The South African Maritime Training Academy (Samtra) continues to deve- lop new courses and upgrade its systems to improve the training it provides for the South African and African maritime communities.

“We have ordered a simulator module for an Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tug, which will, hopefully, be installed in January. “In the past six months, we introduced a Bridge Resource Management course for harbour pilots, based on International Maritime Organisation recommendations,” cites Samtra GM Andy MacLennan. (An ASD tug has podded propellors, connected to the engines by Z-drives, which can be rotated through 360˚; the tug steers by rotating the propellor pods and has no rudders – this makes it much more manoeuvrable.)

“We’ve recently upgraded our engine control room simulator and we have also upgraded the visual software in our exist- ing bridge simulators. All these upgrades were funded by an €88 000 donation from the AP Moller Foundation.”

Samtra is currently equipped with three full mission bridge simulators (and has room for a fourth), an engine control room simulator, a marine integral refrigeration unit simulator (for training on various types of refrigerated container), a Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) simulator, a computer training room, debriefing rooms, classrooms and a con- ference room. The GMDSS simulator was acquired last year and was funded by a grant from the Danish government.

“Simulator training is based on the prin- ciples of experiential learning,” he high- lights. “The use of simulators in training has grown significantly in the maritime sector over the last decade and has become a key element of training in most mari- time nations. Most of the training we provide is skills development – practical courses which do not involve formal quali- fications. “This approach is based on international norms. We also, however, provide some courses that result in formal qualifications, for example, the GMDSS course, the Oiler course and a couple of safety courses.”

Samtra has segmented its market into four categories to deliver training that can meet specific needs. These are defence, commercial shipping, port authorities, and oil and gas.
The main customer in the defence segment currently is the South African Navy, while the port authorities segment serves trainees from other African countries, as the South African Ports Authority has its own simulator and does its own training.

“We’ve had trainees from Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria and Tanzania,” reports MacLennan, “and enquiries from Djibouti, Kenya and Mozambique.” The oil and gas segment meets the needs of the offshore oil and gas industry in Africa, focusing on training mooring masters and tug crews in the handling of tugs for oil terminals and floating production, storage and offloading vessels.

“Samtra is an independent nonprofit company established as a result of dona- tions by a number of shipping companies,” he explains. It was established in 2003 and formally opened by then President Thabo Mbeki, in September that year. “Generally speaking, we’re growing slowly but surely, although we have been affected by the global downturn.”

Its mission is to provide world-class education and training – both simulator and nonsimulator based – for the maritime industry in South Africa and across the continent. It is the number one maritime simulator training establishment in Africa.

It has accreditation from the Sector Education and Training Authority, the South African Maritime Safety Authority, and Quality Management System accreditation from Bureau Veritas (ISO 9001). Its courses are compliant with the 1995 regulations of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Conven- tion – the regulations currently in force, worldwide.

Samtra provides training for deck and engine room ratings, senior deck and engineer cadets, deck officers and engineer officers, second and chief engineers, mates and masters (the merchant navy equivalent of first lieutenants/executive officers and captains in the Navy), marine (harbour) pilots, and mooring masters. Located in Simon’s Town, its instructors are ex-seagoing maritime personnel fully qualified in instructing and simulator operating.