Bibby Maritime Upscale Training in India

Growing at a rapid pace, Sir Derek Bibby Maritime Training Center plan to expand and diversify by raising their quality standard and make use of the joint ventures route.

Despite the recessionary phase in shipping, training institutes in India known for their unflinching dedication to quality education have done better than most establishments in other sectors of the maritime trade. Even recent entrant such as Sir Derek Bibby Maritime Training Center, a business division of Bibby Ship Management (India) Pvt. Ltd., have forged a dynamic path which remains unrivaled in their niche line of activity.

Breaking from the traditional role Bibby Maritime Training Center focused on specific areas like the Nautical Institute-accredited courses in Dynamic Positioning, Navigation, including ECDIS (DGS, MCA and Type Specific) and approved UK and Indian GMDSS courses, Engineering, including High Voltage Safety, PLC Automation and Machinery Management courses besides Welding, hospitality and catering courses.

Last week their Chief Operations Officer, Chris Stone, came to attend the inauguration ceremony of their Kongsberg Offshore Vessel Handling Simulator Facility, considered the only one of its kind in Asia. This Offshore Vessel Simulator with visual scene, featuring Anchor Handling vessel, Shuttle Tanker and Drilling Rig models, enables advanced offshore operations exercises and courses covering: Manual Handling OSV, Anchor Handling, Offshore Loading, Position Reference, Drilling Rig Operation, Power Management, Ship Maneuvering, Advanced ECDIS, Bridge Team Management, Bridge Resource Management and Pilotage. Eivind S. Homme, Norwegian Ambassador to India inaugurated the new facility in the presence of several dignitaries from Kongsberg, the Norwegian consulate and the shipping and ship management companies.

Speaking about the trail blazing history of their Institute, Chris Stone informed, “We set up our training center in Mumbai at St. Xavier’s Technical Institute, Mumbai in 2006 with one classroom, one instructor and one course. Now we have 10 classrooms, 33 courses and 16 instructors, 12 of who are master mariners and one chief engineer. Last year we had 2800 candidates which is up by 60% over the year before when we had registered 1507. These candidates came from 28 countries and the courses value was 1.8 million pounds. Our total investment in the training facility in Mumbai and Delhi since 2006 has been $ 3 million of which in the last six months we spent $ 1.5 million. Most of which has been in Mumbai.”

Bibby Maritime Training is always on the lookout for forming joint India Training 3ventures in India. Chris says that for India as far as training is concerned they have plans to grow the number of courses. Immediately they will be investing in an engine room simulator. They are in talks in forming joint ventures with a number of companies. “Bibby Ship Management Group Ltd acquired Murray Fenton (India) Surveyors Ltd through its Indian subsidiary Bibby Ship Management India Pvt Ltd, two months ago,” he said. “Mumbai-based Murray Fenton (India) offers a range of marine surveying services, including marine hull, marine cargo, warranty, engineering, fire & allied perils all of which will benefit their customers tremendously. We are also looking at doing technical management in India”

The Norwegian Ambassador who was the chief guest at the inauguration expressed his happiness for the synergy Bibby has been able to create through training and the extent the institute has benefitted the maritime industry and the seafaring community.

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Bibby Maritime, February 17, 2014