By Kimberley Thornhill
The Marine Institute of Memorial University has signed a $2.5 million agreement with Maersk Contractors Newfoundland Limited to train operations personnel for the White Rose floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.

MI will deliver its training program, specifically developed for the 78 crew members who will work onboard the vessel, beginning this fall.

Crew members will undertake a wide-range of courses in marine safety, vessel operations, process simulation, maintenance, and process operations to prepare for their roles onboard the vessel. In total MI will deliver approximately 6,800 training days at its St. John’s, Foxtrap and Southside Marine Base campuses, through classroom demonstrations, practical activities, in-water exercises and simulation scenarios.

The agreement represents a milestone for the Marine Institute, as it will also be responsible for managing Maersk’s training program. To prepare for this role the institute will establish a training office specifically for the White Rose program and hire a project manager and administrative staff to direct activities with Maersk.

“There will be a phased approach to recruitment and as operational personnel for the FPSO are required these positions will be advertised,” said Ian Brough, project manager with Maersk Contractors Newfoundland.

In the coming months the Marine Institute will be seeking local public and private suppliers, through the expression of interest process, to assist the institute in the development and delivery of identified training courses.

“We believe this contract affirms our capability to provide exceptional educational programs for the offshore industry in this region,” said Leslie O’Reilly, the Marine Institute’s executive director. “Our experience, world-class facilities and instructional expertise are the reasons MCNL has chosen to entrust such vital training to us.”

The training program is expected to be completed by the spring of 2005.