News Releases in 2006
November 20 2006
Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK; Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Koji Miyahara) and NYK Shipmanagement Pte. Ltd.¹ have jointly developed new software that can be used for the onboard training of seafarers. This new software is called the NYK Shipboard Training and Assessment Recording System, or NYK-STARS for short.
Seafarer training by NYK includes on-the-job training (OJT) and supplementary classroom lectures. NYK-STARS was developed to enhance OJT. Repeated usage of the software enables trainees to learn about onboard duties, and the software even includes 3-D illustrations and video that allow users to learn about cargo-handling operations involving several crew members. The software enhances the teaching effects of OJT and ensures that trainees acquire the practical skills required to prevent potential accidents and problems.
The training programs included in NYK-STARS have been developed for cadets² and officers undergoing onboard training on all types of vessels, including crude-oil tankers, LPG carriers, containerships, car carriers, and bulk carriers. Software for engineers is currently being developed. Trainees can use NYK-STARS on ordinary personal computers on board. Each training program includes tests that assess a trainee's degree of understanding, allowing OJT to proceed efficiently and according to trainee comprehension levels.
The NYK Group plans to increase its fleet to approximately 930 vessels by 2010. Consequently, some 200 sailors will need to be hired and trained every year for the next few years. To accommodate this move, the NYK Group is steadily increasing practical training opportunities on board. In fact, the group recently decided to install additional cabins on an LNG tanker and three containerships for the purpose of accommodating up to 20 cadets. NYK-STARS will be utilized on these ships. NYK strives to further establish a well-balanced training system, in terms of both hardware and software, in order to ensure the safe operations of its fleet.
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| NYK STARS Top Screen | Software for very large crude-oil carriers (VLCC-STARS) |
Programs contained in NYK-STARS
| 1. | Self-study program for cadets | (CADET-STARS) |
| 2. | Self-study program for officers | |
| 1) About car carriers | (PCC-STARS) | |
| 2) About very large crude-oil carriers | (VLCC-STARS) | |
| 3) About large bulk carriers | (BULKER-STARS) | |
| 4) About LPG carriers | (LPG-STARS) | |
| 5) About containerships | (CONTAINER-STARS) | |
| 3. | Self-study program for engineers | (ENGINE-STARS) *To be completed by the end of the fiscal year |
²Cadets
¹NYK Shipmanagement Pte. Ltd.
Established in September 2001, NYK Shipmanagement Pte. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of NYK, provides customized ship-management services around the globe. The company is based in Singapore and has branch offices in Hamburg and London.
Trainees who receive on-the-job training (OJT) with the aim of eventually obtaining a seafarer's certificate (for navigators and engineers). NYK gives select students and graduates from mercantile marine schools OJT on NYK vessels, and after the trainees attain their certificates, NYK hires them as navigators or engineers.
