Leading class society ClassNK announced that it has certified the Bridge Resource Management (BRM), Electronic Chart Display Information Systems (ECDIS) and Engine-room Resource Management (ERM) training courses offered by the Evergreen Seafarer Training Center (ESTC).
The new certification confirms that the training programs meet the requirements of ClassNK standards, IMO model course requirements and the STCW Code. The official certificate was presented to Evergreen Marine Corp. (Taiwan) Ltd. President Chang Cheng-yung by ClassNK Executive Vice President Koichi Fujiwara at a special ceremony held at the center on 31 January 2013.
Located in the Nankan region of Taiwan’s Taoyuan County, ESTC was established by the Evergreen Group under the guidance of Group Chairman Dr. Chang Yung-fa in 1999 to carry out advanced training for the Group’s in-service officers and seafarers. Today, ESTC boasts one of the world’s most sophisticated maritime training centers and has provided training for Taiwanese and foreign seafarers who serve on Evergreen’s fleet of some 100 vessels. A cumulative total of more than 30,000 seafarers have received training at the facility.
While ESTC already maintains an ISO9001:2000 certificate, ClassNK certification further confirms that the training center’s BRM, ECDIS and ERM training course meet both the IMO’s model course requirements and ClassNK’s stringent independent standards, as well as certify that ESTC’s 360° ship-handling simulator, ECDIS simulators and engine room simulators meet the requirements of the STCW 2010 Manila Amendments.
In order to support shipowner efforts to achieve high quality shipping, alongside its existing ISO9001/14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification activities, ClassNK began offering certification for maritime training centers in 2011. Since then ClassNK has been chosen to certify numerous leading maritime institutions in the Philippines, India and other countries, however the certification of ESTC marks the first time ClassNK has certified a maritime academy in Taiwan.