While staying on board ship and continuing with their duties, over 400 navigating officers have earned formal certification in Navmaster ECDIS.
The training course launched by PC Maritime nearly a year ago meets STCW requirements and standards set out by the Nautical Institute for ECDIS familiarization. Available on standalone DVD, the PC Maritime package uses text, voiceover and video and requires users to carry out actions just as they would on Navmaster ECDIS. Questions have to be answered at the end of each section. Time involved should be around eight hours. The assessment test is taken under controlled conditions and documented.
In a recent customer survey, to which there were 152 respondents from a variety of vessel types around the globe, roughly 83-89% were satisfied or very satisfied with the course and said they would rerun it for refresher training. Some 95% found the course materials clearly presented and the assessment test about right. 100% inspection compliance was achieved.
One respondent said the training course was “a very comprehensive tool to have on board to enhance my skills in operating this particular ECDIS. All aspects, including installation, operation and upgrading were to my entire satisfaction.” Another felt the course had “helped crew members to improve in operating and using the various features of this ECDIS.” He found the Oil Companies International Marine Forum inspectors generally satisfied that the course met type specific training requirements. A third commended the “outline of the steps on how to prepare the ECDIS for a voyage, encompassing chart display settings, associated alarms and indication trigger(s), log entries, sensor inputs and other checks needed prior to departure.”
www.pcmaritime.co.uk