Marine surveyors, inspectors and client representatives
Visitors who fly out for a day need the helicopter element, and the operator may accept proof of other training from elsewhere.
Course snapshot
CourseTropical Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (T-HUET)
OPITO code5195
Duration1 Day
Fee₹25,000
Validity4 Years
CourseT-HUET, OPITO 5195
Fee and length₹25,000, 1 day
Validity4 years
Fastest trainVande Bharat, 5 h 15 min
By roadAbout 425 km
The helicopter is the part you cannot practise on a boat
Mangaluru has a working port, a refinery and a long tradition of sea-going and boat work, so plenty of people here know what a lifejacket and a launch feel like. What the coast does not offer is a way to rehearse a helicopter ditching, and that is the only skill T-HUET trains. OPITO's standard describes it as preparing learners who will travel to and from offshore installations or vessels by helicopter in a tropical environment, covering pre-flight and in-flight requirements, emergency response and, above all, escape after ditching. It lists 8 hours 20 minutes of guided learning and two mandatory units.
Offshore activity on this coast is picking up. Oil India announced on 29 November 2025 that it had spudded the first well of a campaign in the Kerala-Konkan basin, planned to a depth of about 6,000 metres and about 20 nautical miles from the west coast. The shore base for the campaign is at Cochin Port, under an agreement with Oil India that began in June 2025 for an initial 12 months, with a warehouse, a bulk handling plant and a jetty. We do not know how crews or visitors will be moved, and nothing we found says helicopters are involved. It is the kind of activity that can bring survey, inspection and logistics staff from this coast into offshore induction requirements for the first time.
A second group looks abroad. Mangaluru airport lists direct services to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait City, Muscat, Jeddah and Ras Al Khaimah. If you work in the Gulf, are home on leave and your employer wants evidence of helicopter escape training, T-HUET is a short way to supply it, provided the employer accepts the tropical version. Gulf operators set their own requirements, so ask first.
T-HUET leaves things out on purpose. There is no safety induction, no fire fighting and no first aid in it, so it will not replace T-BOSIET for a first offshore job. Read the next sections before you book.
OPITO T-HUET (5195)
Two mandatory units over 8 hours 20 minutes; certificate valid four years.
Oil India Kerala-Konkan campaign
First well spudded in late November 2025, about 20 nautical miles offshore, supported from Cochin Port.
Mangaluru International Airport
About 13 km from the city, with direct services to several Gulf cities but none to Kochi.
Vande Bharat 20631 and 20632
Listed at 06:25 from Mangaluru to Ernakulam Junction at 11:40, and 18:45 back, arriving 00:45; check days.
Who on this coast is likely to need T-HUET and not the full course
Seafarers with STCW basic safety who are called to a helicopter-served unit
Ship-based fire and survival training does not cover helicopter escape. Ask whether the employer will accept your existing certificates for the rest.
Port, terminal and refinery staff seconded to offshore duty
Short secondments can come with a narrow list of required certificates; check the list first.
Workers home from Gulf postings
Leave in Mangaluru is a chance to complete a one-day course, if the Gulf employer accepts the tropical certificate.
HSE coordinators building a mixed crew list
Some crew need the full induction, others only helicopter escape, so splitting them avoids over-buying.
Helicopter escape alone, the full induction or a refresher
Three questions settle it. First, what does the work order name? If it says T-HUET, book this. Second, do you hold a valid T-BOSIET or T-FOET? Then you already have tropical helicopter escape and do not need to pay for it again. Third, are you new, or is your earlier certificate expired? A lapsed T-BOSIET is not renewed by T-HUET, because the induction, fire and first aid parts would still be missing, so the full three-day course is the usual answer. Warm-water assets generally accept the tropical version, but some contracts name HUET with EBS, the standard form with an emergency breathing system, which is a separate course.
Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (T-BOSIET) →
You are new to offshore work or your certificate has lapsed. Three days, ₹35,000, valid four years.
Tropical Further Offshore Emergency Training (T-FOET) →
You hold an in-date T-BOSIET and want the full refresher. One day, ₹25,000. Our Mangaluru T-FOET page has the renewal details.
Helicopter Underwater Escape Training with EBS (HUET with EBS) →
The contract names HUET with EBS, the standard form. One day, ₹25,000, valid four years.
The three parts of the day
A short classroom briefing leads into pool work on a Modular Egress Training Simulator. Instructors judge you throughout against the OPITO standard, and every exercise must be passed. Medical fitness evidence or a screening form comes first.
- 01
Helicopter safety and escape
Wearing and inflating an aviation lifejacket, following aircrew instructions, evacuating in a controlled or dry-land emergency, exiting in a water ditching, escaping from a partially submerged or capsized helicopter and using push-out windows. This is the core of the day.
- 02
Sea survival techniques
Boarding an aviation life raft, keeping it intact and supporting other people during rescue. Boat crews from this coast will find the water familiar, but the sequence after a helicopter ditching is new.
- 03
Safety equipment use
Using the spray visor and managing emergency gear before, during and after ditching. People often underestimate how much of the escape depends on handling equipment calmly.
For Mangaluru port, marine and contractor employers
Employers here are port and terminal operators, marine service companies, inspection firms and manning agencies who need to match certificates to roles rather than send everyone on the longest course.
Standards that shape training in Karnataka
OPITO T-HUET (5195)Two mandatory units, 8 hours 20 minutes of guided learning. Before the pool work, learners present an offshore medical certificate or an accepted equivalent, or fill in the centre's screening form.
Client and operator contractsThe operator names the certificates it accepts. T-HUET alone will not satisfy a requirement for BOSIET or T-BOSIET.
Safety in Offshore Operations Rules, 2008Regulate offshore petroleum work in India under OISD; each operator then writes its own induction rules.
Directorate General of ShippingSets STCW training for seafarers, which does not replace helicopter escape training.
What employers commonly ask for
| Course | Requirement note |
|---|---|
| Tropical Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (T-HUET) | Asked of people who fly offshore in warm water, where the operator accepts other evidence for the remainder. |
| Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (T-BOSIET) | Needed for those starting out or whose full induction has lapsed. |
| Tropical Further Offshore Emergency Training (T-FOET) | Refresher for in-date T-BOSIET holders. |
| Helicopter Underwater Escape Training with EBS (HUET with EBS) | The standard form, where the contract names it. |
Planning a group booking
- Sort your crew list into three columns: needs full induction, needs helicopter escape only, needs a refresher. This avoids paying the full fee for everyone.
- Ask for the exact wording from each client. Some say HUET, some say HUET with EBS, and the tropical form is not always accepted as an equivalent.
- Corporate accounts at portal.imostacademy.in/register store certificates and expiry dates for a whole crew, which helps when a notice arrives at short notice.
- Karnataka employers are invoiced in rupees with GST; an on-account arrangement needs a credit assessment first.
- A group can travel together on the Vande Bharat and stay one night; ask us about batch dates.
Operators and clients set their own requirements; confirm with your contract or HSE department.
Mangaluru to Njarakkal and back for a one-day course
The campus is about 425 km from Mangaluru by road. The Vande Bharat takes about 5 hours 15 minutes, which makes a one-night trip practical. Mangaluru airport has no direct Kochi service.
Vande Bharat 20631, the day before
Listed to leave Mangaluru Central at 06:25 and reach Ernakulam Junction at 11:40 on six days a week, with no service on Wednesdays. That leaves the afternoon to settle near the campus.
Ernad Express 16605 or Netravati 16345
The Ernad leaves Mangaluru Central at 07:20 and reaches Ernakulam Junction at 16:15 daily. The Netravati is listed from Mangaluru Junction at 05:50 and reaches Ernakulam at 14:10 daily.
Return: Vande Bharat 20632 or Netravati 16346
The Vande Bharat is listed to leave Ernakulam Junction at 18:45 and reach Mangaluru Central at 00:45. The Netravati is listed at 13:15, reaching Mangaluru Junction at 21:30. Ask our team when your batch finishes before choosing.
By air via Bengaluru
Mangaluru has services to Bengaluru, from where there are direct flights to Cochin. It rarely beats the Vande Bharat on time, but it can suit if you are already travelling through Bengaluru.
A one-night plan for the T-HUET day
- 1
Settle what to book
Check the work order, then check which OPITO certificates you already hold and their expiry dates. Ask our team to confirm that T-HUET is the right course before you pay.
- 2
Medical evidence
Bring a valid offshore medical certificate or an accepted equivalent, or be ready to complete the screening form. Declare any medication.
- 3
Day before: travel
Take the morning Vande Bharat or the Ernad Express and settle in close to the campus, with swimwear, a towel and photo ID packed. Our team can recommend where to stay.
- 4
Course day
A short classroom briefing, then pool work with the simulator. Tell the instructor if you are uneasy in water; spectacle wearers need a retaining strap.
- 5
Evening or next day: home
Choose the 18:45 Vande Bharat only if the finish time allows. Otherwise leave the next morning. Add the four-year expiry to your calendar.