COMMANDER OF THE NAVY DECLARES OPEN MERCHANT MARINE TRAINING SCHOOL

Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage declared open the Merchant Marine Training School at the Naval & Maritime Academy on 30^th January 2014. Commander Eastern Naval Area, Director General Training, Director General Civil Engineering and Commandant NMA were also present on the occasion.

With the appointment of Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage as the Acting Chairman of the Ceylon Shipping Corporation in addition to the Office of Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, the shipping industry is poised for a renaissance in maritime affairs. The island-nation possesses enormous maritime potentials. Fast–tracking of merchant shipping capacities and capabilities in such a context will be a giant step towards the country’s aspirations to become the maritime hub in the region.

The Navy has a long association with the country’s shipping industry since inception. It had a dedicated training facility in the 1980s that trained deck hands and technical hands for merchant shipping. The MMTS, which is entrusted with training of merchant navy personnel, will enable them to obtain the Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC), a vital document for all seafarers. It is also an ideal opportunity for naval personnel’s post-career development.