Seagull advances its Leadership training
Seagull AS has significantly broadened its training offering to the maritime sector by acquiring a 20% stake in Copenhagen-based Green-Jakobsen, which specialises in the instruction of safety governance and human resource development for the most senior officers in shipping.
Seagull, based in Horten - Norway, has also retained an option to acquire a larger portion of shares in Green-Jakobsen, and reached a formal agreement to work jointly on developing leadership training concepts for the shipping and offshore sectors.
Seagull has already secured a leading position in the field of computer-based training (CBT) packages for crews in the maritime sector, with some 500 clients across the industry, and its on board suite used on 7,000 ships. Longstanding customers include Teekay, Mitsui, OSM Crew Management, Shell, Thome, Chevron, BP, Columbia Ship Management, and BW Fleet Management.
Roger Ringstad, Seagull Managing Director, said the latest agreement reflected an evolution in the way training is being delivered to the most senior ship’s officers.
“The need to develop the highest levels of skills in the most senior officers has not changed, but the way of delivering the training to achieve those skill levels has changed profoundly,” he said. “In a relatively short period of time, a large number of Seagull’s clients have embraced the CBT-based management training developed by Green-Jakobsen and offered through Seagull’s comprehensive onboard library. Part of the extended collaboration is to further develop a concept for management training, an area where Seagull is aiming for market leadership.”
The two companies started their collaboration in 2007, with Seagull going on to offer Green-Jakobsen leadership training modules as part of the Seagull ‘Library for Seafarers’.
While the companies will continue to operate as two separate businesses, the new agreement will see Seagull engaging Green-Jakobsen to run certain competence management projects for Seagull clients, at the same time acquiring the rights to all CBT modules developed by Green-Jakobsen to include in its training library.
Both parties had recognised that their market shares can be strengthened by joining forces, Mr Ringstad said. “This extended collaboration will boost our combined resources, enabling us to deliver on projects we otherwise would not be able to carry out. Through this new arrangement, Green-Jakobsen will also be able to take advantage of Seagull’s large customer base and marketing capabilities, while Seagull will benefit from Green-Jakobsen’s competence and capacity to further develop its competence management offering, and its services within leadership training. This cooperation will further strengthen Seagull’s position in the maritime market as the preferred supplier of training material including training and competence administration software.”
Green-Jakobsen Managing Director, Erik Green, added: “In extending our collaboration, the boards and managements of the two companies expect the market positions and business potential of both organisations to be strengthened.”
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