Sea-time training: Mandate local, foreign ships to engage two Nigerian cadets, Yousou tasks FG

The National President of Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transportation Senior Staff Association (NMNO/WTSSA) Engr. Bob Joseph Yousou has advised the federal government on how to reduce the increasing number of seafarers passing out from marine schools.without sea-time training.

Yousou, at a recent event called on the government to engage both local and foreign ship owners to engage at least one cadet each for sea-time raining, saying within three years, all the backlog of untrained cadets will be a matter of the past.

The Merchant Navy boss made the call at Apapa at the 2nd Annual Seaferers Colloquium themed, “Nigeria COC, it’s Global Acceptably, Challenges and Way forward.”

He said, “It’s not enough for NIMASA to send Seafarers and cadets abroad but when they come back, there are no vessels for them to practice and work in.”

He therefore urged them to mandate any vessel in Nigeria to have atleast two cadets on board and as a requirement for certification of vessels by NIMASA.

Yousuo expressed worry over the number of cadets sent abroad for cadetship training but return to Nigeria without platform to complete their mandatory sea-time training.

“So, if they mandate the vessels to have minimum of two cadets for eight or 18 months then you will see that gradually, the huge cadets number will reduce.

“These are part of the practical solutions we are proffering. By insisting that the ship owners/companies, both foreign and locals operating in Nigeria should absorb these cadets at least two, including one engineer, one nautical, within one to three years you will see that the number of these unabsorbed cadets will reduce.

“We are not talking of international Certificate of Competency (CoC) for unlimited certification for now, let us talk about the NCV we have, even that gives us issues, gives us problems.

“What we are telling the FG, NIMASA is to make sure they have bilateral agreement with more companies not just political, to go there and talk, professionals need to be engaged as well.