Quarterly September 2007 - Odfjell

Odfjell maritime personnel recently revised the manning procedures and policies to meet thehighest level within oil companies’ recommended tanker managers and self assessment (TMSA).One of the requirements for reaching this level is to allow officers to attend shore-based assignments.2nd Officer Dag Aksland was offered to serve his assignment at the Odfjell Academy.The Subic Bay ExperienceBy Dag AkslandOdfjell’s Health, Safety and EnvironmentProgramme proclaims no personnelinjuries, no pollution, no damageto property nor cargo, professionalismat all levels, and open and honest communication.These ambitions require allseafarers to carefully follow companypolicies, procedures and checklists, asdescribed in the Shipboard ManagementManual. To improve seafaringskills and further enhance our precautionaryattitude, all seafarers need tobe encouraged and get more trainingin the various jobs we are performingon board.Odfjell Academy in the Philippines isdeveloping and providing courses forour seafarers, related to the company’spolicy, procedures and checklists. So farmainly Filipino seafarers have takencourses at the Academy, but shortly alsoWest European mariners will attend.Odfjell AcademyOdfjell Academy is located in Subic Bay,in a very quiet and peaceful location.Wärtsilä Land & Sea Academy, the Finnishtraining centre for seafarers, is alsoon the same site, and there is a closeco-operation between these two academies.Odfjell Academy offers modern trainingquarters compared to many course facilitiesin Europe. Inside there are threeThe new Odfjell Academy buildingclassrooms, one computer-based trainingroom, offices, conference room, visitorroom and rest rooms. The classroomsare well ventilated, and the Academy iswell equipped with computers, laptops,projectors and other necessary equipmentto perform good training. Lunchis served at the Wärtsilä cantina, whichis one of the best restaurants in SubicBay, and during breaks some snacks andsomething to drink is served.During training there is an atmosphereof good harmony and sense of humour.The instructors have developed interestingcourses based on various pedagogicmethods. They will shortly unmask participantswho think they can just relaxhere, and clever questions from theundergraduates will be responded appropriately.All courses are followed byassessment tests.Outside the building a big unit with twocargo tanks are under development.These tanks will contain hydraulic-poweredFramo cargo pumps. All course participantswill soon have an actual Framotraining here. The pumps will be operatedfrom deck, and the participants cansee how the pump is working throughwindows on the tanks bulkhead. Soonthe Academy will also have a cargo controlroom with almost the same outfit asthe ones found on board.Some of the personnel at Odfjell Academy. Dag Aksland (with hat)in the middleNew regulation requires all our ships toinstall a “white box” to their engine oilywater separation system, to record theamount and quality of discharged enginebilge water into the sea. Marine-Floc AB of Sweden is delivering this sys-34 Odfjell Quarterly September 2007