The fact that more than 80 percent of world trade is carried out by sea carries all stakeholders of the sector from shipbuilding to fuel to an extremely important point. So much so that during the pandemic period, seafarers were declared “critical workers” and almost everything they said was ignored. Of course, due to the nature of the sector that “makes the world go round”, the rules, implementation and inspection are extremely strict.
The way to establish and reinforce the rules is undoubtedly through “education”. In other words, while the new development brings with it the question of “how will we do it”, the way to give the most sustainable answer to this question is through education.
An academy in the middle of education
Delmar Academy, which started its activities two years ago at the Tuzla Campus of the ITU Maritime Faculty, is right in the middle of this “education”.
Delmar Academy, which prepares ISO 23678 – MSC.402(96), Training for Onboard Firefighting Inspection (TOFIN), STCW Basic Safety – STAFF, Workplace Safety and Environmental Protection (ÇİÇEK), Ship Security Officer (SSO) and DELVERSE trainings, has provided more than 120 trainings to teams from Singapore, Malaysia, China, USA, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Poland and Italy in two years.
Our recognition is constantly increasing
According to the Founder of Delmar Academy, Capt. Arda Akyüz, who recently hosted the Djibouti delegation, the importance of education becomes obvious when the cost of lack of education is considered.
Akyüz, who stated that their recognition is increasing especially in the Far East and European markets, said that 80 percent of the training is given abroad; there is a high demand especially from Singapore, China and Malaysia.
Akyüz, who stated that they are currently working on the training package they call DELVERS, emphasized that they will make the recruitment of ship management, shipowner and crew management companies much easier.
We will change the game at TOFIN
Akyüz, who stated that they will soon start the Training for Onboard Firefighting Inspections (TOFIN) course for service stations in line with the demands from many countries of the world, stated that they will provide the bridge between manufacturing companies and service stations and take an important step towards becoming a major game changer for the future in the field of safety and training at sea.
Akyüz said the following:
A different perspective with academy support
“All our trainers consist of ITU academicians and service engineers with over 20 years of industry experience. Within the scope of the protocol made with ITU, academicians take part in our trainings by assignment. This is very important for us. Because thanks to our valuable academicians who conduct academic studies in the sector and follow developments / innovations, we can provide our trainees with a different perspective. Trainees can apply the theoretical knowledge they have acquired, many practical applications called ‘Case Studies’ together with our experienced service engineers; they can reinforce their experiences. In this way, they can look at the relevant subjects not from a single point, but by making a general evaluation”
Special training for each machine
“There are many manufacturers related to the machines that service engineers provide service to. Therefore, the working mechanics of each one are also different. We have the user manuals and technical diagrams of all these machines. First, the case shows our machine. Then we focus on the machines they work on. Since we provide comparative training based on the similarities and differences of the machines, they learn all the types when they get on the ship.”
What is the regulation equivalent in IMO?
“That is the most critical part. Normally, when LSA is mentioned, MSC.402(96) comes to mind; because the relevant annual / 5-year maintenance / inspections in this field are carried out according to MSC.402(96). In this context, the service engineers who will join the ship for inspection, or maintenance, must receive training either directly from the manufacturers or within the scope of the relevant national / international standards, according to the rule.
This is where we come into play in the national / international standards section. Until 2020, the national / international standards mentioned in the rule were not very clear and therefore there was a lot of confusion. However, the ISO PAS 23678 standard was announced in 2020 and this uncertainty has now been eliminated.
The maritime industry is very critical in today’s world and therefore the number of service engineers working in the LSA field is increasing. In addition, the brands, models and types of lifesaving equipment on ships also vary. Therefore, considering the increasing number of service engineers and the differences in equipment and brands/models, the importance of training provided within a common standard has reached its highest level.
In fact, b Unfortunately, due to the reasons we mentioned, many accidents have occurred in the past and continue to occur. When all of them are considered, the necessity of safety awareness and training at sea comes to the fore. Since ISO23678 is still new, we are sure that it will take its place in the sector in time. In fact, we have already surpassed our only competitor in the relevant field in Turkey. Moreover, we now work with the vast majority of service engineers who previously received training from our competitor. In the Far East, the number of service engineers we work with has increased to 70 percent”
We want seminars that explain our work
We would very much like our paths to cross with the Defense Industry. We especially want to provide a workshop-like training on LSA and Turkey. The more the area we focus on is known, the more added value it will bring to Turkey. Our aim is to really discuss where this is going”
What trainings are provided?
Delmar Academy Founder Capt. Arda Akyüz listed the trainings they provide as follows :
ISO 23678 – MSC.402(96) trainings
“We provide our ISO 23678 – MSC.402(96) trainings in two different ways, Initial + Level I and Level II, within the scope of the ISO 23678 standard. The course that candidates will attend is determined by their experience and expertise. We are actively authorized by ClassNK, LR, BV, ABS Academy and ABS. We aim to increase our class count very soon. This course includes not only LSA, but also risk assessment methods, teamwork, understanding workplace hazards, recognizing and complying with international rules, increasing environmental awareness and accident/incident detection and analysis”
Training for Onboard Firefighting Inspection (TOFIN)
“This training is for service stations and service engineers who want to perform onboard fire inspection but are not authorized. In addition to fire extinguishers and fixed systems, it provides training on all items such as Immersion Suit, Breathing Apparatus (BA), Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), Pneumatic Line Throwing Device, Lifebuoy and Lifejacket. In other words, a service station without fire authorization can attend our three-day training and earn all the necessary certificates, and thus, they can apply for Onboard FFE and receive authorization”
STCW Basic Safety – STAFF
“This training is two days in total. Our training includes topics such as survival techniques at sea, emergency fighting, understanding planned maintenance systems, introduction to lifesaving equipment and basic level firefighting. For this reason, we can work with almost every maritime stakeholder, from purchasing employees to service engineers. In addition, we provide personnel with a general overview of the industry through topics such as understanding international rules and introduction to maritime terminology.”
Occupational safety and environmental protection in work areas (ÇİÇEK)
ÇİÇEK emerged as our special training package for shipyards. It is a training prepared entirely for shipyards. It was a training that took shape after our meetings with Sefine, Beşiktaş and Karmarine Shipyard. In this training that lasts a total of two days; advanced level fire, lifesaving equipment, environmental awareness and international / national rules and regulations regarding the environment, emergency response and risk assessment methods are included. For this reason, ÇİÇEK stands out with its suitability for seafarers who we call more experienced, such as senior officers, technical managers, inspectors and team leaders.”
Ship security officer (SSO)
“This training package, which is aimed at ship security officers and consists of content within the scope of IMO Model Courses, consists of two days. While topics such as ISM, ISPS Code and the duties of the ship security officer are covered theoretically on the first day, emergency response, confined space We do practical applications such as introduction. Everyone who works on safety and security at sea, especially second and third officers, can join this training package”
DELVERSE for new graduates, students and officer candidates
“This training package is mostly for new graduates, students and officer candidates. In our training, candidates are evaluated according to many different criteria and at the end of the day, they receive points according to their knowledge levels. Then, sub-parameters such as school grades, English proficiency and events they attended with their certificates are added to their cumulative points. At the end of the whole process, candidates are evaluated and scored within the scope of many parameters. Companies such as ship management, shipowners and crewing can use this data to speed up their elimination processes to find the most useful employee for themselves. Therefore, there is no special start-end time in this training. We make arrangements as the parameters or demands of the companies may change. In this way, we can actually proceed with a special, company-specific program”
