A MARINE safety training centre on Tyneside is providing sailors with fire fighting training.

South Tyneside College's Marine Safety Training Centre (MSTC) has established a relationship with Danish ferry operator DFDS Seaways.

Following a visit to MSTC by Jesper Olsen, the chief officer of the DFDS flagship Queen of Scandinavia, which operates a regular service from the Tyne, organised a programme of training sessions with the college.

In return, fire safety instructors from the college were invited on a cruise to Amsterdam to see fire safety in operation at sea.

Ian Cullen, director of the MSTC, said: "This is an excellent example of the public and private sectors working together for mutual benefit.

"We were able to provide DFDS Seaways with specialised training and they, in return, provided our fire officers with invaluable experience of marine fire safety in an authentic marine environment."

The South Tyneside College officers, who work on secondment from the Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade, learned fire safety procedures on the ship, and were able to advise, where necessary, on ways in which emergency exercises could be improved.

To date, three groups of DFDS Seaways employees have undergone training in the MSTC smoke chamber and two firemen have sailed aboard the Queen of Scandinavia, with four more scheduled to sail shortly.

Chief officer Olsen said: "The safety and security of our passengers is a priority and we have been delighted with the refresher course which we undertook with South Tyneside College."