The name EMSSTROM was originally used for a Training Vessel located in the small port city of Leer which is in the East-Frisia region of Germany along the river Ems. The second part of the name, “STROM”, being the German word for current (electrical and water) or a large river.
The main purpose of the training vessel was the training of Filipino cadets to qualify them as future Management Level officers and to meet the high expectations of the Shipowners (mostly German) serviced by the crew Management Company Marlow Navigation (Cyprus). In addition cook trainees from the Philippines were trained in European Cuisine and European seafarers had the opportunity to enroll for safety and security training in accordance with STCW requirements.
The program was successfully migrated to new and larger training facilities in Manila and the vessel was sold at the end of 2012. While in tow for the new owners the vessel collided with the tug towing it (see the MAIB report) and subsequently sank near the western end of the English Channel close to Hopes Nose, Torquay, South Devon.
Many successful graduates of the original training program and of the new implementation continue their careers as senior officers, engineers and managers while many excellent cooks have emerged from the program and the modern training kitchen in Manila. Those trainees once were asked to “Pay it Forward”, and thus many have spent their time at the training center to pass on what they have learned and to continuously improve upon their own skills and knowledge. Some of them have formed their own training organizations.
In 2016 the name “EMSSTROM” was adopted by one of them as the acronym for their training organization. Even though the words have been chosen to make up the name, they are still reflective of the high goals to achieve quality training and contribute to stable incomes for all Filipino Seafarers. While the founders briefly had plans to use this website for their training facilities… those plans were broken off and this site remains with the original owner independent of the training organization.
Plans to develop this site as a knowledge exchange for maritime students have not been successful for lack of interest from students and faculty… Hence we are currently accumulating maritime news articles from different sources…
[ALUMNI and ALL other interested parties are always welcome to discuss use of this domain for a purpose reflective of the original name & purpose]