Lloyd’s Register presented the MARIA TSAKOS TCM ACADEMY with a unique dual certification milestone

MARIA TSAKOS TCM ACADEMY of TSAKOS COLUMBIA SHIPMANAGEMENT (“TCM”) S.A. has recently been accredited as an Approved Training Provider by Lloyd’s Register as well as certified to the BS EN ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System Standard by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance. MARIA TSAKOS TCM ACADEMY has obtained approval for two courses: Operational use of electronic chart display and information system & Oil Record Book. The certified Quality Management System against ISO 9001 is applicable to the 'Provision of Training Services to Shipping Company Personnel and Seafarers’.

On Friday 7 February during a ceremony held at TCM premises and attended by Capt P. N. Tsakos, Mr. Nikolaos Tsakos, and managers and staff of Tsakos Group of Companies, the Chairman of Lloyd’s Register Thomas Thune Andersen presented the certificates to Vassilis Papageorgiou, Tsakos Group Deputy Chairman, George Vassiliades, TCM Deputy Managing Director and Nikolas Themelaros, Manager of “MARIA TSAKOS TCM ACADEMY”

“My sincere congratulations go out to the managemen t and staff of the MARIA TSAKOS TCM ACADEMY for this significant achievement and we look forward to supporting the further development of the Academy in the future with the key objective of enhancing standards of training and competence in the maritime industry, and promoting safer and cleaner shipping.”, said LR Chairman Thomas Thune Andersen.

The Lloyd’s Register Approved Training Provider Scheme provides third party assessment and certification of the ability to provide training to a recognised standard and deliver courses which meet their stated objectives. It provides a benchmark for the marine industry when selecting courses for staff development and training.

“It is our duty to provide the best training facilities to our seafarers and shore personnel and to continuously develop & improve their competence in order to ensure operational excellence, both in terms of safety as well as efficiency and performance towards our clients. The reason we invested in simulators was the opportunity for our crew to operate and react in a virtual, yet fully realistic, environment where mistakes become lessons learnt, without risking damage to environment, equipment and people” Captain Panagiotis Tsakos said

The Maria Tsakos TCM Academy occupies about 500 square meters on the fifth floor of the Tsakos headquarters in Athens, and it is fully equipped with the latest KONGSBERG simulators including;

• K-Sim Polaris – DNV class A, ship’s bridge simulator with 240 degrees visual field of view for complete navigation and ship maneuvering training
• Four K-Sim Polaris, desktop simulators with ECDIS
• Four K-Sim Neptune Cargo, where the cargo, ballast, inert/venting, washing and associated sub-systems are presented as interactive mimic diagrams
• Four K-Sim Engine Neptune, desktop simulators, which are fully integrated with the bridge simulator for full crew training
• Big View touch screen system – an interactive schematic mimic of all relevant engine room compartments, ideal for full system understanding.

The education at the Academy will not only be restricted to certification and statutory training, but will also be expanded to cater for the specific needs of the officers and the operational requirements of the vessel the officers are assigned to. The Academy will in addition provide training to shore personnel, in areas of new regulations, analysis of incidents, loss prevention and familiarization of new equipment to be fitted on board vessels.