• One Year after Receiving Nautical Institutes Class A Certification, GE’s Houston Training Center for Mariners Receives Accreditation for Sea Time Reduction (STR) Course

GE’s (NYSE: GE) continuous efforts to help increase marine industry safety standards for operators recently resulted in the endorsement of The Nautical Institute’s (NI) accreditation for GE to conduct a dynamic positioning (DP) sea time reduction (STR) course in its modern DP training center in Houston. With this accreditation, GE’s Marine Technical Training Center has joined an exclusive list of only 13 DP schools worldwide that are accredited to provide STR courses.

The accreditation allows trainee DP operators (DPOs) to receive credit of 30 days of DP sea time when they complete five days of intensive training in the DP simulator. Using GE’s advanced DP simulator, the company can provide the trainees with a selection of scenarios that help prepare the DPOs for a multitude of possible situations that they may encounter when engaged in DP operations.

GE’s Marine Solutions’ DP simulator received the NI’s Class A Certification in June 2015. Together with the DP training program, GE’s Marine Technical Training Center in Houston provides the operators with a suite of following training courses:

Nautical Institute-accredited courses for licensed deck officers:

1. DP Induction (basic).

2. DP Simulator (advanced).

3. DP Sea Time Reduction.

GE product courses for engineering officers, electronic technicians:

1. MV7000 & MV3000 (VFD).

2. DP Maintenance.

3. Automation Familiarization and Basic Maintenance.

4. Advanced Automation and Power Management Maintenance.

5. DP Software Familiarization (A-Series, C-Series, SeaStream*).

“Since the inauguration of the center in 2005, we have continually worked to deliver a high-standard training syllabus for mariners globally. Our continuous efforts have been paying off over time, and after receiving a Class A certification from The Nautical Institute, we’re proud to now receive the accreditation to provide STR Courses too. As the industry struggles to find competent manpower, GE is a leader when it comes to training the next generation of mariners,” said Tim Schweikert, president and CEO of GE’s Marine Solutions business.

GE’s Marine Solutions’ DP technology has gained wide acceptance in the marine industry. DP is a mariner-focused technology that helps mariners maintain their vessel in a predetermined heading and position.

GE’s Marine Solutions recently also provided the Class A DP simulator to the DP center at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMS) in Alexandria, Egypt, which has also received the STR accreditation.

GE is continuing to build upon its commitment of providing advanced maritime training that corresponds to customers’ needs in the real world.