Govt to launch Maritime Academy to boost local employment

…less than 30% Guyanese employed in local maritime industry

With the local maritime industry employing less than 30 per cent of Guyanese, Local Content Secretariat Head, Dr Martin Pertab has indicated that plans are being developed to launch a local Maritime Academy that will help boost those numbers.
During the launch of the Local Content Summit of 2025 held at the Marriott Hotel, the Local Content Secretariat had a chance to provide insights on its efforts to increase Guyanese participation in various oil and gas-related industries. One such industry is the local maritime one, according to Dr Pertab.
“We expect to also zoom in on the kind of opportunities that exist in the maritime industry. Over the past two weeks, we have had extensive discussion with all vessel owners. And the sole purpose of that discussion was to understand what are the challenges as it relates to the onboarding of Guyanese in the industry.
“We have seen that as of now, there are almost 44 offshore vessels, that employ roughly 3000 seafarers. And Guyanese occupy less than 30 per cent of those positions,” Dr Pertab further explained.
He explained that this was part of an ongoing policy discussion with the sole intent of advising the policymakers on how Guyanese can take advantage of local content opportunities. He also made it clear that such a maritime academy would offer internationally-recognised certificates, ensuring that graduates can easily gain employment.
“We intend to eventually start working, and this is based on the outcome of the discussion that we had, to introduce a maritime academy that would offer an international certificate. Local cadets who participate in that training would then receive a certificate of international standard, that would be widely acceptable by all vessel owners operating in the industry,” he added.
There have been efforts to ensure that Guyanese are afforded an opportunity to embark on a career in the maritime industry. Last month, it was announced that 20 Guyanese had been selected to receive the prestigious Noble Cadet Scholarship, which ensures that talented students receive the support they need to kick-start their education and training in the marine sector.
This came after a review of more than 900 applications received, following a nationwide tour across schools and training institutions, indicative of the demand for training in the maritime industry. The Noble Cadet Scholarship Awards Ceremony was held on March 18, 2025, at the Royal Orchid International Hotel, marking the official announcement of the 2025 scholarship recipients.
Launched in November 2024 by El Dorado Offshore (EDO), Noble Corporation and MATPAL Marine Institute, the scholarship programme aims to provide young Guyanese students with the opportunity to pursue careers in the maritime industry.
The 2025 Noble Cadet Scholarship recipients were: Zahir Bristol, Joel Steele, Avier Fredericks, Ewarth Williams, Jeremiah Fraser, Nicholas Dover, Stevon Dey, Andrew Persaud, Anthony Atherley, Colin Holder, Dwain Anderson, Priya Persaud, Anson Sandy, Shaquan Barnes, Shoquan Pantlitz, Delon McPherson, Alistair Dick-Grant, Samuel Mitchell, Mark Wilson, and Joel Phillips.
Plans to establish a maritime academy follows the successful establishment of Guyana’s first state-of-the-art oil and gas training facility at Port Mourant, Berbice. The establishment has churned out graduates who have already found employment on board the Liza Unity Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.
The first phase of the state-of-the-art facility was commissioned on February 9, 2024– an initiative largely led by SBM Offshore Guyana, Stabroek Block partners ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC, and the Government of Guyana.
Some US$13 million was invested in the facility’s simulator dubbed FacTor, a fully functional plant that mirrors the operation of real offshore platforms, using water and air, and is designed to accommodate a batch of 24 students.