The commissioning of the state-of-the-art high tech marine simulators installed at the Fiji Maritime Academy is on hold.
The commissioning which was supposed to be held in March this year is on hold– pending official issues.

FMA chief executive officer, Captain Suren Gurusinghe said the high tech facilities cost a lot of money and this has been heavily invested by the Government.

It is believed that the FMA’s new educational resource is the best facility in the South Pacific region for maritime training and it will definitely benefit not only Fijian students but also regional.

The navigation bridge simulator and engine room simulator estimated to cost over $2 million.
Captain Gurusinghe said in a bid to produce qualified and competent professionals in the maritime industry, the Academy is developing its teaching resources, curriculum and facilities.

Government has now prioritised development of the maritime sector and maritime training.
To this end, it has allocated funds to upgrade equipment and facilities at the Academy.
The new changes are in line with Government’s focus and emphasis on education that is aimed at producing a competent, globally competitive workforce and responsible citizenry.

While the Academy is an entity of FNU, it is now managed by Sri Lankan-based CINEC Maritime Campus.
Captain Gurusinghe said the newly-managed institution aims to equip each student to be a qualified and competent professional in his or her chosen career.

“These developments will place the Academy as one of the leading maritime training institutions in the world. We want our students to be competent in the field of work and that is how we grooming them to be.”
He added that few more equipment will be installed during the year to optimise the use of resources and maximise its benefit to the students.

These include improvements to classrooms, laboratories and workshop.
CINEC Campus management started on January 1, 2014 and so far, a lot of developments have taken place.

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