18 Jul 2010

EIMA signs licensing agreement to offer MRM training in Middle East

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Emirates International Maritime Academy signs licensing agreement to offer maritime resource management training in Middle East

Reported in The Maritime Executive

by NewsDesk

Senior executives from EIMA and the Swedish Club Academy at the signing ceremony.

Emirates International Maritime Academy (EIMA) has announced that it has expanded its maritime training resources by becoming a maritime resource management (MRM) provider in the Middle East after recently signing a licensing agreement with the Swedish Club Academy, a company associated with the Swedish Club, a leading marine mutual insurer from Sweden.

The agreement was signed by Captain Jaafar bin Sidin, Director of EIMA, and Martin Hernqvist, Managing Director at the Swedish Club Academy.

Demand for specialised MRM training is expected to increase considerably as all merchant marine officers are required to attend an MRM course as part of the mandatory requirements to be a licensed Certificate of Competency holder. The MRM course is designed to minimise the risk of incidents by encouraging safe and responsible behaviour, while it also helps foster positive attitude and strengthens personal communication, leadership excellence and compliance with operating procedures.

Captain Jaafar bin Sidin said, “The new licensing agreement further expands the scope of our services and enables us to cater to a much broader section of the maritime industry. Furthermore, this partnership will put EIMA in the global map along with other MRM training providers around the world, strengthening the Academy’s reputation as the region’s leading provider of marine-oriented academic programs. It is our continuing commitment to deliver complementary training initiatives that aim to update and enhance the skills and know-how of maritime professionals, and ultimately contribute towards establishing a truly world-class environment for the maritime sector here in the UAE.”

“The UAE is ideally positioned to be a major maritime hub in the region and a vital component of the global maritime industry. We are thrilled to contribute to the development of the country’s maritime sector by partnering with EIMA to provide world-class MRM training to maritime professionals in the UAE and the rest of the region,” said Martin Hernqvist.

The principles covered by the MRM training course include recognition of the significance of consistent good management and teamwork; willingness to change behaviour in a positive direction; and awareness of the importance of using common management-related terminology. The course will cover a series of workshops wherein errors and hazardous behaviour are analysed in a dynamic group, while various situations and actual accidents and incidents are explored from an MRM perspective.

In addition, the workshops will be supported by computer-based training modules that examine human interaction and management situations influencing the accident event. The MRM course will also include the principles regarding Bridge Resource Management (BRM) as outlined in Section B-VIII/2, part 3-1 of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Code. There will be new requirements related to BRM and ERM in part A of the STCW. The MRM course meets and exceeds those requirements.

EIMA joins the Swedish Club Academy’s list of 60 MRM training providers scattered across 27 countries. EIMA has earlier launched various training programs that cater to specific segments of the maritime industry and help in bridging the gap in maritime training in theUAE and the rest of the region.

EIMA was established by Dubai Maritime City Authority to provide marine-oriented academic programs and open opportunities for individuals to work in the maritime sector by offering certificates in engineering and other fields of maritime navigation. It is based within DMC Campus, the region’s first-of-its-kind maritime educational campus that will accommodate over 1,300 students and will host several world-renowned universities and institutes