VIKING Saatsea, the maritime e-learning unit of marine and offshore safety equipment leader VIKING Life-Saving Equipment (VIKING), has released a new set of 24/7-accessible, train-at-your-convenience courses to make ISPS Code (the International Ship and Port Security Code) training more efficient and affordable.
Shipowners operating internationally are required to ensure their crews have a range of competencies for dealing with maritime security situations such as piracy or terrorist attacks. Three levels of skills are mandated, depending on the duties and ranking of crew or ship’s officers. VIKING Saatsea’s ISPS Code e-learning courses were developed as a response to customer requests and tested in close cooperation with a major shipping line.
VIKING Saatsea’s CEO, Kim Baarsøe, promises significant savings for shipowners – both in time and direct expenses. “ISPS courses take up to two days of land-based training,” he explains. “That’s a significant expense and a hassle for operations. But given that this type of training is almost entirely theoretical, it can easily be conducted on board. Our new courses bring greater flexibility with much lower impact on operations.”
According to VIKING Saatsea, shipowners stand to save as much as half of the normal costs of such training. But training cost-efficiencies are, of course, not the only priority for the e-learning provider. Under multi-year agreements, the new courses can be re-taken at any time, such as before entering a high-risk region. This enables crew to refresh their skills to remain alert to, and prepared to cope with situations that may compromise onboard security.
VIKING Saatsea’s solution is largely unaffected by land-to-sea connection status, enabling it to run either online or offline – and can be accessed both at sea and from land-based locations for administration purposes. Moreover, the here-and-now training flexibility receives greater acceptance from crew being trained, because they are able to undergo training while at sea rather than in their home periods. Training status can be tracked at individual or vessel levels.
Shipowners and operators aren’t the only market for the new ISPS Code courses. Seasoned seafarers and new entrants to the industry will also be able to sign up for one-time access, enabling them to obtain training as part of their efforts to find employment.
For many, adopting the VIKING Saatsea platform, with its growing range of courses, is a first step to a single point for all onboard training. A Course Creator module is also available – a fully customizable version of the company’s onboard training solution that enables companies to design courses for theoretical or practical exercises, with the inclusion of company-specific equipment for greater relevance. By choosing from a variety of standard templates, shipowners or operators can create, implement and administrate courses that, for example, introduce crew to new equipment or HSEQ procedures.
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