Oman Ship Management Company (OSMC) recently staged a major conference in India enabling seafarers to share best practices and expand industry knowledge.

It comes as official OSMC figures reveal major growth in its managed fleet expanding from 27 to 38 in last two years, largely due to expansion in its chartering business.

More than 100 delegates joined the Officer’s Conference at the JW Marriot in Juhu, Mumbai. The two-day event involved seafarers from OSMC fleet vessels, office staff, crewing agencies and industry experts such as from Shell, P&I Clubs and Lloyds Register, said a statement.

It included a social gathering at gala dinner for the attendees and their families.

The event came shortly after OSMC received The Maritime Standard Safety & Security Award 2017, Dubai.

Chief operation officer of OSMC Captain David Stockley said the annual event provides a platform for seafarers to connect with the firm’s senior management to discuss a broad range of pressing maritime matters.

He said: “The conference performs an extremely important role each year as OSMC strives to deliver best practice on all vessels within its fleet.”

“We selected Mumbai as the host location for a second year running. This is due to our large proportion of Indian seafarers, as well as the region’s reputation as a major international shipping hub,” he said.

“The conference provides a unique opportunity for seafarers and company’s top management to discuss a range of key issues for an extended period. This includes current and future trends in the maritime industry, regulatory development and practical problem solving at sea,” he added.

“Attention was devoted to matters including human resources management, oil pollution, technical faults and breakdowns,” Stockley added.

He continued: “This year we also received insightful presentations from Shell on resilience and dealing with crisis at sea as well as an outline of Shell’s criteria on ranking. Our delegates further benefitted from a fascinating presentation from Captain Tony Field of Lloyds Register on fuel oil testing.”

“Our valued seafarers were also given a fleet overview while addressing lessons learnt from incidents in the last year. A session dedicated to customers feedback and a reflective learning work shop also proved highly useful for staff development,” he said.

OSMC is a subsidiary of Oman Shipping Company (OSC). OSC currently operates more than 50 ships of different types and sizes with a total cargo carrying capacity of about 8 million tonnes.

OSC’s wide ranging fleet spans from very large crude carriers (VLCCs), liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, product tankers, multi-purpose vessels, bulk carriers and container ships, to serve Oman’s oil and gas, petrochemical and other industries.

Stockley added: “We look after of OSC’s in-house ship management. We have strong experience in technical management and have formed effective working structures to enhance the link between vessels and offshore support through crew, operation and HSE departments. This event is a clear testimony of company’s commitment to continually enhancing the safety culture.”

“However, we are always aiming to improve. This latest conference highlights OSMC’s continuing and constant commitment to safety, best practice and environmental responsibility. Through shared knowledge and experience we are able to strive for the very highest safety standards and ensure continued development of all staff, at all levels,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service