| Grace Cosmos is the first of six training vessels NYK will receive by 2012. |
The first group of cadets from the NYK Class at Shanghai Maritime University boarded the vessel May 10. The training schedule is set up so that all cadets, a maximum of 20 per vessel, will study on one of the group’s training vessels for the first three months, after which groups of two or three will board a standard NYK vessel for nine more months.
NYK is to receive five more similarly equipped training vessels — three containerships, one more LNG vessel and a very large crude carrier (VLCC) — through to 2012. The company said it needs the extra crew to sustain its fleet, which is expected to reach 1,200 ships in 2013.
