Graig Ship Management Widens Training Scheme

Graig to continue to train in the UK and the Philippines but will also extend training scheme to include Vietnamese officer cadets to widen the pool of skilled crew they can call on.

Cardiff-based Graig Ship Management is widening its training scheme by sponsoring twenty Vietnamese officer cadets. Under an agreement with Ho Chi Minh City-based University of Transport and Dutch education provider STC Graig Ship Management will sponsor ten 2nd year and ten 3rd year cadets, both deck and engine, to complete their seatime leading to their first certificate and also a BSc in Maritime Studies on completion of training. Each cadet will also complete an intensive internationally-recognised English course.

"Vietnam has a strong seafaring tradition and excellent training facilities, but these young men and women lack opportunities to develop themselves in international shipping. Graig can help them, and develop a new source of good crews from the ground up," explains GSM CEO Ian Morgan.

Graig currently sponsors seven UK officer cadets and provides training berths for Filipino trainee seamen. "We are delighted that one of our UK deck cadets and one engineer have recently qualified, and Rebecca Newdick, who recently won Cadet of the Year, is now set for her first voyage as Third Officer on the Thor Spirit," says Morgan. "We will continue to train in the UK and the Philippines. But by extending our training scheme to include Vietnamese officer cadets we will widen the pool of skilled crew we can place at the service of our clients."

The Graig Group is a broad-based international shipowning and shipping services group delivering technical and commercial ship management, newbuilding supervision, lay-up services, ship design, ship owning and ship finance to global clients who appreciate personal service.

Graig has been building, managing and owning ships since 1919. Today it provides technical management and crewing for a mixed fleet of vessels on behalf of a number of owners. It has supervised over 120 newbuildings for itself and major shipowners. It develops innovative designs such as the Diamond bulk carriers and it can source yards and finance and provide newbuilding supervision and follow up with in service management.