On April 11, with the support of the Bureau of Energy, MOEA, MIRDC invited representatives of academic and research institutions, association as well as marine/harbor engineering companies and ship certification institutes in Taiwan to share their experiences at the conference room of the Innovation Value-added Center of Traditional Industry, MOEA, in order to develop capability setup strategies for training marine technology and engineering talents in Taiwan. MIRDC also signed an MOU with three companies: DNV GL, Hung Hua Construction and POSH Kerry Renewables, for cooperation in developing all-round marine technology training programs in the future and leading the establishment of marine engineering capability in Taiwan.

Determined to develop offshore wind energy over the past few years, the government set up the Marine Technology Engineering Training and Accreditation Center at Kaohsiung Marine Technology Industrial Innovation Zone in Xingda Harbor. Last September, Dr. Chiu-Feng Lin, President of MIRDC and Maersk Training A/S, the world’s largest offshore engineering training provider, entered into an international cooperation consulting agreement to train professionals for the offshore wind and marine technology industries. As for advanced marine engineering, Dynamic Positioning (DP) and Offshore Crane training may be included after an evaluation is performed. This seminar aimed to build up the training capability required for relevant industries based on the strategic advice provided by experts, so as to facilitate the development of offshore wind energy.

During this seminar, MIRDC shared its research results regarding domestic demand for marine engineering professionals. It would also be cooperating with three companies in providing foresight training programs in the future so that local talents will be able to keep up with the international market demand. The MIRDC will cooperate with Hung Hua Construction in providing simulation training for operating offshore wind power ships. Its cooperation with DNV GL will focus on programs in regard to professional communication, occupational safety and health on ships, and overwater/underwater inspection. MIRDC will also cooperate with POSH Kerry Renewables in providing DP practical training on the sea. Dr. Chiu-Feng Lin, President of MIRDC stated that marine technology is a priority in developing offshore wind energy, and he hoped that through sharing and integration of resources from all sectors, new cooperation opportunities will be created for training marine technology professionals in Taiwan and consequently increasing the international competitiveness of the entire industry.