Piggott and Al Mousa at the new Azda Marine Institute.
Azda Marine Institute to launch in Ras Tanura
01 January 2022
Azda Group of Saudi Arabia has joined hands with leading European safety training brand FMTC to launch the Azda Marine Institute (AMI) in the Eastern Province this month.
The opening of the training institute in Ras Tanura is scheduled for January 9 and follows over two years of close collaboration between Azda Group and the renowned brand of safety training headquartered in the Netherlands.
The AMI building in Saudi Arabia emulates FMTC buildings around the globe. It hosts 10 classrooms, one theatre lecture hall, full pool with lifeboat, life raft and helicopter underwater escape training (HUET) and a basic fire-fighting ground. The centre is expected to be expanded this year to include an Opito major emergency and incident response training suite with a full control room and examination room.
Abdulwahab Abdulrahman Al Mousa, Chairman of the Azda Marine Institute and a retired Saudi Navy Commodore, tells Gulf Construction: “Historically, global companies spend a lot of time looking for a reliable partner in virgin territories like ours, whereas regional companies seek the right partner with the right product to meet the region’s needs. At Azda Marine Institute, we aim to bridge the gap.”
FMTC is a global leader in emergency response, survival and safety training for the offshore oil and gas (OPITO), renewables (GWO) and maritime (STCW) and industry (OSHA) sectors.
Although specialising in oil and gas and related petrochemical safety training, the Azda Marine Institute will also offer accredited training courses in health and safety and related subjects for the construction and other industries in Saudi Arabia.
Heading up the new Azda Marine Institute in Ras Tanura is Australian safety training veteran Adam Piggott, General Manager FMTC KSA, a well-known and recognised figure in international standard safety training.
“Opening in Ras Tanura is an exciting new opportunity for FMTC in a dynamic and fast evolving part of the world. For myself, the ability to work closely with Azda Marine and benefit from their local knowledge has been a huge help and demonstrates that working together with a strong local partner was definitely the right decision.”
The courses that will be offered by the Azda Marine Institute cover everything needed to ensure that employees can work safely in their industries. FMTC Safety is fully certified and offers flexibility, enabling students to follow the courses they need, when they need them. Appropriately accredited and presented courses ensure that students can learn about occupational safety, health, risk assessments and fire safety to world-class standards. The accredited training courses and proprietary signature facilities ensure realistic practices and assure that training is delivered with the best equipment, training products and instructors.
The facility at Ras Tanura boasts a HUET METS (modular egress training simulator) system designed and purpose-built by Canadian company Survival Systems. The HUET has the most advanced design and is equipped with multiple redundancy systems to ensure the safest possible training environment.
