Galileo Maritime Academy is preparing to offer one of the world’s finest Superyacht crew training facilities at their recently renovated base in Phuket, Thailand. Featuring courses on everything from essential safety procedures to first-class service skills, the school promises to turn even complete beginners into expert crew members.
“The story began in 2011 when I, as a Royal Navy engineer, flew out to Thailand and had a vision to start a school for Superyacht crew,” says Galileo Academy’s CEO, Anthony H Gould. “I could see Asia growing fast as a maritime destination for charter Superyachts as well as for cruise and merchant shipping. The crew, I envisioned, could be mostly young Asians with a taste for adventure, and I would provide the training they needed.”
The result of that vision is a 200-acre facility in Southeast Asia’s largest Superyacht marina, Yacht Haven Marina in the northeast of Phuket. Around the main offices and comfortable crew residences are a fire-fighting school, a school of marine engineering, a survival craft and fast rescue boat training jetty, a medical school, a deep water survival pool, culinary arts kitchens and a fleet of training vessels. The facilities and instructors meet and exceed the standards set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB), the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code, the International Convention For Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA).
Phuket is the ideal location for Galileo Maritime Academy, being right at the heart of the Superyacht industry in the popular Asia Pacific region. There are dozens of fantastic destinations within easy reach, including Myanmar’s Mergui archipelago, the Philippines, Indonesia and the beautiful waters around Phuket itself.
The school offers courses for those hoping to find work on merchant ships, off-shore platforms, cruise ships and Superyachts. For yacht crews, this starts at a simple deckhand course, steward/stewardess courses and various levels of chef training. Committed students can go on to gain first aid, crowd control, security and crisis management training.
The school had modest beginnings, lacking any accreditation and just training Thai students for work as stewardesses and deckhands. However, being so well-placed and opening at just the right time, it quickly gained notoriety and started attracting overseas students. The next step was gaining the all-important accreditations.
“I worked very hard to get the MCA to audit my school and give us their approval and accreditation. However, this turned out to be a challenge as they first thought us to be too far away and in a region known for inadequate training standards. How would they be confident of maintaining their reputation for excellence and world-leading training standards?” says Gould.
“Convincing the MCA that my own track record as CEO and president of UK, USA, Australian and Asian public listed companies over a 30-year career, together with my vision for the future of Galileo as a truly trustworthy and standards-driven academy in Asia, took a year. Thereafter, the policymakers at MCA agreed to put us to the test with desk audits in Southampton. If we passed that rigorous stage, a full field audit with examiners would be conducted in Thailand.”
This process took 18 months and a lot of cost and effort to complete. However, with all of the extremely high security, safety and integrity standards met, the audit was complete, with examiners commenting that the school was “well on its way to becoming the world’s top maritime training facility”. They particularly praised the focus on fun, interactive teaching and practical experience provided by a team of dedicated and enthusiastic young instructors.
For more information about the school and its courses, visit: Galileo Maritime Academy.
Footnote:
Contact Seal Superyachts Thailand for detailed information about cruising around Thailand, superyacht charter regulations and about how we can support your visit.
Principle agent Adam Frost is proud to have worked with many of the World’s largest Superyachts and has extensive knowledge of Thailand and the surrounding area.
Adam Frost
Phone: +66 81 979 6636
Email: thailand@seal-superyachts.com