Offshore safety courses are intended for people who work in the offshore oil and gas sector. PHOTO/FILE
By ANDREW MWANGURA
A feasibility study that will pave way for the establishment of a maritime training survival centre at the Kenyan coast is going on in Kilifi County.
Organizations and government departments involved in the feasibility study on offshore safety courses and offshore survival training are; Treasury, State Department of Shipping, Bandari Maritime Academy, and project Consultants.
Offshore safety and offshore survival training courses are intended for people who work in the offshore oil and gas and wind energy sector.
Being employed in the offshore industry often comes with a lot of dangers and because the work is conducted at open sea, the right medical and safety training is of vital importance.
Emergency services can be miles away and therefore take much longer to get to the scene of the accident compared to when something happens on the mainland.
Among the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization (OPITO) approved offshore courses are: Helicopter Safety/ HUET (Helicopter Underwater Escape Training), Sea Survival and First Aid, Fire Fighting Training and First Aid, Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET), Further Offshore Emergency Training and Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW).
Others are; Minimum Industry Safety Training (MIST), Emergency Response Team Leader (OERTL), Emergency Response Team Leader Further, Emergency Response Team Member, Emergency Response Team Member Further, Emergency with Escape Chute Training, Emergency Breathing System (EBS), Compressed Air Emergency Breathing System (CA-EBS) and Banksman and Slinger Stage1 and 2.
Others includes; Basic H2S Training, Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (TBOSIET), Tropical Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (THUET), Tropical Further Offshore Emergency Training (TFOET), Offshore Crane Operator Training, Offshore Drilling Induction Green hand, Rigger Training and Assessment, Crew Initial Training Shipboard Operations (ITSO), Crew Fast Rescue Craft- Coxswain, Crew Fast Rescue-Boatman, Crew Daughter Craft-Coxswain and Crew Advanced Medical A.
Without a valid Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET) certificate, it is not possible to work offshore in the oil and gas industry. The BOSIET and Emergency Breathing System (EBS) certificate have a validity of four years.
Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization (OPITO) are the global skills body for the energy industry. Working with governments, training providers, oil companies and operators, OPITO provides support and development opportunities to the industry. The goal of the organization is to achieve globally accepted guidelines for oil and gas industry.
New seafarers’ workforce report from the Baltic and International Maritime Council and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) forecasts that the industry will face a shortage of Officers by 2026 if training and recruitment of crew are not increased.
The report estimates that the world’s merchant fleet will need an additional of 89,541 officers by 2026 due to increase for STCW -Certified Officers.
There are currently 1,892,720 seafarers comprised of 857,540 Merchant Navy Officers and 1,035,180, Ratings operating over 74,000 ocean-going vessels for the World’s merchant fleet.
There are 7,486 Global fleet of Offshore Services Vessels (OSVs) and about 1,050 active offshore oil rigs worldwide as of April 2023.
Offshore service vessels include; Platform Supply Vessels, Anchor Handling Tug and Supply Vessels, Dive Support Vessels, Dynamically Positioning Vessels (DP), Seismic Survey Ships, Inspection Maintenance and Repair Vessels, Stand-by Vessels, Offshore Construction Vessels and ROV Support Vessels.
