Dr. Jethro Brooks,the Acting Vice Chancellor of the Ghana based Regional Maritime University has outlined strategies for countries in West and Central Africa under the aegis of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa ( MOWCA) to own training vessels for cadets from the various maritime training institutions (MTIs) from the 15 countries.
Speaking on the sideline of a facility tour of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron during a MOWCA organised exchange visit by RMU and the Regional Academy of Marine Sciences and Techniques, Abidjan, Brooks said countries should consider a joint investment in a vessel that would be deployed for trading and training (T and T) .
He commended the various governments for their support for procurement of simulators and advised that the need for a training vessel should not be jettisoned
According to him, deploying a ship solely for training would be unsustainable as fees and other internally generated revenues of the MTIs would not meet the need to manage the ship.
While commending the government of Nigeria for the support given to MAN Oron, Brooks said maritime training requires consistent funding and any vessel procured for training of cadets should also be used for training along the West and Central Africa coast
Brooks added that institutions like RMU, MAN and the academy in Abidjan have all it takes to give quality maritime training for a sustainable blue economy in Africa.
According to him, RMU is equipped to offer training on dynamic positioning of vessels for which many trainees have been traveling out of the region.
“What we need to activate our dynamic position training in Ghana is to update our software and renew our license” he said.
Dynamic Positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system that automatically maintains a vessel’s position and heading using its own propellers and thrusters. It replaces traditional anchoring in deep water or congested areas by analyzing environmental data wind, waves, current to control thruster output, ensuring precise station-keeping. DP is essential for offshore operations like oil drilling, cable laying, and diving support.
Brooks and his Abidjan counterpart are in Nigeria for the four day MOWCA organised inaugural exchange visit themed “Advancing Maritime Education and Training Across West and Central Africa”
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