37 Indian officers and 11 foreign officers complete marine engineering course of INS Shivaji

Commodore Ravnish Seth, Commanding Officer, INS Shivaji reviewing the Parade

THE Course Completion Ceremony of the 89th batch of Marine Engineering Specialisation Course (MESC) of INS Shivaji was held on Saturday. Forty eight officers from Indian Navy and some friendly foreign navies successfully completed the 105 weeks of professional training.

INS Shivaji, known as the alma mater for all marine engineer officers of the Indian Navy, is the premier training establishment of the Navy located in Lonavala. The 89th batch of MESC consisted of 37 Indian officers and 11 foreign officers from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Tanzania, Sudan, Fiji and Bangladesh.

“During the three rigorous phases of MESC, the officers were trained on live equipment, state-of-art simulators, trainer kits, in addition to comprehensive classroom instructions. In addition, the officers underwent 26 weeks of afloat training on Indian Navy and Coast Guard ships for award of Engine Room Watchkeeping Certificate. These officers are now poised to take on the challenges of their first appointment as Assistant/ Senior Engineer Officer onboard frontline warships,” read a press statement from INS Shivaji.

“The officers were smartly turned out in ceremonials while donning white masks and maintaining ‘do-gaj-ki-doori’, thereby abiding by the precautionary protocols of Covid-19. The ceremony was reviewed by Commodore Ravnish Seth, Commanding Officer INS Shivaji and Station Commander Lonavala,” the release added.

Commodore Seth, in his address, congratulated the officers and exhorted the young engineer officers to lead by example and pursue excellence in every endeavour while maintaining the highest standard of quality. He also highlighted the service rendered by Indian Navy to the nation during the testing times of Covid-19, the statement read.

He awarded trophies to the officers adjudged first in overall order of merit, best sportsman and best international officer. The ‘Hammer’ for the ‘Best All-Round Officer’ was awarded to Lieutenant Bharat Kandpal, and Vice Admiral Daya Shankar Rolling Trophy for ‘Best Sportsman’ was awarded to Lieutenant Divyansh Singla. The FOC-in-C (South) Rolling Trophy for ‘Best International Officer’ was awarded to Lieutenant Commander Md Mehedi Hasan of the Bangladesh Navy.