Read Seaways online at http://www.nautinst.org/seaways May 2019 | Seaways |
Accreditation and certification
Dynamic Positioning (DP) Scheme
This section is reported against the Strategic Plan deliverables and
the wider objectives of The Nautical Institute in encouraging high
standards of qualification, competence and knowledge of those
involved in the control of seagoing craft. The deliverables are:
O Existing accreditation and certification services will be reviewed
and managed effectively to ensure they meet the needs of the
membership and industry
O New areas of specialisation training seeking the Institute’s services
will be explored and developed where agreed to further diversify the
work of this department and meet the industry’s needs
O ISO 9001:2008 accreditation for the Institute’s services overall will
be maintained and the transition to the 2015 Standard effectively
managed.
The Nautical Institute continued to process significant volumes
of applications for both initial certification (1,758) and revalidation
(3,342).
During the course of the year, 5,100 certificates were dispatched
from NIHQ. The KPI of 15 working days to process applications was
maintained throughout.
These figures show a further reduction in applications for initial
certification due to the substantial reduction in activity in the offshore
oil and gas sector. The number of Offshore Logbook sales for 2018
increased minimally from the previous year to 2,810, but there was a
decrease in sales of Shuttle Tanker Logbooks to 45.
Accreditation
Despite the downturn and the voluntary (and reportedly temporary)
closure of some training centres, 96 DP training centres remain active,
so there has not been much change in the past two years. Some centres
run specific courses in addition to the basic DP course:
O Revalidation – 36 centres
O Refresher – four centres
O Ship Handling – two centres
O Tech Course – eight centres (only one centre has A and B).
The pattern for 2019 is expected to be similar, with best estimates
indicating a sustainable level of around 95 centres.
The Self-Elevating (Jack-up) Dynamic Positioning Scheme launched
in January 2019.
A total of 52 Ice Navigation Certificates were issued in 2018, up
from 23 in 2017.
Oil Spill Response
New International Scheme Oil Spill Training
This scheme is now fully operational with 36 members, an increase of
8% over 2017. Companies in the scheme pay an annual membership
fee of £400 and a fee for each certificate issued on a once-only basis.
The certificate fee has created a new income stream generating some
£15,000–20,000 a year with potential for growth as new members join
and members add new courses to their portfolios. A new NI database
has been established to record all the certificates issued. The database
is there to act as an independent repository and protect against end-
user records going astray due to provider data losses or company
reformations.
New countries added to the scheme in 2018 were Mexico and South
Africa. There are promising signs of further companies joining the
scheme in 2019. Some of scheme members deliver the material via
remote platforms and the NI has provided standards for the delivery of
materials via this methodology.
UK Scheme Oil Spill Training
The NI continued to provide an accreditation service on behalf of the
UK MCA and BEIS agencies for courses run by commercial entities
in the UK. This scheme has 16 members. Unlike the international
scheme, there is no annual fee or certificate charge, and overheads
are met by a service fee direct from the MCA/BEIS agencies. The fee
was increased for the year to £10,500 a year. This segment has limited
growth potential for new clients, although three new companies are
scheduled to become accredited to deliver UK specification courses in
2019, including the UK’s RAF.
The UK agencies have indicated that they will permit the use of
blended learning for UK content and there is some interest from the
providers.Individual trainer recognition
We gathered opinion on the value of an individual trainer recognition
scheme to UK and international scheme providers. The conclusion was
that such a recognition programme would be of value to the providers
and to their clients. A scheme proposal will be developed in 2019 for
implementation in 2020.NI chosen as accreditation body for new UK Responder Standards
In 2018, the UK authorities introduced a new standard for UK oil
spill response companies. The standard also laid down requirements
for accreditation bodies wishing to offer services in this regard on
behalf of the UK authorities. The NI was successful in becoming an
accreditation service provider.
In 2018, no companies were using the service (probably because
they have 12 months to comply). There is limited scope in the UK
to develop this service because there are fewer than 12 response
companies. However, the plan is to take the procedures, turn them into
an international version and offer the service to response companies
outside the UK, using the NI’s UK qualification as a USP.Trustees’ Annual Report