New facility to train workers in handling of clean marine fuels

10,000 seafarers, maritime personnel to be trained there from now till the 2030s: MPA

- Esther Loi

A new maritime energy training facility will be set up in Singapore progressively by 2026 to equip maritime workers with skills to handle clean marine fuels.

The facility is a tie-up between the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and 22 partners including major marine engine manufacturers, trade associations, unions and institutes of higher learning.

Around 10,000 seafarers and maritime personnel are expected to be trained at the facility from now till the 2030s, the authority said, as some of its courses and training facilities are already available.

Announcing this at the opening ceremony of Singapore Maritime Week on April 15 at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said the facility will take Singapore one step closer to becoming the region's maritime training hub, where seafarers can gain skills needed to work with alternative fuels.

Spread out across different locations in Singapore, the facility will include a new dual-fuel marine engine simulator to facilitate the training of safe handling, bunkering or refuelling of vessels, and incident management in the use of alternative fuels, said MPA on April 15.

Other features include the integrated engine room and bridge simulator for crew resource management training, gas and fire safety training facilities, and augmented reality-enabled training scenario-based MPA noted that the setting up of the facility comes on the back of the recommendations by the Tripartite