NYK opens Akita School of Wind and Sea Training Center

January 17, 2024

Training demonstration (GWO Basic safety training - Sea Survival)

Aiming to become a regional center for training meeting international standards

NYK, in a consortium with Nippon Marine Enterprises will open the Akita School of Wind and Sea* training center in April 2024 for offshore wind farm operators and seafarers. The training center will be located within Akita Prefectural Oga Marine High School (“Oga Marine High School”) and will provide the following:

1. Basic safety training for workers (GWO BST5)

2. Basic safety training for seafarers (STCW training)

3. Simulator-based training for operating crew transport vessels (CTVs) and other vessels

The new center aims to administer training to about 1,000 participants per year. The training center will also be open to Oga Marine High School students and nearby elementary and junior high school students, thereby contributing to the future development of maritime human resources.
* The official English name will be decided at a later date.

The consortium will make use of a fiscal 2022 and 2023 subsidy for offshore wind power human resource development projects administered by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, which is part of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The training center will aim to not only produce human resources for the offshore wind power industry but also become a center for local development that contributes to the education of the next generation in cooperation with industry, government, and academia.

Training offered

	Course	Overview
I	Basic safety training for workers (GWO BST5)	Basic Safety Training (BST) is a training program established by the Global Wind Organization (GWO). It consists of five training courses: (1) First Aid, (2) Manual Handling, (3) Fire Awareness, (4) Working at Heights, and (5) Sea Survival. Knowledge and skills to enhance safety when working with wind turbines will be covered. Training (1) to (4) will be conducted at the Akita Juku – Tohoku Electric Power RENES Training Center operated by Tohoku Electric Power Renewable Energy Service Co., Ltd., which is affiliated with this training center. Training (5) will be conducted in the sizeable deep-water pool at Oga Marine High School.
II	Basic safety training for seafarers (STCW training)	Basic safety training for seafarers (STCW training) consists of survival drills in case a seafarer falls overboard or is in distress, and fire drills in case a fire breaks out on board. This training will be conducted in the deep-water pool at Oga Marine High School and will also be open to seafarers not involved in the offshore wind power industry.
III	Simulator-based training for operating crew transport vessels	The latest simulator will be installed at Oga Marine High School and used for training in operating CTVs and other vessels.

Training center logo

The logo design expresses with a sense of dynamism how the strong energy of the tailwind generated by the nature of Oga (a city in Akita Prefecture) evokes a significant trend of the times. The logo embodies the philosophy and mission of the facility, which is to foster professional human resource development through collaboration among industry, government, and academia. This training center will work with the local community to create a new era of energy from this land surrounded by the infinite possibilities of the wind and sea.