Maritime training centre opens

2003-09-09 19:56

Cape Town - President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday opened Africa's first maritime simulation training academy, in Simon's Town.

The South African Maritime Training Academy (Samtra) is housed in a new two-storey building and is equipped with state-of-the-art maritime simulation equipment.

It was established with the aid of a $3.3m donation from the AP Moller-Maersk Group and the AP Moller Foundation.

Its mission will be to provide simulator training for maritime industry personnel, with special emphasis on safety, vessels, cargoes, and the environment.

Samtra, a non-profit company, would draw students from all over South Africa and not just from coastal communities.

Fred Jacobs, vice-chair of Samtra, said the company would operate against the background of the government's skills transfer and job creation objectives.

"It is also a focus of Samtra to be accessible to seafarers from other African countries," he said.

The centre would provide world-class training in a wide variety of shipboard skills, said Jacobs.

- SAPA