UAE-based Emirates International Maritime Academy (EIMA) has signed a licensing agreement with the Swedish Club Academy to offer maritime resource management training in the Middle East region.

Swedish Club academy is a company associated with the Swedish Club, a leading marine mutual insurer from Sweden.

With this agreement, EIMA has expanded its maritime training resources by becoming a Maritime Resource Management (MRM) provider in the Middle East, said a company statement.

The agreement was signed by Captain Jaafar bin Sidin, director of EIMA, and Martin Hernqvist, managing director at the Swedish Club Academy.

The demand for specialised MRM training is expected to increase considerably as all merchant marine officers are required to attend an MRM course as part of the mandatory requirements to be a licensed Certificate of Competency holder, the EIMA said.

The MRM course is designed to minimise the risk of incidents by encouraging safe and responsible behaviour, while it also helps foster positive attitude and strengthens personal communication, leadership excellence and compliance with operating procedures.

Captain bin Sidin said the new licensing agreement further expands the scope of EIMA's services and enables the company to cater to a much broader section of the maritime industry.

"Furthermore, this partnership will put EIMA in the global map along with other MRM training providers around the world, strengthening the Academy's reputation as the region's leading provider of marine-oriented academic programs."

"It is our continuing commitment to deliver complementary training initiatives that aim to update and enhance the skills and know-how of maritime professionals, and ultimately contribute towards establishing a truly world-class environment for the maritime sector here in the UAE," he added.

"The UAE is ideally positioned to be a major maritime hub in the region and a vital component of the global maritime industry. We are thrilled to contribute to the development of the country's maritime sector by partnering with EIMA to provide world-class MRM training to maritime professionals in the UAE and the rest of the region," said Martin Hernqvist.

The principles covered by the MRM training course include recognition of the significance of consistent good management and teamwork; willingness to change behaviour in a positive direction; and awareness of the importance of using common management-related terminology.

The course will cover a series of workshops wherein errors and hazardous behaviour are analysed in a dynamic group, while various situations and actual accidents and incidents are explored from an MRM perspective.-TradeArabia News Service