The Alumni of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria Oron (AMANO) has revealed that the nation’s foremost institution for maritime training and learning, the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, is struggling to get internationally certified instructors for its state-of-the-art simulators.

Recall that MAN, Oron, recently acquired some state-of-the-art simulators like the Full Mission Bridge Simulator, the Full Mission Engine Room Simulator, Ocular Vision Simulator and the Multifunctional Classroom simulator.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune exclusively, the President of AMANO, who also doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of Bricks Murstern Mattoni Limited, Mr. Emmanuel Maiguwa, stated that one of the two IMO-qualified Indian Instructors that started simulator training at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria has left, leaving just one qualified instructor at the academy.

According to Emmanuel Maiguwa, “Hope you know that for any instructor to be able to train anybody on the use of those simulators at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) must specify the certifications that the instructor will have?

“As we speak, the Maritime Academy of Nigeria is struggling to get instructors for its simulators because we lack a viable seafaring training development strategy in this country.

“Yes, we have old and experienced Master Mariners in Nigeria, but they cannot train cadets on those simulators at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria because they lack those additional certifications required by the IMO.

“In the absence of a suitable person to train cadets on simulator training, Nigeria is supposed to rely on her young seafarers that are just coming up through the ranks. I am talking about our younger Captains that have Class 1 and are still sailing on ships. But the issue is these young Nigerian Captains who have Class 1 are also on Near Coastal Voyage (NCV) certification and are looking to expand their certification. So bringing them back to the classroom is slowing down their career trajectory. That is why the Maritime Academy is currently struggling to get qualified instructors for its simulators.”

On likely solution to the absence of qualified instructors for simulator training in Nigeria, Maiguwa explained that, “If we want to fill the capacity gap in terms of qualified instructors for simulator training in Nigeria, all the maritime agencies must take up training seriously in their budget so that we can take Nigerian seafarers to these foreign institutions where these trainings are done so that they can become IMO-qualified instructors.

“If we do this, in few years, Nigeria will begin to have IMO-qualified Instructors that she can engage, even on contract basis to train our cadets not just at the Maritime Academy, but at private training institutions like Charkins, Global Maritime Academy in Warri and others.

“There has to be a deliberate programme to train seafarers and do sponsorship. That is what I call seafarers development training. Not the one that we are currently doing where seafarers will go and acquire Class 1 Officer of the Watch (OOW). There are still numerous courses that a Class 1 officer needs to do before becoming Class 2 and then Master Mariner.

As it is today, the Maritime Academy of Nigeria may have to be looking outside the country for IMO-qualified instructors to man its simulators. They had two Indian instructors before, but one left because he has more qualifications and competition took him out of Nigeria. How much does the Maritime Academy of Nigeria have to retain such professionals?” (Nigerian Tribune)