Merchant navy officers and ratings moving to offshore support vessels
Anchor-handling, platform supply and crew-change vessels serve installations, and many of their operators ask for an offshore certificate in addition to STCW.
Course snapshot
CourseBasic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training with EBS (BOSIET with EBS)
OPITO code5700
Duration3 Days
Fee₹35,000
Validity4 Years
CourseBOSIET with EBS, OPITO 5700
Fee and length₹35,000 per person, 3 days
Certificate validity4 years
Chennai to Kochi by airAbout 1 h 15 min, direct
Night trainChennai Central to Ernakulam Jn
EligibilityNo offshore experience needed
Why Chennai candidates end up needing BOSIET
Most people who ask us about BOSIET from Chennai are not offshore workers yet. They are deck and engine officers, ratings and cadets from the city's maritime institutes, and shore-based technicians who see offshore support vessels and platform jobs advertised and find the same line in every advertisement: valid offshore survival certificate. A DG Shipping Basic Safety Training certificate is a different qualification. It prepares you for life on a ship. BOSIET prepares you to be transported to, live on and evacuate from an offshore installation, which is why employers ask for both.
The east coast gives that requirement a clear destination. ONGC's KG-DWN-98/2 block lies about 35 km off the Andhra Pradesh coast in water 300 to 3,200 metres deep, and its discoveries are developed in three clusters. Reliance operates the KG-D6 block with a 33.33 per cent partner interest held by bp, and its deepwater developments are produced through floating systems in the Bay of Bengal. Crew and technicians who work on vessels and facilities of that kind are commonly asked for a BOSIET or its tropical equivalent. Which one is a question for the client contract, and the next section helps you ask it properly.
Closer to home, the yards north of the city create a second group. The Tamil Nadu Maritime Board lists the modular fabrication facility at Kattupalli, run by L&T Energy Hydrocarbon, with jetties from which large modules for the oil, gas and energy sectors are loaded out. Fabricators and riggers there mostly need site safety, fire and permit training, and BOSIET only when their employer sends them offshore for hook-up or commissioning work. If that is you, wait for the work order before paying for the course.
A third group is looking at employment abroad through recruiters. India's Protector of Emigrants has a Chennai office, one of ten across the country, and recruiting agents are registered on the eMigrate portal. Check an agent there before you pay for anything. A genuine offshore employer will tell you which certificate it needs, and you can then book the course yourself.
ONGC KG-DWN-98/2, off Andhra Pradesh
Deepwater block about 35 km offshore in 300 to 3,200 m of water, developed in three clusters.
Reliance-bp KG-D6 block
Reliance holds 66.67 per cent and bp 33.33 per cent; the MJ development is the third deepwater project brought on stream there.
Modular fabrication facility, Kattupalli
Run by L&T Energy Hydrocarbon; Jetty-1 is 150 m long and loads out modules for oil, gas and energy projects.
Kamarajar Port, Ennore
On the Coromandel Coast about 24 km north of Chennai Port, one of two major ports in the Chennai region alongside Chennai Port itself.
Who in Chennai needs BOSIET with EBS
Marine engineers and electro-technical officers
Engineers who may be flown to a rig, FPSO or production platform for repairs need the helicopter-escape element as well as the sea survival one.
Fresh graduates and cadets from Chennai maritime institutes
A BOSIET on the CV, bought before you apply rather than after an offer, shortens the time between interview and mobilisation.
Fabrication supervisors, riggers and commissioning engineers
Staff who follow modules from a yard such as Kattupalli to an installation need the course before the offshore phase of the job, not before the yard phase.
Surveyors, inspectors and QA/QC staff
Third-party inspectors who visit platforms and vessels are usually required to meet the same induction standard as the crew they inspect.
BOSIET, T-BOSIET or digital delivery: choosing from Chennai
Start with the paperwork you have been given. If a contract, job advertisement or client induction letter names BOSIET, take BOSIET with EBS, OPITO 5700. If it names T-BOSIET, take that, OPITO 5501. Standard BOSIET is built around cold-water conditions and is the version often requested for North Sea and many international operators. T-BOSIET is OPITO's tropical version for warm-water regions. Both cost ₹35,000, run for three days and are valid for four years here, so the decision is about acceptance, not budget. A Chennai seafarer who may later take an overseas contract often chooses the standard version because it is the safer bet on a CV, but the operator always decides. Digital delivery moves the theory online before you arrive; ask our team for the current format, practical days and fee, because it is priced and scheduled separately from the classroom course.
Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (T-BOSIET) →
Your work is confirmed for Indian or other warm waters and the client accepts the tropical certificate.
Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training with EBS (Digital Delivery) →
You can finish the theory online at home in Chennai and want fewer days away from work.
Basic H2S Training →
Your platform or vessel handles sour gas; it is a half-day OPITO 9014 course valid for 2 years that many people add to the same trip.
What the three days cover, for a ship's officer or yard engineer
The syllabus is the same for everyone, but it lands differently on a Chennai seafarer than on a first-time candidate. Assessment is continuous and practical, by OPITO-approved instructors, and you must show competence in every exercise.
- 01
Safety Induction
Risk management, safety laws, offshore hazards and incident reporting. For a ship's officer this is the module that shows where installation rules differ from ship rules, such as safety zones, permit systems and muster practice.
- 02
Firefighting and Self-Rescue
Handheld extinguishers and escape from a smoke-filled space on our fire ground. Seafarers know fire drills; the difference here is instructor-led self-rescue under smoke rather than a classroom walk-through.
- 03
Sea Survival
Lifejackets, boarding survival craft and individual and group survival in the water. Anyone used to a lifeboat drill from a ship will find the in-water practice with a life raft is where the effort goes.
- 04
HUET Safety and Escape (with EBS)
Helicopter ditching drills, controlled descent and escape using the Emergency Breathing System. This is the content ship-based qualifications do not include, and for many candidates the most demanding part of the course.
- 05
Hands-on Pool Drills
Simulated emergencies in aviation suits, lifejackets and EBS, practised in a controlled indoor pool using a Modular Egress Training Simulator. Candidates who are weak swimmers should tell the instructor on day one.
For Chennai ship managers, yards and manning offices
Companies in Chennai that buy BOSIET are mostly marine and offshore contractors, ship managers adding offshore support vessels to their fleets, fabrication yards sending staff offshore, and manning agencies placing crew. Their needs differ by contract, so one order often includes both BOSIET and T-BOSIET candidates.
Standards that shape training in Tamil Nadu
Directorate General of Shipping (DGS)Sets seafarer training and certification for Indian seafarers under STCW, including Basic Safety Training. It is a separate qualification from OPITO offshore courses.
OISD and the Safety in Offshore Operations Rules, 2008The Oil Industry Safety Directorate is the competent authority for offshore petroleum operations under rules notified in 2008. Individual operators then write their own training requirements into contracts.
Protector of Emigrants and eMigrateOverseas recruiting agents are registered through the eMigrate system, which also has a grievance module for complaints against agents and foreign employers. Manning agencies should keep their registration current.
OPITO standardOPITO defines BOSIET and T-BOSIET content and approves the centres that deliver them. The client contract decides which version it will accept.
What employers commonly ask for
| Course | Requirement note |
|---|---|
| Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training with EBS (BOSIET with EBS) | Often requested where crew could be redeployed to international or cold-water assets. Check the scope of work before booking. |
| Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (T-BOSIET) | Often accepted for warm-water work such as Bay of Bengal assets. Some clients still specify the standard version. |
| Basic H2S Training | Asked for by many oil and gas sites before access; valid for two years, so track it on a different cycle from BOSIET. |
| Permit to Work PTW System Training | Useful for supervisors on yard-to-offshore hook-up jobs. This is an iMost certificate, not an OPITO one. |
Planning a group booking
- Register at https://portal.imostacademy.in/register. Approved companies get team logins, contract rate-card pricing and group bookings.
- Invoices to Tamil Nadu and other Indian companies carry GST and can be raised against a purchase order; statements and certificates sit in the same portal account.
- Send names, the version each person needs and each person's rotation or sail date. We propose batches around vessel crew changes rather than asking crew to find their own dates.
- Upload scans of certificates and passports. The portal tracks renewal dates, which matters when a manning office holds a pool of crew waiting for contracts.
- Credit terms can be arranged after a credit assessment; ask our team how it works.
Operators and clients set their own requirements; confirm with your contract or HSE department.
Getting from Chennai to Njarakkal, Kochi
Chennai is a short flight from Kochi, or one night by train. Either way, plan to arrive the day before the course so you reach the campus rested and on time for day one.
Chennai (MAA) to Cochin (COK)
Direct flights between Chennai and Cochin International Airport are listed on IndiGo, taking a little over an hour. The airport is about 40 km from the campus, so allow an hour or more by taxi. Check the current timetable before booking.
Overnight trains from Chennai Central
The Alleppey Express (22639) and the Trivandrum Mail (12623) both run through Coimbatore and Palakkad to Ernakulam. Journey time is about 11 to 12 hours, and both reach Kochi in the morning. Confirm numbers, stops and timings on the railway enquiry service before you travel.
Shared car or hired vehicle
The road runs via Salem, Coimbatore and Palakkad and is roughly 700 km. It makes sense only for a group sharing one vehicle, since the drive takes most of a day.
A five-day plan from Chennai
- 1
Before you book: get the version in writing
Ask the employer, agent or crewing manager for the exact course name and OPITO code. A single line such as BOSIET with EBS, OPITO 5700, or T-BOSIET, OPITO 5501, saves a repeat trip.
- 2
Day 0: travel to Kochi
Take the evening train that reaches Ernakulam Junction in the morning, or fly out and arrive by lunchtime. Check in to a place near the campus; our team can suggest places to stay near the campus. Keep swimwear and photo ID in your hand luggage.
- 3
Days 1 to 3: the course
Safety induction, fire ground, sea survival, helicopter escape and pool drills are spread across the three days in an order set by the instructors, so ask our team for the timetable of your batch. Tell the instructor about any medication or spectacles on arrival, and dress for physical activity.
- 4
Day 3: assessment and certificate
Competence in every exercise is required before an OPITO certificate is issued. Put the four-year expiry date in your phone before you leave.
- 5
Day 4: travel home
Book the return only after the batch dates are confirmed, and check the train or flight time yourself since night services fill up. A buffer day is sensible if you are not in a hurry.