Maritime Academy Achieves Int’l Accreditation
The Bermuda Maritime Academy has attained international accreditation from the UK’s Maritime Coastguard Agency for its training programs and facility.
A spokesperson said, “The Bermuda Maritime Academy is proud to announce it has achieved the highly respected international standards required for its training programs and facility, here in Bermuda.
“The green light from the UK’s Maritime Coastguard Agency [MCA] culminates a year-long journey to create Bermuda’s first internationally accredited training ground for aspiring maritime professionals. This final approval is a significant milestone after rigorous efforts to write and get approval for the course modules, meet planning permission requirements, complex negotiations with local and British authorities, and an onsite inspection and audit by the UK Maritime Coastguard Agency examiner just last week.
“The Bermuda Maritime Academy offers training and certification for the five basic STCW courses [Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping], a requirement for anyone wishing to work on a commercial vessel at sea. Until now the only option for Bermudians to acquire this certification was to study abroad – now they can be trained and accredited here at home.
“The Bermuda Maritime Academy is a non-profit organisation with its headquarters and training facility at 13 Malabar Road, Dockyard. It has been operating a temporary pilot program since December 2022.
“This represents a significant milestone for the maritime industry in Bermuda as it will benefit people qualifying for any job at sea from bartenders to ships officers – if you want to work on a ship at sea, you must have these certifications. For instance, this accreditation opens opportunities on cruise ships such as hospitality staff, entertainers, physiotherapists, chefs, and more. All these jobs require STCW certification by a licensed training facility such as the Bermuda Maritime Academy.”
Chairman of the Bermuda Maritime Academy, Michael Winfield, expressed his gratitude for those involved in achieving this milestone. He said, “The UK Maritime Coastguard Agency is recognized as the industry gold standard for certification. It’s been a long and hard road, with significant contribution from a few generous benefactors and focused work by our professional team and advisors. I am deeply grateful to our founding sponsors, our corporate sponsors who have generously provided their services at reduced rates to get us to this stage and many more who have come forward and volunteered services and products. They share our vision, and together we have realized our dream, it’s something to celebrate.”
Training and Certification Schedule
The spokesperson said, “The Bermuda Maritime Academy offers the five basic STCW courses for aspiring seafaring professionals and two refresher courses for those already in the industry. More information is available on the website www.bermudamaritimeacademy.com.
“The STCW Fire Course is delivered with the assistance of professional trainers from Fire Life Safety Associates [FLSA]. FLSA are leaders in safety training, are certified by the UK’s Maritime Coastguard Agency, and have worked alongside the Bermuda Maritime Academy since the inception.
“A full schedule of courses starting in November 2024 is planned, with additional training opportunities also being reviewed. The specific STCW courses will operate mostly in the winter months, as summer is the busy season for local commercial vessels. The specific schedule of course delivery is currently being worked on and anyone interested is urged to express their interest to the email below.
“Upcoming potential changes to local seamanship licensing may require commercial crew members to be STCW certified, and the Maritime Academy is preparing for what could be significant increased demand.
“Anyone interested in learning more about the course offerings and schedule should visit the Academy’s website at www.bermudamaritimeacademy.com and inquiries can be emailed to: info@bermudamaritimeacademy.com.”
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