ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi Ports, the master developer, operator and manager of the Emirate’s community and commercial ports as well as Khalifa Industrial Zone, honoured the first enrolled batch of students for completing the first phase of training in its certified Coastal Seafaring course to become seafarers in the future. The first batch included 16 Emiratis, including four women, who are set to become the first female seafarers in the UAE and the region upon completion of the full training programme of vessels up to 24 meters long. The ceremony, held at the headquarters of Abu Dhabi Ports, was attended by Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports; Captain Jasim Al Khamiri, Manager of ADNOC Petroleum Ports Authority ;Phillip Lenthall, Course Leader at the Australian Maritime College (AMC); and several senior managers and staff from Abu Dhabi Ports, and IRSHAD (Abu Dhabi Petroleum Ports Operating Company) an ADNOC Group company and National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC).
The students completed a key element of the Coastal Seafaring programme which included a 10-week theoretical and practical training course. With that, they were able to successfully pass the exams of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the Federal Transport Authority-Land & Maritime (FTA). The following levels will feature a four-month practical training on-board vessels. This specialised marine training programme for seafarers commenced in early 2016 as a partnership between Abu Dhabi Ports, and Australian Maritime College (AMC) at the University of Tasmania, a leading Australian national academic institution that specialises in marine education, training and research. Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi said: “Our partnership with AMC comes in line with the directives of our wise leadership which aim to support development programmes that target our National workforce. This partnership as well as the accreditation of FTA gave the training programme a strong boost. The significance of this programme is not only limited to providing our trainees with internationally-accredited degrees, but also strengthens Abu Dhabi’s reputation as a prominent platform for enriching and managing Vocational Education and Training (VET) programmes in the ports and maritime transport domains.”