Lack of quality seafarers, claims Goundar

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Fiji National University Fiji Maritime Academy chief executive officer Mahesa Abeynayake during an interview at his office in Laucala Bay, Suva today. Picture: ARIETA VAKASUKAWAQA.

THE Fiji National University Fiji Maritime Academy in Laucala Bay, Suva has failed to produce “quality seafarers” who are disciplined, claimed the Goundar Shipping Limited director George Goundar.

He highlighted this issue while making submissions before the Standing Committee on Natural Resources on a petition calling on the need for improved shipping services in Parliament this morning.

This petition was tabled in Parliament in March by Opposition MP Anare Jale.

“The seafarers we are hiring lack discipline. I don’t know who to go to, MSAF and Government needs to look into this. The theft among the seafarers is a concern especially the young ones, it’s ridiculous and we videos of our own engineers going into passengers staff and stealing,” Mr Goundar said.

“I am ashamed of it because they are my crew because at the end of the day the passengers will point at me as the owner, Goundar and not the ones that stole their staff.

“As a company we have zero tolerance, alcohol consumption, stealing and sexual harassment. We terminate those involved immediately.

The Fiji Maritime Academy, Mr Goundar said should conduct a course on how young seafarers on how do their job.

“The problem is these young seafarers think that being a seafarer is a lucrative business, it’s about going overseas, women and money but it’s not. Most are not fit to be seafarers.

Academy Chief Executive Officer Mahesa Abeynayake said the comments by Goundar were inappropriate.

He said they have received positive feedback from other shipping companies on the quality of cadet engineers from the academy and the comments from Goundar was irrelevant.

“The school is not responsible for their actions because they are adults, once they finish school and they go into the industry, they are adults, what they do on board we have no control over,” Mr  Abeynayake.

He said students at the academy are taught the significance of discipline where they are prohibited from consuming alcohol and smoking within the premises.

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