Sir Mohamed Yusuf Seamen Welfare Foundation Training Ship Rahaman

The 22 acres Campus of Sir Mohamed Yusuf Seamen Welfare Foundation is located on the seaface on the North East corner of Nhava, about six miles across Mumbai Harbour. It is accessible from the mainland by road as well as by sea. Training Ship Rahaman, the Maritime training facility, is the oldest Rating training establishment in India, having been founded in the year 1910. The Training Ship also conducts various STCW and post sea courses, such as Fire Fighting, Survival, RANSCO and GMDSS.
For Fire Fighting Courses, which Rahaman was the first to introduce in the country; two “mock ups” which replicate a ship’s super structure have been erected. The mockup has four decks, with a Bridge, cabins and engine room, and actual fires are set up in different compartments for students to extinguish. The Fire Fighting complex also has a High Expansion Foam demonstration room, and classrooms equipped with OHP, TV, VCRs and VCD players.

Training in Survival is carried out at the Capt. O. J. DeSouza Survival and Safety Centre, also the first such facility of its type. The survival tank is used for Life Raft and Lifeboat training. More complex exercises are carried out at sea. For conducting these exercises we have two sets of Lifeboat Davits, open Lifeboats, two Enclosed Lifeboats of which one is on a Davit at the pier, and a motor launch for training Cadets.

The Pre-sea Academy has fully equipped classrooms, ropes, wires, arrangements for learning knots, splices, a swimming pool for teaching swimming, and a complete Seamanship Laboratory including a working model of a McGregor hatch, davit, a full size ship’s Windlass, winches, etc. A mock up of a ship’s Bridge has been constructed on top of the Academy which is equipped with working models of 3 cm Radar, 10 cm Radar / Arpa, Gyro / Auto Pilot, Echo Sounder, Electronic Log, Gyro Repeaters, Magnetic Compass, etc. A mini Dry Dock and a Celestial Dome for star identification are also constructed.

A fully equipped Workshop for training of Engine Room Ratings and Cadets, consisting of a fabrication section for fitters and welders complete with lathes, drills, etc. Hands on experience is also given on equipment such as ship’s Diesel Generators, valves, pumps, purifier, Oil Water Separator, etc. which are displayed in the Engine Room Laboratory

Our Catering Department has trained many Cooks in pre-sea and mid career courses. Over the years food storing, defrosting, and cooking techniques, have changed. Special emphasis is being given to hygiene, and low calorie, low sodium, low cholesterol diets. Training Ship Rahaman’s galley is equipped with the latest equipment, and in addition, a Training Kitchen has also been setup for Cooks and Galley Stewards. At Rahaman we believe in keeping up with the times. The Training Ship has its own residential accommodation. Officer Trainees are each given a cabin with attached bathroom during their stay or they may choose a room on sharing basis. The Training Ship now has accommodation for over 250 Officers, and an equal number of Pre Sea Trainees. Rahaman has a proud record of having provided high quality training and education to a very large number of Maritime personnel since the year 1910. In keeping with its policy of continually updating its standards of education and training, the Training Ship decided to establish and implement a Quality Management System to meet with the requirements of the International Standard ISO 9001:1994. Dual Certification ISO 9001 and “Maritime Training Centre” was granted to the Training Ship by DET NORSKE VERITAS in July 1998. The new International Standard ISO 9001: 2000 has been granted in July 2003. The Establishment is a member of the International Association of Safety and Survival Training (IASST), Association of Maritime Education and Training Institutions in Asia Pacific (AMETIAP), and the Institute of Fire Engineers (IFE).

– T.S. Rahaman