Petrofac Celebrates Marine Training Milestone
Petrofac Training Services, the leading provider of competency-led training to the energy industry, is celebrating another milestone after its industry-leading freefall lifeboat made its 500th drop.
The freefall lifeboat system, which is present upon many ships and oil and gas platforms worldwide, uses gravity to propel the lifeboat into the sea and clear of any danger. The freefall facility installed at the Marine Training Centre is based on a Verhoef lifeboat and is the only one approved for training oil and gas personnel in the UK.
Thousands of trainees from the oil and gas and shipping industries have achieved the necessary marine safety qualifications at the company’s Aberdeen Marine Training Centre since it was upgraded in 2011. The facility includes the country’s largest fleet of training vessels, including fast rescue craft and twinfall and singlefall lifeboats, in addition to the freefall lifeboat, at the Aberdeen Harbour site.
The recent investment in the site also included the addition of a new Fast Rescue Craft (FRC), bringing the existing fleet at the Marine Training Centre at Aberdeen Harbour to 16. A second FRC davit has also been installed to provide an additional type of launch system.
George Masson, Survival and Marine Team Leader at Petrofac Training Services, has a Royal Navy background and 23 years service with the company. He said: “The strong demand for our services – which has resulted in this milestone being reached in such a short period of time – is a vote of confidence from the industry not only in our facilities, but also in our ability to provide high quality competency-led training for those working in some of the world’s harshest environments.
“We are very proud of our facilities and have more than 30 years history of providing marine training to not only the energy sector but also to a variety of other industries.”
Petrofac Training Services’ capabilities have expanded over the years to include a variety of marine-based modules. Historically, the company had delivered survival and marine training to industry, but in 2003 it added depth to its maritime portfolio when it acquired Maritime Rescue International, a specialist in fast rescue craft, medical and radio operations training.
A wide variety of OPITO-, MCA- and RYA-accredited training courses are taught at the Aberdeen Marine Training Centre site including Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats, Fast Rescue Craft Coxswain, Command and Control for Masters and Mates, Offshore Lifeboat Coxswain Twinfall and Proficiency in Fast Rescue Boats as well as the Freefall Coxswain and Passenger Training.
Petrofac Training Services has a highly experienced team of instructors whose backgrounds include the military, merchant marine, fishermen, fire service, diving instructors and medical specialists.