Located at Duabi World Central’s Business Park enclave, the facility will deploy a combination of classroom-based techniques and simulator-based instruction. The centre is scheduled to begin its first training session in the third quarter of 2015
Maersk Training, part of the Denmark-based Maersk Group and a leading provider of specialist training and learning courses in the energy and maritime sectors, has announced its decision to set up its first state-of-the-art training facility in the Middle East at Dubai World Central (DWC).
The new Maersk Training centre will offer companies in the Middle East, Africa and Asia’s offshore industries – particularly the oil and gas and maritime sectors – a wide range of courses designed to develop regional talent and set new benchmarks in safety and operational performance.
Located at DWC’s Business Park enclave, the facility will deploy a combination of classroom-based techniques and simulator-based instruction. The centre is scheduled to begin its first training session in the third quarter (Q3) of 2015.
Paolo Serra, vice president of Business Park, Dubai World Central, says: "We are very happy to welcome Maersk Training to our master-planned community at DWC. Its establishment marks an important milestone in our journey towards the creation of a well-rounded ecosystem for global businesses looking to get closer to their customers and expand their operational footprint."
Claus Bihl, CEO, Maersk Training, says: "Our new centre at Dubai World Central is an important expansion for Maersk Training. It will help us tap into one of the most economically vibrant regions in the world and support our global and regional customers. We have invested significantly into making the DWC centre a world-class training facility. For instance, the facility will be equipped with a unique simulator environment – making it one of the few outside Denmark to have such a system."
Vijay Rangachari, regional managing director, Maersk Training, says: "Placing our UAE facility at Dubai World Central’s Business Park has been a natural choice for us. In addition to providing an optimal environment, we value proximity with the Al Maktoum International Airport, which helps us maximise our competitiveness and drive cost efficiency, not least for our clients across the region."
Maersk Training in Dubai
The importance of the Middle East, as an economic dynamo and hub for offshore activities, has created an increasing demand for training and competence development. As a result, Maersk is setting up a state-of-the-art facility in Dubai with a new generation of simulators and training techniques, unique for the region.
"Through an advanced and regional second to none simulation complex, fresh approaches to learning, particularly at a team level, we will strive to support our customers in the Middle East, Asia and Africa in improving operational efficiency and safety in the offshore oil and Gas and Maritime industries," the company says in a statement.
"In addition to standard industry courses, certifications, and traditional training methods, we will bring and develop competence development programs, specifically tailored to the local needs and requirements of our customers, such as fast track and nationalisation strategies," it adds.
Along with simulation and assets designed to serve offshore oil and gas drilling operations, the new complex will also have maritime simulators, designed for advanced training in operations such as dynamic positioning, anchor handling, ship handling and bridge resource management. Human and organisational factors will also be incorporated as critical elements, as these dynamics are frequently cited as the direct cause or contributory factor to offshore incidents.
The new facility is scheduled to begin its first training session in Q3 of 2015. It will be located in the business enclave of Dubai World Central (DWC), a master-planned community in short distance to central Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In addition, DWC hosts what will become the world’s largest airport in 2017, Al Maktoum, with an expected annual passenger volume of 160 million. It is safe to say that this will provide a logistically efficient and easy accessible training location for offshore companies in the UAE and in the region and support what Maersk Training DWC’s dedication – to provide a better learning experience to our regional customers.
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Maersk Training’s Dubai facility will be equipped with a |
Five-year training contract with BP
Earlier, in February, BP announced a five-year contract for Maersk Training to handle a significant part of BP’s offshore rig crew training. The training will take place at Maersk Training’s new state-of-the-art training centre in Houston, which is planned to be operational by end-2015.
"With our new centre, we can offer BP a virtual reality-environment where most of the simulators are interlinked allowing training of an entire offshore operation. We can hereby simulate what happens if an emergency takes place with extensive focus on human factors, communication and decision making along with training procedural discipline in well-specific environments," says Bihl.
Benefitting from the scenario-based training at the centre is part of BP’s efforts to enhance their workers’ technical and non-technical skills.
"These programmes are a step forward in the training and development of BP’s offshore personnel and of the many contractors who support our global offshore oil and gas operations," says Gary Jones, head of BP’s Global Wells Organization. "We hope the entire offshore industry benefits from this important collaboration.
Industry scales up on competencies
The contract with BP comes shortly after Maersk Training announced another major contract in January, by which Maersk Training took over the responsibility for administration of all and delivery of certain training for a major offshore drilling contractor for a period of five years.
"Despite high focus on costs, the industry does not compromise on safety, and the companies continue to upscale competencies of their workforces with increased attention on the importance of operational performance improvement and overall quality and well-specific training," says Bihl.
Within the last three years, Maersk Training has doubled both its revenue and number of training centres, and now offer training locally at world class training facilities at ten of the global maritime and offshore production hubs in the world.
Maersk Training has since 1978 grown from mainly providing training for companies within the Maersk Group to now servicing both private persons and major companies within the maritime, wind and oil and energy industries. The company carries out training counting more than 100,000 man-days per year and has some of the world’s most advanced training simulators.
Advanced Simulator Training
Meanwhile, the company has announced the opening of an advanced offshore drilling simulation and well control training facility in Kingswells, Aberdeen.
Maersk Training prides itself in delivering quality competency based courses. To achieve this, training environments should reflect as safely as possible the real life challenging working environment of the oil and gas industries. The purpose built facility in Kingswells is equipped with state-of-the-art simulators designed to immerse participants into such demanding scenarios with no risk to individuals as they learn valuable skills and achieve vital competences to keep themselves and their colleagues, safe in the real world.
Powered by computer generated graphics, multiple screens, real life sounds, motion platforms and sensors, students can be put through routine exercises and engineered crisis situations, controlled by highly experienced and qualified instructors, all enhancing safety and productivity in the working environment. The training undertaken is in the fields of drilling, well control, crane operation, emergency management and human factor related courses.
John Abate, general manager of Maersk Training in Aberdeen, says: "This investment represents a significant step for Maersk Training in delivering high quality training worldwide for the offshore, oil and drilling industries across a global estate of training centres and creates a tremendous opportunity to lift the overall skillsets and competency in the industry and reduce down-time and non-productive time offshore.
"The new training facility is also a huge boost for the industry in the UK, providing access to the very latest simulation technology and allowing Maersk Training to deliver bespoke oil and gas courses in the UK that were previously only available elsewhere in Europe."
Maersk Training in Kingswells will complement the company’s existing purpose built centre in Portlethen which offers training in offshore survival, emergency response fire-fighting, confined space, safety, medical as well as boat courses.
Maersk Training focuses on training to be prepared for the great powers of both nature and technology. The training is designed to meet the challenges and the risks of the working environment. The company has invested heavily in building advanced simulators to provide realistic training and deliver more than textbook theory.
In recent years Maersk Training has developed a strain of training, which incorporates human factors with an aim to improve all aspects of operational performance. Maersk Training plan and tailor courses to the reality of the people they train and the needs of their particular company.
As part of the Maersk Group, Maersk Training is an independent business unit with worldwide training facilities open to all companies.
