PETALING JAYA: The Transport Ministry will begin talks with UK's National Training Academy for Rail (NTAR) to set up the nation's own training centre, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

       "The ministry will engage with NTAR to build a content structure for standards and tap their expertise and experience in providing rail-based skills training, investigation, safety, and management courses for our own upcoming National Rail Centre of Excellence (NRCOE)," said the Transport Minister.

       Dr Wee said this in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Oct 19) after a visit to NTAR, which is located in Northampton, about 1.5 hours from London by train.

       He said the visit and talks formed part of a broader engagement to build a better working relationship with the UK Department for Transport's rail team, adding that this is focused on fostering a smart partnership between NTAR and the NRCOE.

       In an earlier post, Dr Wee said he met up with Maritime Mutual Insurance Association Limited (MMIA) director Paul Rankin to discuss matters on Protection & Indemnity Malaysia (P&I Malaysia) related to the maritime industry.

       "With our fast-growing maritime industry, Malaysia needs to go up to another level and be able to secure coverage for larger vessels of more than 300 gross tonnage. We need more comprehensive and higher coverage," Dr Wee said.

       Currently, P&I provides marine liability coverage up to a combined single limit of RM1.4 million for small vessels.

       A fixed-premium marine protection and indemnity insurance provider, P&I was incorporated on Aug 21, 2015 to ensure that all vessels are insured as required under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952.

       "Hopefully this potential partnership between P&I Malaysia and MMIA will provide a springboard towards more comprehensive maritime insurance and further strengthen the competitiveness of our logistics sector," Dr Wee added.

       Besides London, MMIA also has offices in Dubai, Shanghai, Auckland, and Singapore.