Ship & Boat International: eNews July/August 2018
A new network of dedicated learning labs, situated in India, is intended to boost skillsets and knowledge in the fields of ship-/boatbuilding and design – as well as maintenance and repair – across the Asia-Pacific region.
The labs have been established by the Centre of Excellence in Maritime & Shipbuilding (CEMS), a venture promoted by the Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) in cooperation with tech specialist Siemens and the Government of India’s Ministry of Shipping. These facilities will specialise in providing courses related to areas such as hull design, welding technology, automation and robotics, virtual reality,electrical solutions and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), among others – with a primary focus on keeping students abreast of “the latest manufacturing technologies for shipbuilding / repair and ancillary sectors,” IRClass states.
Arun Sharma, executive chairman of IRClass (pictured, right), describes the CEMS network as a "one-of-its-kind infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific", which he views as being "well positioned to build competence in the maritime and shipbuilding sector".
The CEMS network currently includes 24 labs: six of these are situated in Mumbai, while 18 are located in Visakhapatnam (aka Vizag). CEMS recently hosted a seminar on ‘Competencies, Employability, Methodology and Skills’ in Mumbai, which reportedly attracted delegates from the shipbuilding and shipowning sectors, as well as academics and representatives of the Ministry of Shipping.
