Sri Lankan seamen school to take foreign cadets

Jan 02, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka's Mercantile Seamen Training Institute (MSTI) in the southern port of Galle plans to open its doors to foreign aspirants in 2008. The company offers seagoing opportunities for trainees on board its own ships and is building a pool of trained seamen to supply its own ships as well as others. The institute, a subsidiary of the listed Mercantile Shipping Company, is stepping up its training to meet growing demand for seafarers.

Demand for both deck hands and officers is rising rapidly worldwide owing to the boom in shipping, said Rohan Codipilly, a former ship's captain who is now general manager, Mercantile Marine Management, another group subsidiary that supplies crews.

He said MSTI offers training courses that meet global standards and its training programme are internationally recognised.

"MSTI provides opportunities for Sri Lankan youths wanting to embark on a career in the world of shipping," he told LBO in an interview.

The institute earlier this month launched a new, modern lifeboat replacing that damaged by the tsunami in December 26, 2004,

Much of its equipment and infrastructure was damaged by th