Maritime Health Trainings for Seafarers and Doctors

ERASMUS+ KA2 – Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices – KA202 – Strategic Partnerships for Vocational Education and Training

The project titled as “Maritime Health Trainings for Seafarers and Doctors (MariHEALTH)” brings innovative approach to health training program for seafarers and maritime doctors.

The project titled as  “Maritime Health Trainings for Seafarers and Doctors – MariHEALTH” approved by Turkish National Agency (www.ua.gov.tr) and funded by European Commision under the framework of Erasmus+ Programme KA2 Strategic Partnerships for Vocational Education and Training (VET) as a Development of Innovation is coordinated by Maritime Faculty of Istanbul Technical University.

The project is coordinated by ITU, founded in 1773 as the Imperial School of Naval Engineering during Ottoman Empire, Istanbul Technical University (ITU) is now one of the leading state universities in Turkey with approximately 32,000 students. The Maritime Faculty was established in 1884 at Istanbul as a part of the Naval Academy. In 1992, it is re-established as a ‘Maritime Faculty’ of Istanbul Technical University. The departments in ITUMF are Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering Department and Marine Engineering Department. ITUMF is still one of the leading maritime education, training and research institute by utilizing Full-mission, Ship handling Simulator, training ships and many other simulators and labs at Turkey. Furthermore, ITUMF has international academic collaborations in its teaching and research activities.

Simulator Laboratory/Centre provides visual education to students and to the maritime sector in general by using several simulation models. ITUMF has a training, laboratory and research ships and a Maritime Safety at Sea Training Centre including swimming pool, fire training center and lifeboat station.

The members of consortium of this project are University of Strathclyde situated in Glasgow- United Kingdom, Constanta Maritime University located Constanta – Romania, General Directorate of Health for Border and Coastal Areas of Turkey, headquarter in Ankara, Turkey, UCTEA Chamber of Marine Engineers centered in Istanbul, Turkey, Orka Informatics established in Istanbul, Turkey and expanded to London, United Kingdom, and A.P.&A. Limited centered in Poland.

Coordinator of the project

Istanbul Technical University

Partners in the MariHealth

General Directorate of Health for Border and Costal Areas (Turkey)

UCTEA Chamber of Marine Engineers (Turkey)

Orca Informatics (Turkey)

University of Strathclyde (UK)

Constanta Maritime University (Romania)

A.P.&A Limited (Poland)

The project consortium consists of the private companies, public bodies, universities and classification society from Turkey, United Kingdom, Poland, and Romania, who all have an extensive experience within their sectors.

Targets of this project, based on the interest and business scopes of relevant associates, have been attentively selected as summed up hereinafter:

• The main objective is to design web-based e-learning/training platform for seafarers and maritime doctors that focuses on advanced medical intervention practices on-board ship. Thanks to the distance education program this objective will remedy current knowledge gaps, update existing knowledge and develop practical skills of seafarers to perform better even in the toughest cases requiring medical intervention.

In this context, medical training modules for seafarers is developed to improve their first aid skills and knowledge as well as keeping them up to date.

• One of the other targets will be, updated basic-level first aid training program will be provided to keep first-aid skills and knowledge of seafarers. This Program will assist seafarers in putting basic life saving techniques into practice and knowing how to tackle with emergency cases.
• Devising a medical training program in progress to remedy the maritime–related knowledge gap of doctors issuing seafarers’ medical reports and certificate doctors familiar with unique conditions to sea life has also been listed as one of the project goals.

MariHEALTH has been implemented to develop innovative deliverables (intellectual outputs) in health training and assessment.

As one component of promotion strategy, the MariHEALTH project will focus on online courses into the on-going practices of competence centers and health institutes. This initiative, to the end of acquiring aimed outcomes of the project, will enable in the long term using the product and outcomes even after the official termination date of the project.

Project Outputs

Output-1 Development of Course Curriculum

Output-2 MariHEALTH on-line training module for Officers

Rating level seafarers and for Maritime Doctors

Output-3 Evaluation Module

MariHEALTH smartphone mobile app development