Videotel warns of gas tanker crew shortages

Videotel, the London-based training company, has produced three new distance-learning courses for specialised training on oil tankers, liquefied gas carriers and chemical tankers to follow on from its existing tanker familiarisation course.

Liquefied gas tankers are a fast-expanding sector of the maritime business but the sector requires competent seafarers with very different skills to those called for on oil tankers. “In the next few years there will be a greater demand for these skills than ever,” says William O’Neil, president of Videotel and former secretary general of the IMO. “LNGs and LPGs have a very good safety history, but unless there are more training opportunities, where will the seafarers with these specialist skills come from?”

“Colleges will find it difficult to cope with the large numbers of students who will need to enroll,” says Len Holder, Videotel’s chairman, “and many officers already serving on ships will have difficulty in finding the free time to take extra courses.”

Videotel’s courses are suitable both for trainees already serving on tankers and gas carriers and for experienced seafarers who are transferring from other specialised vessels. They will be delivered using computer-based training (CBT). “The courses include interactive exercises, video clips and graphics which make subjects come to life”, says Holder. “The tests built into the courses ensure the student has understood the subject and the tutorials guide them to revise any topics they have not fully understood the

first time,” he explains. “The assignments ensure the student has actively investigated equipment, regulations and procedures on board his or her own ship. “This is the same training method used in Videotel’s highly successful ?Shipboard Security Officer? course.