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Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) and Seagull Maritime AS have signed a collaborative agreement to bring state-of-the-art fuel management training to the maritime industry.

First conceived to plug a gap in the knowledge and experience of ship managers and vessel crews in fuel management, a computer-based training tool is now being developed to provide e-learning onboard and ashore.

"As the pioneer of fuel quality testing and analysis with more than three decades of global experience, we have noticed a pressing need for seafarers to fully understand fuel quality issues and learn how to handle such challenges. At the same time, we have also observed that ship crew are invariably short-handed and hard-pressed for time," said Gerard Rohann, CEO of VPS.

"Hence, now more than ever before, such fuel-related knowledge and capabilities are increasingly becoming the keys to mitigating engine breakdowns and unplanned operational downtime. We will give our clients a competitive edge by bringing carefully designed e-learning to their crew and staff, anywhere, anytime, and by leveraging technology and combining our unique competencies with those of Seagull Maritime.

"As the leading provider of computer-based training systems to the shipping industry worldwide with 9500 user sites, it is logical for us to gravitate toward VPS, the recognised leader in fuel testing and inspection, to provide e-learning on total fuel management solutions for our customers," remarked Oscar Johansen, Chairman of Seagull Maritime AS.

The first module of the comprehensive computer-based educational and training system is to focus on fuel sampling, testing and bunkering, and is expected to be ready for the shipping industry by the middle of the year.

Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) delivers testing, inspection and advisory solutions that are designed to help customers achieve improvements to fuel management, fuel cost, operational efficiency and marine fuel regulatory compliance. The company introduced the first commercial bunker fuel testing and bunker quantity surveys for ships in 1981 and 1987, respectively.

Seagull Maritime AS is a provider of computer-based training systems for seafarers worldwide, and offers a library of e-learning and onboard courses designed for regulatory compliance and improved seafarer knowledge.