On June 23, the first national-level seafarer assessment center in northern China—the Tianjin Maritime Safety Administration Seafarer Assessment Center (hereinafter referred to as the “Center”)—was officially inaugurated. Leveraging advanced domestic and international software and hardware facilities, the Center has established an intelligent, green, and professional seafarer evaluation platform, which holds significant strategic importance for enhancing China’s international shipping soft power and promoting the high-quality development of the seafarer workforce.
It is understood that the Center is equipped with a total of 17 comprehensive assessment rooms across three major categories: navigation, marine engineering, and ship electronic and electrical engineering. It features 280 standardized computer-based testing stations and is outfitted with high-end equipment such as 360-degree panoramic navigation simulators, very large crude carrier simulators, and dual-fuel marine engine simulators, capable of comprehensively meeting the competency assessment needs of various seagoing seafarers. Among these, the 360-degree panoramic navigation simulator can simulate over 150 ports and more than 200 ship types worldwide, accurately recreating complex waterways and extreme meteorological and sea conditions. The equipment is integrated with multiple self-developed proprietary systems, laying a solid technical foundation for China to independently conduct high-end seafarer training and assessment.
Many of the Center’s assessment technologies are national firsts, significantly revolutionizing traditional seafarer examination models. Its self-developed “real-time linkage” system between the bridge and the engine room breaks the limitations of single-person, single-machine assessments, fully restoring the collaborative operational scenarios of the deck department and engine department teams during ship navigation. This system covers the entire process of voyage planning, routine operations, and emergency response, truly achieving “what is tested is what is used, and what is used is what is tested.” The nationally pioneering physical simulation automated engine room is preset with over a thousand fault points and adopts a modular, step-by-step assessment model, enabling precise evaluation of seafarers’ fault diagnosis capabilities. The equipment operates entirely without oil or water, adhering to the concept of green shipping development, and can save over 200 tons of fuel annually.
To ensure the fairness, impartiality, scientific rigor, and authority of examination and assessment results, the Center has built multiple domestically pioneered intelligent evaluation systems. These systems can automatically track seafarers’ operational behaviors throughout the entire process and objectively generate standardized scores, fundamentally eliminating subjective biases inherent in manual scoring.
Furthermore, based on the development needs of the northern shipping industry, the Center balances assessment services for conventional ships and new energy vessel types. Its assessment scope covers bulk carriers, container ships, as well as LNG and LPG dual-fuel vessels, proactively establishing assessment scenarios for special-purpose ships. At the same time, it reserves adaptation interfaces for the research and development of intelligent ships and new ship models, providing long-term support for the reserve and cultivation of high-end, versatile seafarers.
Full-media reporter Ma Rongwei, Correspondent Liu Hangyi
