New opportunities open up for SA seafarers

Developing a pool of South African merchant seafarers for deployment as navigation and engineering officers and deck crews is the aim of a new joint initiative by Cape Town marine specialist company, Marine Crew Services (MCS) and Singapore’s RKOffshore. Jaco Rabie, general manager of RKOffshore, says South Africa is certainly well placed to become one of the most important sources of suitably qualified staff for deployment in the company’s growing fleet of off-shore oil supply vessels, currently totalling 16 but due to increase to 30 by mid-2010. He visited the Mother City recently with RKOffshore’s crewing manager Emily Tan to finalise plans for the initiative with MCS, established six years ago to coordinate training of local seafarers and in so doing, increase the country’s role in the maritime sector. Deanna Collins, MCS’s director of crew and training, says the success of the Sanko programme can be seen in the increasing numbers of MCS/Sanko cadets who have completed their sea time and are now taking up positions as junior officers. Jaco Rabie and Emily Tan of RKOffshore and Deanna Collins, MCS ... Increasing numbers of MCS/ Sanko cadets are now taking up positions as junior officers.