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International shipping is going greener with fuels such as methanol and ammonia, but training must be scaled up for maritime professionals so that they can handle these hazardous materials. Captain Chatur Wahyu, Director of the Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA), shared that while such fuels are friendlier to the environment, they can be deadly to humans and marine life and can be difficult to handle. For instance, methanol is not only toxic and highly flammable, but also its fires cannot be seen in daylight, he said. “This is why we train our crew to use infrared cameras and a gas detector to detect the fires if methanol is leaking. They also need to know how to put out the fires.” With international shipping transitioning to alternative fuels, seafarers must be equipped with skills to handle these fuels and the new technologies associated with them, said Minister of State for Transport and Law Mr Murali Pillai in his opening speech at the Maritime Manpower Forum, which was held as part of Singapore Maritime Week (SMW), an annual industry event organised by the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). A slew of other programmes to train and prepare crews to handle methanol as a fuel are also being developed. As part of efforts to decarbonise the maritime industry, the Centre of Excellence in Maritime Safety in SP developed hands-on virtual reality training to handle methanol as a fuel. Its learning laboratory simulates onboard scenarios such as responding to a hose leak and bunkering operations, including pre-bunkering inspection and fault reporting. The industry is also working with Singapore’s polytechnics to drum up interest among the younger generation. MPA has partnered RP to launch a training programme for MPA’s unmanned aircraft (UA) pilots to ramp up its maritime drone capabilities. The partnership will offer RP students internship opportunities with MPA and the chance to explore potential career pathways as UA pilots. SP was one of the exhibitors at the talent zone during SMW, where it showcased student projects featuring innovative solutions in maritime search and rescue.

[The Straits Times]