Wärtsilä Signs Seafarer Training Contract with Odfjell

The Norwegian shipping company Odfjell ASA has extended its existing crew training contract with Wärtsilä by five years. Wärtsilä Land & Sea Academy (WLSA) will provide competence training for Odfjell's personnel at its training centre in Subic Bay, the Philippines, to ensure continuous improvement of their seafaring skills. WLSA, together with Odfjell, will build suitable training programmes for the crews working on Odfjell's vessels. For this training programme, WLSA is also investing in simulators for training in ship and cargo handling at the Subic Bay training centre. In May 2004 Wärtsilä signed a coperation agreement with AB Utbildning Sydväst (Sydväst Maritime), a maritime training academy in Turku, Finland, under which Wärtsilä provides certified training and is authorized to issue official maritime certificates of competence to those passing its courses. This agreement was a major factor in Odfjell's decision to award Wärtsilä the new contract.