American Mariner Training Directory

A headset for augmented reality navigation

The International Maritime Bureau in London, which monitors criminal acts against vessels worldwide, reported an increase in piracy acts for the first three months of 2025 compared to the same period of the previous two years, the majority of which were directed against ships in navigation. In 2021, a U.S. Navy document indicated augmented reality (AR) as “a necessity in…

Training better- educated entry-level mariners at community technical colleges

Nearly 20 years ago, maritime industry leaders approached community and technical colleges in the Greater Houston area with a request: They wanted to see a broader skill set in people coming into the workforce. “That saying, ‘a better-educated entry-level mariner,’ has stayed with us for almost two decades now that we’ve been in this maritime training space,” said John Stauffer,…

Delgado Community College’s Maritime, Fire and Industrial Training Center

Located in New Orleans, Delgado Community College’s Maritime and Industrial Training Center has also earned MarAd Center of Excellence (CoE) status. Equipped with expansive firefighting facilities, three simulators, classrooms and a full kitchen to teach crew how to cook, Delgado is responsible for training between 5,000 and 7,000 people each year from across the region and world with the help…

New president says Maine Maritime Academy still a “best-kept secret”

Perched above Penobscot Bay in Castine, Maine, cadets at Maine Maritime Academy don’t just watch ships dock — they take the helm. “There’s no substitute for doing it yourself,” said Craig Johnson, the school’s new president. “When our boats come into the harbor, there’s a cadet in charge, docking the vessel. There’s no other way to learn other than by…

Fatal fire aboard car carrier highlights training gaps among firefighters and increased concern over EVs

When a fire broke out aboard a docked roll-on/roll-off container vessel in 2023, a small blaze escalated to a deadly inferno that would claim the lives of two firefighters, bring sweeping training recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and highlight the dangers of fires aboard car-carrying vessels. Crewmembers aboard the 692-foot Italian-flagged ro-ro Grande Costa D’Avorio, which was…

Virtual reality simulators create new possibilities for maritime training

Although it’s been in the public consciousness for well over a decade, virtual reality (VR) has only recently gained a foothold in maritime simulation. VR both complements existing simulators while also expanding the training environment, offering the potential to immerse trainees to more scenarios than traditional full mission bridge simulators. The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) just completed construction of eight VR bridges,…

Eyes on the prize

Maritime pilots are high-level professionals who have received specialized training to ensure they are local port experts. Pilots are used primarily when a commercial vessel navigates toward a port that’s often unfamiliar to the captain and crew. These specially trained local experts meet the ship, climb on board and navigate the vessel to its destination. Pilots are used for container,…

Missed rock on navigation chart cited in Alaska ATB grounding

The tugboat Cingluku and its barge Jungjuk sailed toward Shakmanof Cove on Alaska’s Kodiak Island at about 10 knots on a clear spring morning. Without warning, the barge grounded on a rocky shoal a foot or two below the surface. The articulated tug-barge (ATB) unit remained stuck against the rock some 400 yards from shore for four hours, until the…

‘An opportunity to be bigger than I could ever imagine’

It’s not hard for Rear Admiral John Okon, the new president of the State University of New York Maritime College, to pitch prospective students on the benefits of a maritime education and career. He just tells his own story, which began in upstate New York and later took him into the upper echelon of the U.S. Navy, where he served…

Credentialing support services take the frustration out of MMC applications

Gary Peterson has spent a lifetime on the water, primarily as a recreational sailor around San Diego. He also teaches boating safety courses twice a year for the Coast Guard Auxiliary for San Diego County. Every now and then, a student in the boating safety course would ask a question that stumped him, or which he wished he could answer…