€4 million maritime training centre opened

A €4 million maritime training centre which will be offering courses aimed at training students for careers at sea or in shore-based services has been opened.

The centre, MaritimeMT, will offer courses leading to a number of maritime careers, and will also be providing specialised training for the superyacht industry.

MaritimeMT, which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on Friday, was launched following an investment by the Malta Maritime Pilots Cooperative, and intends to take local maritime training up to the highest level, the Cooperative said in a press release.

Jesmond Mifsud, Chief Pilot at the Cooperative said the centre - which is spread over 2,300 sq.m and built in the shape of a ship - would be strengthening Malta’s position as one of the best maritime training centres in the Mediterranean and Europe.

The centre is built in the shape of a ship

The investment includes an extensive update to the two DNV-certified Full Mission Bridge Simulators manufactured by the Dutch company MARIN.

The centre has also acquired a Liquefied Cargo Handling Simulator, a GMDSS Simulator and ECDIS lab, and has built classrooms equipped with all that is necessary for specialised maritime training, the Cooperative said.

Mifsud said MaritimeMT was in continuous consultation with Transport Malta and other respective authorities and commercial entities serving Malta’s maritime sector, with a view towards analysing the current and future needs of the industry. This would help the centre develop courses that are relevant to these needs.

He added that, in the face of continuous changes across the maritime industry and the development of new technologies, the Malta Maritime Pilots’ secret to success had always been to invest, train and update its facilities and equipment, and to develop synergies with industry stakeholders.