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www.marinelink.com 49of its workforce, as he estimates in excess of 20 million have just recently elevated to the middle class. They are in need of training to build and maintain a uniform high technical level, and this is where the WSS com- mitment to training comes in. The company invests not only to ensure a high level of technical competence, it invests too, in sponsored English lessons for all em-ployees for example, to ensure that technicians are able to communicate effectively and ef Þ ciently with crews arriving from around the world.Liferaft Exchange Program Despite a reputation as conservative, the shipping industry is always changing, sometimes radically, of-ten times driven by regulation. Sitting with Sheriff and Schlaepfer afforded a cumulative 44 years of shipping industry experience to tap, and both men concurred that one of the most drastic changes in the shipping industry today, particularly in regards to its effect on the service business, is the ever-shortened time that a ship spends in port. To put it simply, ships are in port for much less time, said Sheriff. Schlaepfer agreed, saying today a (container) ship arrives at eight in the morning and departs at four in the afternoon; tankers still take longer, depending on size up to two days. ?This is a very short time if you have to service the vessel, whether it is servicing the liferafts or commissioning the Þ re system,? Schlaepfer said. ?That is why things like the Liferaft Rental Exchange (LRE) has suddenly become a success, where it prob-ably would not have been 15 years ago,? Sheriff said. The Liferaft Rental Exchange is a program pioneered by WSS, and essentially allows its customers to rent Unitor Liferafts on an annual basis, promising no de-lays or surprises. As a vessel?s short stay in port allows little time for the annual liferaft service, ship operators often don?t have time to send life-saving appliances back to suppliers? service centers and wait for them to be inspected and repaired before setting sail. With the Liferaft Rental Exchange, at the end of the year shipowners simply exchange them for equivalent approved liferafts at a mutually convenient port, the highlight being a Þ xed annual price and quick turn- around, among others. Today WSS maintains 42 LRE stations supporting more than 1,000 ports.OEM SERVICE AND SPARE PARTS:Cranes, hatch covers, cargo ramps, winches and all TTS Group products. www.ttsgroup.com [email protected]?This approval and the introduction of our new safety service train- ing center in Houston is key in growing our internal safety service technician training program. The ABS certiÞ cate means that we are now in a very strong position to offer the market a wide range of certiÞ ed, global safety solutions.Ó Andrew Sheriff, WSS Business Director Safety MR #4 (42-49).indd 49MR #4 (42-49).indd 494/5/2013 12:18:14 PM4/5/2013 12:18:14 PM