PANAJI: Ark Shipping & Management Company (Ark SMC) is the first company to design and manufacture a dry drill simulator at its factory in Pilerne Industrial Estate, Goa.  “We are the first in India to manufacturer a dry drill simulator,” he told the Navhind Times.

  This life saving apparatus is used as part of its training programme for ONGC staff and cruise candidates, at its institute in Betul.
Ark SMC has designed and built shallow water escape training modules, which is used by ONGC personnels on underwater escape learning courses from a helicopter module. Proprietor and CEO of Ark SMC, Commander Arya Mittra Hooda (retd) said offshore oil rigs and platform companies are availing of such benefits. This training was the first of its kind ever done in India, he said.
Ark SMC later went on to design and build an advanced dunker (helicopter mock-up) at Pilerne to start training ONGC and other oil drilling companies staff in Mumbai. Presently many foreign institutes have entered India to start such training with imported equipment costing a lot of money, but he said, his indigenously built HUET dunker (a helicopter mock up) built in Goa still remains the best Indian initiative so far.
In another initiative, Ark SMC in association with India Tourism Development Cooperation (ITDC), is offering free cruise hospitality course for Goans, declared by outgoing students as the `hot deal’ for them. Subsidised by the Government of India the course is mainly for drop outs, though all can apply, said Commander Hooda.
In association with ITDC, Ark SMC is also starting a `free capacity building’ part time hospitality programme certified and sponsored by the Government of India. This part time course is ideal for Goans who have or passed the 10th standard and are seeking a valid certificate and to those who are working lower wrung of the hospitality sector such as shacks and lower grade hotels.