Indian Consul General Visit to World's Leading Subsea Training Provider

10 April 2010

The Indian Consul General has visited The Underwater Centre in Fort William, underlining the subsea training centre's ambition to further internationalisation and increasing its presence in the sub continent.

Mr Anil Kumar Anand, who is based in the Edinburgh Consulate, was given a tour of the facility, one of world's leading providers of commercial diving and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) courses.

The Underwater Centre has already established business links with companies in India and is focusing on strengthening existing relationships and establishing new contracts.

Last year, Centre staff, delivered a number of specialist courses in Mumbai for Dolphin Offshore Marine, a leading provider of underwater services to the Indian oil and gas sector

Steve Ham, General Manager of The Underwater Centre, believes the visit by Mr Anand will help to further build on links with Indian companies, an important market for the training facility.

'The oil and gas market in India plays a vital role in the country's economy. Continuing exploration naturally leads to an increased pressure for skilled subsea personnel, specialising in areas such as commercial diving and ROVs,' he said.

'We have already done a range of training for Indian companies and this has helped to cement our reputation with the country's oil and gas sector.

'Mr Anand's visit was a great opportunity to showcase our centre, its facilities, industry standard equipment and our expert staff who deliver the courses.'

As part of his visit, the Consul General saw students flying ROVs in Loch Linnhe, as well as commericial dive students undergoing a training session. He was accompanied by Provost of Lochaber, Councillor Allan Henderson.

Mr Anand said: 'The marine industry has always interested me, which is one of the reasons I was so keen to visit The Underwater Centre and find out more about the opportunities available to Indian students. I was very impressed by the centre's facilities and the cutting edge subsea technology available to students training at the facility.

'I am very keen to build new training links between India and Scotland and my visit to the Underwater Centre has further cemented my beliefs that there are huge opportunities for Indian students to come to Scotland and train as commercial divers and ROV technicians for the subsea industry.'

The Underwater Centre delivers a range of subsea training courses, including commercial diving and Remotely Operated Vehicles, as well as providing facilities to carry out underwater trials for subsea technology.

Based on the shores of Loch Linnhe, which is in parts deeper than the North Sea, The Centre leases the seabed around its pier complex, meaning that a subsea work area - including a simulated well jacket, a section of pipeline and a welding station - has been constructed for students, allowing them to learn 'on the job', working in industry relevant conditions.