 42 VLCCs, 38 chemical and oil product tankers, six multi-purpose vessels and nine dry bulk carriers.
