NMSL commits to empowering NSDP cadets

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Limited (NSML), Abdulkadir Ahmed, said the organisation is committed to training and equipping Nigerian seafarers with the certificates of competency (CoC) required to trade on vessels globally.

This is just as NSML sponsored 50 cadets of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) to the South Shield Marine School in the United Kingdom (UK) for a 12-month training programme to get their certificates required to become qualified seafarers and work on any vessel globally.

The NSDP is a sponsored intervention programme being implemented by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to grow the capacity of young Nigerians to be certified as seafarers with global recognition and acceptance, thus bridging the gap in the dearth of seafarers globally.

Recall that NSPD seafarers after being issued certifications by the NIMASA, continued to face rejection in the global shipping market, which has raised a series of concerns and the call for urgent government intervention to find a solution to the problem.

However, the NSML, to ensure the seafarers get certified to global standards and work on international vessels, facilitated the CoC examination in the UK, which is the final stage of the NSDP training, culminating in the acquisition of the license, which potentially opens the doors of global employment opportunities for the cadets.

Speaking at an induction ceremony by NSML for 50 of NIMASA’s Romanian-trained NSDP beneficiaries held recently, Ahmed, said this sponsorship is aimed at addressing the dearth of Nigerian seafarers on ocean-going vessels and the need to meet indigenous manning requirements in Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage).

Ahmed stated that the training programme in the UK is the gold standard in maritime training, noting that with the certification, the cadets will become qualified seafarers and work on any vessel globally. Ahmed said the certification training is in line with NSML’s vision to support the growth and development of the Nigerian maritime sector.

“Our support here is really in coordinating and ensuring we support these cadets back to back because the goal is to ensure they come out with good Certificates of Competency and to ensure they have a career in the global shipping marine sector,” he stated.

Ahmed also noted that, with the emerging transition in the shipping and maritime industry, such as in energy and decarbonisation, which requires bringing in new technologies, it is important that seafarers continue to upgrade their skill sets and train on new technologies to be abreast of new developments.

The Director General, NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, appreciated NSML’s valuable commitment to the training and employment of Nigerian seafarers, adding that the maritime industry demands the highest level of skills, expertise and dedication.

He said it is through the support and mentorship of organisations like NSML and other shipping companies alike, that aspiring seafarers are allowed to acquire knowledge and gain experiences to excel in the field.

Jamoh, who was represented by the Director of Special Duties, External Relations and Technical Cooperation, Isichei Osamgbi, said over 150 NSDP Romanian cadets have concluded their onboard mandatory sea training and are ready to proceed for the CoC training and examinations.

He said the signing of the training agreement by both NIMASA and the NSML, which culminated in the commencement of the COC for the first batch of the Romanian-trained cadets, will go a long way toward ensuring that all the backlogs of cadets awaiting certification are cleared.

“We appreciate NSML for their vision, leadership, and magnanimity in partnering with NIMASA to support the development of seafarers and promotion of our local content in their vessel’s crew. It is worthy of mention that a good number of the NSDP Officers trained on board NSML vessels are now in employment by this prestigious Company, working as officers aboard various vessels managed by them,” he stated.