Rigworld Training Centre (RTC), an indigenous Ghanaian company, has presented an ambulance to the sickbay of the Regional Maritime University (RMU).

The ambulance, which is estimated to cost over 20,000 Euros is fully-fitted with modern state-of-the-art equipment and is said to be the first-ever to be dedicated to the sickbay of the RMU in its 60 years of existence.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony at the campus of the RMU in Nungua, near Accra, Mr Steve Taylor, the Managing Director for Rigworld Training Centre, said: “It gives us an opportunity to help support them in the development of their programmes, in addition to that, it helps them to increase their capabilities in terms of support for their safety and emergency response so, it is a celebration for RMU in as much as it is a celebration for Rigworld.”

Rigworld Training Centre also announced plans to construct a training hub similar to its centre in Takoradi at the premises of RMU.

“What is happening is that we currently have a 10-year memorandum of understanding with RMU after which we have signed a collaborative agreement in which the parties have made certain pledges to the other. RMU has allocated two acres of land to us to replicate the training facility we have in Takoradi here on their campus to cater for the Accra market. The facility shall also serve all the member states of RMU. Aside from being a hundred percentage owned Ghanaian company, we have the financial muscle and intend to invest some huge sums putting up that ultra-modern training facility,” Kwame Nyampong, a member of the legal team of Rigworld Group disclosed in an interview with News Ghana.

The Vice Dean of the RMU, Prof Elvis Nyarko, expressed delight at the gesture by the and observed that the ambulance will help to prevent the unconventional ways they convey sick persons and injured people to nearby health facilities.

Prof Nyarko was optimistic that the relationship between the two institutions in developing capacity in offshore training will continue to grow. Rigworld Training Centre recently signed an accreditation partnership with the Regional Maritime University to train personnel on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulations.

Under the accreditation partnership, the two parties will collaborate for the training of people on IMO mandatory short courses leading to two certificates. One jointly signed by RTC and RMU, and a second solely signed by the Ghana Maritime Authority.

Among some of the courses that would be offered as part of the training programme include Elementary First Aid, Personal Survival Techniques, Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities as well as Basic Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting. Others are International Ship and Port Facility, Security Code, Oil/Chemical Tanker Familiarisation, Efficient Deck Hand, Lifeboat, Proficiency in Survival Craft Rescue Boat, Radar/ARPA Simulator Training as well as International Safety Management.

Rigworld Training Centre, founded in 2017 is an oil and gas accredited safety training centre. It provides a range of client-focused safety training services and products to the extractive industries. RTC has been working in partnership with international organizations like Maersk Training, Hydrasun and DNV-GL.