(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles has become the first western Indian Ocean Island State to offer an oil and chemical tanker familiarisation course to seafarers, with the hope of attracting international students, says a top official of the Seychelles Maritime Academy.

The eight-day basic safety course established under the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) is one that all seafarers must pass to be able to work on tankers.

The director of the Seychelles Maritime Academy, Desh Dipak Awasthi, told the media on Thursday that the course is a new beginning for Seychelles, as it is the first island state to offer this course in the region.

“We hope that in the coming years we will get international students to come and study here and learn these courses which will benefit the whole region,” said Awasthi.

The Seychelles Maritime Academy developed this course with the expertise of Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College (CINEC).

The eight-day basic safety course established under the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) is one that all seafarers must pass to be able to work on tankers. (Seypec) Photo License: CC-BY

Presently, three students are following the course at the academy.

They have all applied for cook positions onboard the Seychelles Petroleum Company’s (Seypec) five deep-sea tankers that work in international waters.

They were previously working in hotel resorts and restaurants before opting for a career change.

Annete Amade, 32, is the only female in the group, and she told SNA that leaving her career at a four- star resort to becoming a cook onboard a tanker was not a difficult choice.

"I would have done so earlier, but back then there were no such opportunities that exist today, so now the world is evolving, and there are far more opportunities than before,” said Amade.

Nelson Crispin, 22, said: “At the moment Seypec is offering young people a lot of opportunities onboard tankers so since I am also young I decided to join the team.”

Another young Seychellois, Ryan Prosper, 27, is also looking forward to the challenge.

"I have worked in hotels and restaurants so now I am looking for a change, so this is why I have decided to become a seafarer and see what I can do in this completely new field,” he said.

The Seychelles Maritime Academy has plans to offer more courses in the future up to the rank of officer onboard sea vessels. (Seypec) Photo License: CC-BY

Last year Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, was whitelisted by the International Maritime Organization, of which it is a member since 1978 and can now offer courses under the STCW Convention.

In the past, Seypec had to send recruits overseas, mainly to Sri Lanka, South Africa and sometimes Europe.

The Crew Manager of Seypec, Alain Asba, says with these basic courses conducted locally, the company can save more money, and more posts onboard tankers can be localised. 

Asba says, “We have 19 students currently at CINEC. Whereas the next cohort that SEYPEC will recruit, they will do the tanker familiarisation course here [in Seychelles] along with the STCW course.”

The Seychelles Maritime Academy has plans to offer more courses in the future up to the rank of officer onboard sea vessels.

Seychelles has five tankers operating worldwide -- Patriot, Pride, Pioneer, Progress and Prelude. The smallest of Seychelles’ fleet of tankers -- Seychelles Paradise -- is based in the island nation and undertakes offshore bunkering operation as well as the transportation of fuel and LPG gas to the second most populated island of Praslin.