Asia shipping course kicks off

26 participants are expected.

According to a report, the Hong Kong Maritime Industry Council and the Baltic & International Maritime Council will jointly hold the BIMCO Asia Shipping School 2013 in Hong Kong, from today until Friday.

The intensive five-day course will update 26 participants from Hong Kong, the Mainland, other parts of Asia, Africa and Europe on the latest industry developments, while sharing practical shipping knowledge.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the course, Deputy Secretary for Transport & Housing (Transport) Julina Chan said a shared commitment to training brought the two councils together as partners. She also noted the Financial Secretary has designated $100 million as a training fund to support maritime and aviation transport development.

“We are fully committed to assisting the industry in building a skilled and knowledge-based workforce,” she said.

Based in Denmark, the Baltic & International Maritime Council has around 2,300 company members in 123 countries, and is a leader in maritime education. The shipping school has previously been held in Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Jakarta.

This year's course covers general updates such as sizes and types of ships, important people and companies in the industry, and in-depth knowledge of topics like bills of lading, time charters, voyage charters, marine propulsion systems, port operations, marine insurance and ship management.