(18.02.2008) MAN Diesel is the largest single investor in the new MTC Marine Training Centre, which will open its doors on 1st January 2009. The City of Hamburg will be backing the company with Euro 900,000. The engine manufacturer is investing Euro 750,000 into the MTC, which will be used primarily to build a training workshop. The majority of the investment takes the form of assets such as pistons or cylinder bushes that will be used for training.
For Dr. Tilmann Greiner, Head of MAN Diesel PrimeServ Hamburg, the commitment has many advantages, and not just for MAN: “The majority of ships that sail across our oceans are driven by our engines. So it makes sense to train the crews using these models. On the other hand, the engineers who have never had any experience of MAN Diesel before also get to know us." MAN Diesel is planning to carry out training courses with highly experienced service engineers and highly skilled fitters. The focus lies on practical matters, as Greiner points out: “We want to offer crews added value. This is why we set particular store by practice-based training for processes, workflows and emergency situations." MAN Diesel offers five different courses. Altogether, the programme encompasses 40 courses that cover the complete spectrum of ship operation, from medical first-aid provision on board through navigation and ship operation to electrics and engine technology. To train pilots, underwater topology is shown in a simulator. Various specialist tanker courses are also in the pipeline. This holistic approach is one of the MTC's most important features.
It is also the reason why the centre’s operators are looking forward to the future with optimism. “Hamburg is on of the world’s largest shipbuilding sites. Three shipping companies and one of the biggest crewing agencies in the world are involved with the MTC. I am extremely confident that we will be able to support ourselves on our own strength,” says Tilmann Greiner. Hamburg was selected deliberately as a location and interest specifically investigated. Dr. Tilmann Greiner was one of the initiators of this ambitious project. Some two years elapsed between the first idea and the implementation of the project at the end of 2007. Yet the outlay has been worthwile, says Greiner, since: “With the Marine Training Centre, Hamburg will get one of the world's most state-of-the-art training facilities for marine personnel.”