Mintra and NTC Manila streamline seafarer certificate handling

Seafarer course completion documentation will be handled automatically thanks to a partnership between Mintra and Norwegian Training Center (NTC) Manila.

Torbjørg Undem, manager of Mintra Marketplace, said the new system will grant seafarers instant access to their certification within Mintra’s OCS HR crew management software.

They can literally have their certification within minutes of successful completion

This will be really beneficial if, for example, they are allocated a different vessel at short notice and need to quickly update their certification,” said Undem.

Clients of NTC that use OCS HR will have automatic flow through of course completion documentation, with certificates uploaded to company portals, updating individual seafarer profiles within minutes of course completion.

The new system replaces the previous entirely manual process

The new system replaces the previous entirely manual process where NTC would issue certificates to employers for downloading and then manual uploading into seafarer training records in OCS HR. The automated process reduces administrative labour and reduces the potential for human error, said Mintra.

Any process that can save time and resources is appreciated

Undem said: “We are continually looking for ways to develop solutions that positively impact on our clients, and we understand that any process that can save time and resources is appreciated. OCS HR is used on around 800 vessels operated by Norwegian shipowners, and together these have crews of approximately 25,000 seafarers. This represents a significant volume of shipowners who will greatly benefit from the automation of this process.”

Not-for-profit NTC Manila is owned by the Norwegian Shipowner Association and was established in the 1990s to train Filipino seafarers working on board Norwegian vessels. The centre has taught more than 150,000 seafarers.