NMP offers updating training for officers in charge of an engineering watch

By National Maritime Polytechnic
September 1, 2018

TACLOBAN CITY – The National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP), serving within its mandate on upgrading the skills and competencies of the country’s seafarers continues to pursue priority thrusts on training quality, access and relevance and responsive maritime researches.

With its intention of addressing the shortage of Filipino merchant marine officers, the Agency intensified its activities on the development of new training courses which include among others the Updating Training for Officers In Charge of an Engineering Watch (UTOICEW) - Functions 1, 2, and 4 (Parts A and B).

It can be recalled that the NMP submitted its application for accreditation for the said course in CY 2016. MARINA conducted its initial inspection last 12-15 December 2016 and issued a corresponding Notice of Deficiencies on 22 February 2017.

NMP submitted its compliance to the deficiencies noted by MARINA on 24 March 2017. In order to validate if indeed the deficiencies noted were duly rectified, MARINA conducted a re-inspection on 23-24 January 2018.

As per formal letter received from MARINA dated 14 August 2018, NMP was granted full course approval valid for a period of three (3) years along with the accreditation of instructors, assessors and supervisors who will be handling the said course.

During the said period, announced and unannounced visits will be made by MARINA STCW Office or its duly authorized representatives to ascertain NMP’s compliance with MARINA’s rules and regulations.

NMP is required to submit the records of review and validation of the aforementioned course within six (6) months from the date of its conduct. Moreover, the records of implementation of corrective actions for audit results both internal and external, records of review and validation of the courses including the assessment and statistical record of trainees enrolled / certificated must be made available during the conduct of monitoring.

NMP’s first batch of classes for UTOICEW Function 1 – Part A opened on 27 August 2018 and will end on 04 September 2018 with five (5) participants. Same enrollees will take the Function 2 – Part A (05-07 September 2018) and Function 3 – Part A (10-13 September 2018).

UTOICEW is a 39-day course divided into three (3) Functions. Function 1 (Marine Engineering at the Operational Level) has five (5) modules; Function 2 (Electrical, Electronic and Control Engineering at the Operational Level) with two (2) modules; and Function 4 (Controlling the Operation of the Ship and Care for Persons on Board at the Operational Level) with four (4) modules.

Engine officers who have taken up the course are expected to have acquired competence to be able to: maintain a safe engineering watch; operate main and auxiliary machinery and associated control systems; manage the operation of propulsion plant machinery; plan and schedule operations; operate surveillance, performance assessment and maintain safety of propulsion plant and auxiliary machinery; operate electrical, electronic and control systems; manage operation of electrical and electronic control equipment; ensure compliance with pollution prevention requirements; apply leadership and team working skills; control trim, stability and stress; and monitor and control compliance with legislative requirements and measures to ensure safety of life at sea, security and the protection of the marine environment.