Malaysian Educators on Course for Energy-Efficient Shipping
An International Maritime Organization (IMO) workshop is training Malaysia’s maritime educators to introduce the topic of energy-efficient ship operation into their teaching curriculums. The workshop, taking place in Kuala Lumpur (20-21 February), was developed under IMO’s GloMEEP project and supports maritime training institutes to deliver the IMO Model Course 4.05 to seafarers. The course consists of a series of lectures, interactive exercises and videos to enhance the learning experience and ensure crews are adequately trained to contribute to efficient shipping. The workshop supports IMO’s on-going environmental protection goals by spreading industry best practices that can reduce fuel consumption from ships and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Thai Navy Lobbies for More Submarines
The Royal Thai Navy claims it urgently needs more submarines to compete with other Asian countries. The assistant commander made the claim aimed at persuading a skeptical public that the nation should invest in its military in a white paper sent to reporters, the Bangkok Post reported. The nine-page document detailing what it says are the reasons why the country needs to spend Bt24 trillion on buying three submarines from China. It could take up to eight years for Thailand to acquire a new submarine. Critics earlier this month condemned the navy's proposal to spend roughly 36 billion baht on Chinese submarines. The white paper, ordered by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, appears to be an attempt to drum up public support for the submarines.
Fabricators in Danger of Losing Out on Oil Rig Boom
According to the Edge Daily, Malaysia oil rig fabricators need to upgrade their services and technology or lose out on fast-growing global demand for shallow, deep-water and ultra-deep oil rigs, an industry researcher said. The industry estimates expect some 15 new rigs and 70 platforms to be installed in the next five years alone to cater to the Malaysian deepwater sector, according to Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) research. The major local players are MISC Bhd subsidiary Malaysia Marine & Heavy Engineering Sdn Bhd (MMHE), Sime Darby Bhd subsidiary Sime Darby Engineering Sdn Bhd, Muhibbah Engineering (M) Bhd and Ramunia Holdings Bhd. Source: The Edge Daily
