Sergey Baryshnikov: “Our graduates work at almost all leading enterprises of the industry”

Russia has recently focused on the Arctic development and it is people that are well known to make all the difference. Sergey Baryshnikov, Rector of the Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping, tells IAA PortNews about training the personnel for operation at the Northern Sea Route and about participation of the University in related international projects.

- Mr. Baryshnikov, how does the Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping promote the development of Northern marine territories that is of high priority today and what measures for safe navigation along ice routes does your University elaborate?

- Surging exports of crude hydrocarbons from Russia’s northern territories and Sakhalin, intensification of transport flows along the Northern Sea Route and construction of new port complexes in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland dictate the need for more specialists able to control marine vessels in challenging ice conditions. The construction of new icebreakers, oil tankers, gas carriers and other vessels requires adequate personnel. The development of port hubs in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk has recently become especially important. Another priority is to ensure safe navigation, environmental safety, readiness to carry out search and rescue operations as well as oil spill response activities and hydrographic support.

The Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping is historically the oldest educational institution involved in scientific research of the Arctic and training of specialist for operation in this region.

Hydrographic Institute was founded in April 1935 and the hydrographic faculty (later Arctic) appeared in the Makarov institution in 1945. As of today, our Arctic faculty comprises three departments: nautical hydrography; geodesy; navigational hydrometeorology and ecology. Each department has its laboratory and computer classes. We also have a coastal training base (Zapadny Berezovy island) for cadets’ practical training. 
To ensure competitiveness of the faculty graduates, training of hydrographers meets the requirements of international skill standards developed by IHO, FIG and ICA.

The Arctic faculty has already trained over 3,100 specialists. Its graduates work at almost all leading enterprises of the industry in Russia and abroad. The application areas include hydrography, geodesy, cartography, marine navigation, port survey. Our graduates are in demand at specialized vessels deployed for off-shore developments.

Apart from conventional educational activities, the University is intensely engaged in practical training, re-training and advanced training of the fleet specialists in line with specific operation of vessels in freezing seas and ports. This function is in the competence of the Marine Education-Training Center (ETC). Special ice training was started at Marine ETC for the first time in Russia in 2001 when building oil terminal in port Primorsk. As of today, Makarov University operates one of the world’s most advanced training centers.
 
In 2006, we signed a contract with the Finnish company Aker Arctic to make education of our ice navigators more activity-oriented with training at the Europe’s most advanced ice basin. In 2007, we added practical training to our course Ice Navigation Training in frrezing water areas of the Gulf of Finland. The training is arranged in Saint-Petersburg, Kotka and Helsinki so that the skills could be reinforced in real ice conditions with application of the experience accumulated by Russian and Finnish specialists.

- Does the University participate in any reladed international projects?

- Highly efficient training and high standards of our customers facilitated our improvements, in particular, with application of our international links. Our participation in MS GOF project (Maritime Safety in the Gulf of Finland) should be acknowledged to be a success.  

The project’s purpose is to manage the research aimed at improvement of marine safety in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. Special attention is focused on ice situation and navigation in winter, that are significant factors of marine safety in the Gulf of Finland. Apart form our institution, the project involved leading scientific research institutes of Russia and Finland. The project was supported by Russia’s Federal Marine and River Transport Agency, Leningrad region Government and Saint-Petersburg Administration. The work comprised the following studies:  
•    Quality factors of ice model at simulators.
•    Special model test in ice basin.
•    More accurate ice modeling and improvement of training model.
•    Validated simulation of physical processes, more efficient education.

The project was also backed up and finally financed by the European Union.

In 2013, within the framework of our cooperation with Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade Makarov SUMIS have developed a unique method of selection and ranging scientific-research and R&D works in the sphere of technical facilities for searching and rescuing in ice conditions. 

In general, we count on cooperation with RF Transport Ministry, Federal Marine and River Transport Agency, leading shipping companies, research institutions, manufacturers of technical facilities, classification societies and educational institutions. We believe that our combined efforts will facilitate fulfillment of challenging and strategically important tasks related to the development of the Northern Sea Route.