And if the employer, and in this case, a ship manager, is providing the available resource, who can be a better trainer? And if he is that interested in training and he has a passion for it, this is what you get today.”

Talking about the Ship-in-campus programme, Mr. Chatterjee explained that every cadet that goes through the scheme is Brought Up To Standard. The basic idea is that a cadet  is doing things all the time within the environment of a working ship and thereby getting the feel of a ship, its machinery, getting a better understanding about fault-finding and things like that. However,  “These skills of course, can be learned at sea, on an operational ship, on a training ship, but you cannot take the chances, you cannot afford to make mistakes and here, this could be repetitive. He can keep going on until he learns the skill.” He added.

Of course, Mr. Teeka has gone far beyond, I need not say about the campus, I had a very good look at what the cadets can expect and what the employers can expect from the style and standard of training.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the sixth Ship-in-Campus that we’ve inaugurated in this country and I can say as Chief Surveyor to the Government of India, that this Ship-in-Campus is by far the best I’ve seen anywhere.

For future training of the mariner in the real sense, mariner for the industry, there are many areas in ship construction, in offshore technology, in Research and Development in the maritime sector, which I’m sure this campus can offer. And there are many programmes you should look forward to. I’m sure these programmes, the Director General will always be around to support it. At least, I as a Chief Surveyor will always support all these ventures that we would like to go ahead.

Before I conclude, I thank all the people behind the campus, the Director of the institute, Mr. Man Mohan Singh and all the other faculty members who were so deeply involved in the construction of Ship-in-Campus and all other facilities that the cadets are going to enjoy. So I wish all you cadets Bon Voyage on M.V. Samundra. Thank you

“Distinguished guests, visitors from abroad, faculty members, cadets and my colleagues, it is indeed a great pleasure and a dream come true to be invited by Mr. & Mrs. Teeka for the inauguration of this campus.

More so because there was a time, some four years ago when Mr. Teeka met me for the first time. I think 4 years ago he came to DG Shipping and he said that he wants to start a training institute. I immediately jumped, you can say, in delight at his suggestion because it was a first time that a service provider that means an employer of seafarers was interested in training. This was something that I had been trying to tell all others that the employer is the best trainer in any walk of life, whether it is in an industry and more so in the maritime industry.