MSAF Chief Executive Joeli Cawaki

The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji is currently working on the localization and transitional takeover of the Fiji Maritime Academy from the Sri Lankan company, CINEC.

This has been highlighted by MSAF Chief Executive Joeli Cawaki to FBC News, as the contract ended in December last year and a board has been appointed that will look after the operation of the school and the curriculum, which is under MSAF going forward.

“FNU only looks at the management of the school, which is the arrangement we have at the moment because at MSAF, we register seafarers and also give qualification to the seafarers according to the audit carried out at the school, making sure that the school is producing seafarers that can operate in the industry.”

Cawaki says that they are also looking at addressing the skills shortage within the marine industry by preparing qualified seafarers with skills that have been lost in the last decade, including shipbuilding, ship repairs, naval architecture, compass swinging, and stevedoring, which will enable them to operate in the industry.

Meanwhile, Acting Director for FMA, Captain Tevita Robanakadavu, says that the curriculum review was paramount since CINEC came in with their own curriculum.

“With this new management, that is one of our ways forward to review the curriculum, but MSAF will give the final say because we provide training for MSAF, so they have to give their approval, so we will do the revision and present it to MSAF.”

MSAF is determined to localize the standard of curriculum taught at the academy this year with the new board that will lift the standard of mariners in Fiji.