India’s newly appointed Director General of Shipping, Shyam Jagannathan, recently paid a visit to Anglo-Eastern’s flagship training centre in Mumbai to view the state-of-the-art facilities and inaugurate the centre’s latest installation: a dual-fuel engine and LNG bunkering simulator designed to train seafarers on the latest technologies as the industry transitions towards a net-zero future.
Mr Jagannathan was warmly received by Capt. K.N. Deboo and Francis Akkara of the Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centre (AEMTC), and Vineet Gupta, head of our India crewing division. Together, they toured the facilities, which were fully overhauled and redesigned during the centre’s relocation last year. Mr Jagannathan was also given a detailed overview of AEMTC’s extensive course offerings, which visibly impressed him, in particular our keen focus on upskilling seafarers to handle ships for 2030 and beyond.
Following the tour, the Director General of Shipping was invited to inaugurate the newly installed dual-fuel two-stroke engine simulator in the liquid cargo handling simulator room. There, the faculty explained the various aspects of dual-fuel engines, emission control regulations, LNG bunkering requirements, and how the new generation of engines differ in their sophistication compared to simpler conventional engines.
Mr Jagannathan was very keen to discuss how Indian seafarers can gain a competitive edge in the international crewing market. Proactive, quality training is certainly a key contributor, for which he commended AEMTC for doing and expressed his gratitude to the Anglo-Eastern leadership team for its continued strong commitment to India and the country’s seafaring community.
At the end of the visit, Capt. Deboo presented a token of thanks to Mr Jagannathan, who conveyed his appreciation and a desire to involve industry members in various committees that he will be setting up in the near future, with a view to upgrading the training and examination systems in the Directorate General of Shipping and Mercantile Marine Department. His goal is to build upon the good standing of India’s certificates of competency in the global shipping community, and it goes without saying that we look forward to the opportunity to participate!
After nearly three hours at the training centre, a working lunch was held at AEMTC’s dedicated cafeteria, where they were joined by the day’s course participants. This was followed by a tour of the Anglo-Eastern crewing office and fleet performance centre, which are located on adjacent floors in the same building. Mr Gupta reiterated Anglo-Eastern’s commitment to India and in maintaining our status as the largest employer of Indian seafarers – a title we have proudly held for the last 13 years and counting.
