ST. PETERSBURG, October 17. /TASS/. The Arctic Maritime Competence Center in the interests of the Russian nuclear fleet authority, Rosatomflot, began working at the Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping, a TASS correspondent reported from the opening ceremony on Tuesday.
"By 2024, the amount of transported cargo will be 80 million tonnes, which will require new vessels, new crews to work on them, and new icebreakers," Russia’s Deputy Minister of Transport Yuri Tsvetkov said at the opening ceremony. "For the year-round navigation in the Arctic’s eastern sector, we should need super-powerful icebreakers of the Leader type, we shall need new energy systems, new human resources and competences."
"At this center, those human resources will receive addition education to gain higher competences," he added.
Teachers will offer training and addition education for crews, working at the icebreaker fleet. Russia’s nuclear fleet authority, Atomflot, has initiated the Center’s organization.
"It is most important for me that here we shall have a direct connection: the students will see those who work on the fleet," Atomflot’s Acting Director General Mustafa Kashka said. "The teachers, involved in scientific research, will communicate with those who exploit [Arctic vessels], and this is also very important for development of the academic science."
Safety is above all
The Center will offer further education or training new skills for the nuclear fleet’s specialists. They will be able to take remote training courses. The Center will invite designers and experts to teach students the skills for work on new icebreakers.
"Here, teaches will educate the Bailtiysky Zavod Shipyard’s crew [for the Arktika universal nuclear-powered icebreaker of project 22220], and I hope next summer we shall invite everyone to see how the icebreaker [Arktika] will begin moving," Director of the Northern Sea Route’s Management at the Rosatom State Corporation Vyacheslav Rouksha said.
The educational program will include training on simulators to practice emergency situations on a nuclear vessel.
"By using simulators, we shall practice any emergency situations, we may imitate such situations on the power unit, the emergency which we must not allow in real life," the University’s Head Sergei Baryshnikov said. "Thus, we shall practice the actions not to allow emergency situations and the actions to overcome them if they occur."
About the Admiral Makarov University
The Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping was organized in 2012 as a merger of the Makarov Maritime Academy and the University of Water Communications.
The Admiral Makarov University has branches in Arkhangelsk, Kotlas, Moscow, Petrozavodsk, Pechora, Velikiy Ustyug and Murmansk.