Nansha to build 30 seafarers' competency evaluation laboratories

The cornerstone laying ceremony for the Guangzhou Seafarers' Competency Evaluation Demonstration Center was held in Guangzhou’s Nansha district on June 18.

It announced that the construction of the only national-level crew assessment center in South China started.

Construction of the Nansha national seafarers' assessment center begins.[Photo/gznsnews.com.cn]

The center is based in Guangzhou and will serve the entire South China region. It undertakes the examination and evaluation of all management-level crew members and some operational-level crew members in the infinite navigation area of the jurisdiction.

It also conducts research on STCW convention, relevant domestic policies and regulations, and new technologies in the maritime industry.

The center will build a total of 30 assessment laboratories in four major categories, namely, sea-going driving, sea-going marine and electrical engineering, sea-ship certification, and inland river crew certification.

The design sketch of the center[Photo/gznsnews.com.cn]

The laboratory configuration includes large-scale full-task navigation simulators, full-duty turbine simulators, physical simulation automation cabins, physical simulation tankers and other global advanced assessment facilities within a comprehensive service information platform integrating seafarer examination assessment and international exchange and cooperation.

At the same time, the demonstration center will implement the Belt and Road Initiative, and combine the business needs of China-ASEAN maritime cooperation.

It will take into account the possible assessment of crew examinations in Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asia under the framework of national strategic development, and further deepen regional maritime cooperation.

Located 200 meters upstream of Gangqian Avenue North and Humen Bridge in the district (the south side of the People's Court of Nansha District), the center has a planned construction area of about 25,000 square meters and is expected to be completed in 2021.

"The construction of the demonstration center will improve the overall quality and skill of crews in the jurisdiction. We will strive to build Guangzhou into a shipping management talent pool and a shipping technology skills dissemination and application demonstration zone," said Chen Biwu, director of the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration. 

"Nansha is an important support for Guangzhou’s becoming an international shipping hub. The construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has been fully rolled out. This is not only a golden opportunity for the development of Nansha, but also the best period for cooperation between the Greater Bay Area and the world shipping industry," said the district’s mayor Dong Ke.

"Nansha will fully guarantee the smooth progress of the demonstration center. It is expected that the project will play an important role in attracting shipping talents and speeding up the construction of an international shipping hub," he added.