APL to provide shipboard training to Sri Lankan cadets

Colombo, Sri Lanka, 6 July 2010 – Container shipping line APL has begun training cadets at sea in an effort to tap into the strong pool of graduates from Sri Lanka’s top maritime training academies.

The world’s fourth-largest container carrier said today that three navigational cadets from Mercantile Marine Management are already sailing on APL ships, and will soon be joined by six more. Nine engineering cadets from Colombo International Nautical & Engineering College are currently in the final phase of class room-based training before taking up onboard posts.

“We are pleased to support the Sri Lankan maritime industry and the communities we operate in through this program,” said APL Sri Lanka Managing Director, Elias Abraham. “It will allow APL to have top-quality Sri Lankan seafarers serving in our global ship fleet for years to come.”

In addition to taking graduates from leading private colleges, APL is, exploring opportunities with top government establishments such as the Mahopola Training Institute said Mr Elias.

According to statistics provided by the Director of Merchant Shipping, Sri Lanka has more than 300 cadets graduating from its institutions ever year. However, opportunities for essential onboard training have until now been limited.

“This initiative clearly demonstrates APL’s long-term approach to developing seafarers. While a ship can be built less than a year, it can take up to 10 years to train a top captain,” said Captain Lee Chee Seong, APL’s Director of Fleet Personnel.

APL has been operating in Sri Lanka since the 1980s. Today, it offers five weekly services touching global trade lanes and a wide range of value add logistics services.

About APL
APL is a global container shipping business offering more than 60 weekly services and nearly 300 calls at more than 90 ports in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. It combines world-class intermodal operations with leading-edge IT and e-commerce. APL is a unit of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), a global shipping, logistics and marine terminals company. APL Web site: www.apl.com

Media Enquiries:

Asia
Paul Barrett
Telephone: (65) 6371 7959
paul_barrett@apl.com