Three ocean-going shipping companies — Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. and the Japanese Shipowners’ Association have decided to begin concrete discussions on donating a large training ship to the Japan Maritime Technical Education and Training Agency (JMETS), an Independent Administrative Institution, in recognition of the necessity to train and secure capable Japanese seafarers in order to maintain and develop maritime transportation, a core infrastructure that supports the lives of the Japanese people and economic activity.
As indicated in the “Summary of the Study Group on the Medium-Term Status of the Maritime Technical Education Organization” (hereinafter referred to as the “Summary”), the Maritime Technical Education Organization faces a number of challenges, including an unstable financial base, a reduction in the number of days of actual sailing due to rising fuel costs, a shortage of instructors and crew members, and the “multi-discipline, multi-person assignment” situation in which many students with different qualifications and levels of proficiency are on board the same training ship, making it difficult to provide sufficient seafaring training. In addition, the organization is facing the aging of its training fleet and school buildings, and is in a situation in which fundamental reform is necessary. In order to support the steady progress of the reform, the industry has begun to consider donating a large training ship.
In the future, we will aim to complete the construction of the large training ship around 2030 after considering the specific specifications and holding discussions with shipyards.
In addition to steadily progressing the reform of the Maritime Technical Education Organization in line with the “Summary” by the Maritime Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, we hope that the donation of the large training ship will lead to further progress in the training and securing of excellent Japanese seafarers.
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Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism website, Study Group on the Mid-term Form of the Maritime Education Organization
Link: https://www.mlit.go.jp/maritime/maritime_fr10_000040.html
Source: NYK Press Release