Officers and ratings aiming at offshore support vessels
Vessels that serve rigs and wind farms commonly ask for an offshore survival certificate in addition to seafarer papers. Check the vessel manager's list.
Course snapshot
CourseTropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (T-BOSIET)
OPITO code5501
Duration3 Days
Fee₹35,000
Validity4 Years
CourseT-BOSIET, OPITO 5501
Length and fee3 days, ₹35,000
Certificate valid4 years
Experience neededNone; medically fit
CampusNjarakkal, Vypin island
Stay neededNone if you live in Kochi
What Kochi's offshore activity does, and does not, ask of local candidates
Be precise about the local picture. As far as we could verify, no oil or gas is produced off Kochi today. An undated government note on the Kerala-Konkan basin, which lies off this coast, records 15 exploratory wells drilled and none producing. What Kochi has is a port and a shipyard that serve the offshore industry. In June 2025 the Cochin Port Authority and Oil India signed an agreement for a support base for the company's exploration vessels, with a warehouse, a dry bulk handling plant and an exclusive jetty, plus berthing, refuelling, potable water and shore power, for an initial period of 12 months. In January 2026 Oil India reported the start of its first well in the basin, planned to reach 6,000 m about 20 nautical miles offshore, backed by more than 1,028 sq km of 3D seismic data.
Read that carefully. A supply base on land creates work for stevedores, storekeepers, truck drivers and ship agents, and most of those people never leave the quay, so they do not need T-BOSIET. The certificate matters to the smaller group who travel to the rig or ride the supply vessels, and whether a given job requires it is set by the drilling contractor and operator, not by this page. If you hope to move from a shore job into one of those roles, ask the hiring company before you pay.
The second local thread is the shipyard. Cochin Shipyard launched a hybrid, methanol-ready commissioning service operation vessel on 18 October 2025, which it describes as India's first vessel for offshore renewable energy. Press reports give it as about 93 m long, with accommodation for up to 120 people, and the yard has begun building two commissioning service operation vessels for a Cyprus-based owner. Commissioning engineers and sea-trial crew on a vessel like that sometimes need sea survival training, and the owner's specification decides which. Treat the shipyard as a place where you may meet the requirement, not a promise that you will.
Finally, the training pipeline. Indian Maritime University has a Kochi campus on Willingdon Island, moved to a 10-acre site in 2016, offering nautical science and port and shipping programmes. Its own annual report credits the presence of the port, the shipyard, the LNG terminal and the container terminal with giving students exposure. Graduates who aim at offshore support vessels commonly add an OPITO induction to their seafarer papers.
Cochin Port and Oil India support base
Agreement of June 2025 for a warehouse, dry bulk plant and exclusive jetty serving exploration vessels, initially for 12 months.
Oil India first well, Kerala-Konkan basin
Announced in January 2026; planned 6,000 m well about 20 nautical miles offshore, backed by 1,028 sq km of 3D seismic.
Hybrid commissioning service operation vessel
Launched by Cochin Shipyard on 18 October 2025 for offshore wind work; accommodation reported at up to 120 people.
Indian Maritime University, Kochi campus
Willingdon Island campus inaugurated in 2009 and moved to a 10-acre site in 2016.
Which Kochi residents should consider T-BOSIET
Shipyard commissioning engineers and sea-trial staff
Some owners specify sea survival training for people who sail on trials or deliveries. The contract tells you whether it is optional.
Marine surveyors, inspectors and project engineers who visit offshore sites
A single trip by helicopter or crew boat triggers the same induction as a crew change.
Returnees from overseas rotations who have settled in Ernakulam district
A lapsed certificate from a former contract means a fresh start, and living near the campus makes the three days easy to arrange.
Nautical science and marine engineering graduates in the city
An early certificate shortens the time between an offer and joining. Buy it when you have a target, because the four years run from the course date.
Port-base staff who may be asked to ride out to a vessel or rig
Most shore roles do not need it. Ask your employer whether any part of the job takes you to sea.
T-BOSIET, BOSIET with EBS or the digital route
For a Kochi candidate the fee is the same for all three, so the choice is only about what the employer will accept. T-BOSIET is OPITO's tropical version for warm-water regions, including the waters off this coast. BOSIET with EBS is the standard version, often named by international operators and for assets that could move to colder water. T-BOSIET Digital Delivery moves the theory online and leaves one practical day, which suits a working person who cannot take three days in a row. If an offer letter names one of them, book that. If you have no offer, ask the shipping or manning company which it asks for most.
Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training with EBS (BOSIET with EBS) →
The contract says BOSIET, the client is international, or the asset could be redeployed to colder water. Three days, ₹35,000, OPITO 5700.
Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (Digital Delivery) →
You can study online at home and attend only one practical day at Njarakkal. Same fee, same four-year validity.
Basic H2S Training →
The role involves gas or process areas, for example a terminal or a drilling campaign. Half a day, ₹12,500, valid two years.
The four parts of the course, read for a Kochi candidate
Classroom teaching and practical exercises alternate across the three days. OPITO-approved instructors assess each exercise against the OPITO standard, and you must show competence in all of them to receive the certificate. Water work takes place in an indoor pool with a Modular Egress Training Simulator, and fire work on a dedicated fire ground.
- 01
Safety induction
Offshore hazards, applicable safety rules and management systems, and everyone's responsibilities. Shipyard staff already know permits and muster drills; this module shows how offshore installations tighten them.
- 02
Helicopter safety and escape (tropical HUET)
Helicopter travel hazards in warm regions, brace positions and escape from a capsized, submerged helicopter. Most candidates have never flown to a work site, so expect to practise the sequence several times with the instructor.
- 03
Sea survival and first aid
Survival in warm water without an immersion suit, lifejackets, life rafts, the effects of heat on the body and basic first aid. Those who know the backwaters from boats still find it new to work as a group in the water in a lifejacket.
- 04
Fire fighting and self-rescue
Prevention, portable extinguishers and escaping a smoke-filled space. A candidate from the port or the refinery belt will recognise the equipment and may be surprised by how the escape drills are staged.
For Kochi marine contractors, vessel managers and training coordinators
Buyers here include ship managers and vessel owners, marine and port-service contractors, shipyard subcontractors and manning agencies. Because staff live nearby, a coordinator can book people in small waves and avoid the hotel and travel costs that outstation crews carry.
Standards that shape training in Kerala
OPITO T-BOSIET (5501)The tropical offshore induction; the certificate is valid for four years.
Contract and owner specificationsA vessel owner or operator decides which induction applies. The scope of work or crewing instruction is the document to read.
Directorate General of ShippingSets STCW basic training for Indian seafarers, which is separate from an OPITO induction and not replaced by it.
Cochin Port Authority site rulesAnyone working inside the port follows its access and safety requirements, which are independent of any offshore certificate.
What employers commonly ask for
| Course | Requirement note |
|---|---|
| Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (T-BOSIET) | The tropical induction that many operators and contractors in Indian waters ask for. The client contract decides. |
| Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training with EBS (BOSIET with EBS) | The standard version, named by many international operators and for assets that may move to colder water. |
| Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (Digital Delivery) | For employers who want staff on site for one practical day instead of three. |
Planning a group booking
- Register at portal.imostacademy.in/register for team logins, rate card pricing and group bookings once approved.
- Indian companies are invoiced in rupees with GST. A purchase order can be used, and credit terms follow a credit assessment.
- Because your people live locally, tell us your rota and we will propose batches that fit around vessel schedules and shipyard shifts.
- Upload certificates to the portal so that renewals appear before a crew change, not after it.
Operators and clients set their own requirements; confirm with your contract or HSE department.
Getting to Njarakkal each morning from Ernakulam and beyond
The campus is on Vypin island, across the Goshree bridges from Ernakulam. Three early starts in a row is the real planning problem, so test your route before the first day. Boat services also reach Vypin, though you still need a bus or auto on the island.
Own vehicle or taxi over the Goshree bridges
About 14 km from Ernakulam Town and 15 km from Ernakulam Junction. Allow extra time on weekday mornings, when the approaches to the bridges are slower, and ask our team for the reporting time.
Kochi Water Metro to Vypin
Services between High Court and Vypin take about 20 minutes, after which you continue by bus or auto along the island road. Check current timings and fares locally before relying on them.
Bus from Ernakulam
City and private buses serve Vypin. Confirm which route stops nearest to Njarakkal on a trial run the day before.
Three days from home
- 1
Settle the version and the dates
Confirm in writing which certificate your employer or crewing manager wants. Then write to info@imostacademy.in or WhatsApp +91 8075 787307 for current batch dates.
- 2
Rehearse the commute
Drive or ride the route at the hour you will travel, and note how long the bridge approaches take. Add a margin on day one.
- 3
Pack the night before
Swimwear, towel, comfortable clothing, valid photo ID and a retaining strap if you wear spectacles. Declare any medication to the instructor.
- 4
Days one to three
Induction, pool-based helicopter escape and sea survival, then the fire ground and first aid. Rest well at home in the evening; the practical days are physical.
- 5
After the course
Scan the certificate, share it with your crewing manager and diarise the four-year expiry.