Officials from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recently completed a fact-finding mission to the Ethiopian Maritime Training Institute (EMTI) in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Juvenal Shiundu and William Azuh from IMO’s Technical Co-operation Division, assisted by officials from the Ethiopian Maritime Affairs Authority and from EMTI, undertook the mission as part of an effort to give effect to this year's World Maritime Day theme of Maritime Education and Training.

EMTI provides specialised training for deck, engineer and electro-technical officers for ships, in compliance with the IMO’s STCW Convention, which specifies global standards of training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers.

A partnership between Bahir Dar University and the US-based investment firm, YCF Group, EMTI currently graduates up to 500 cadets per year, and plans soon to expand its capacity to train over 1,000 seafarers annually. After completing a rigorous training programme at the maritime academy, EMTI cadets begin their careers as junior crew members with leading shipping companies on a global basis.

Tags: The Ethiopian Maritime Training Institute (EMTI)