Training – Professional Mariner

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,…

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…

Empire State VII leads a new generation of maritime training ships

EMPIRE STATE VII Adecade ago, the training ships at America’s six state maritime academies (SMAs) were generally old, repurposed vessels. Some were really old, such as the State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College’s 1962-era Empire State VI, a converted cargo ship that had seen 60 years of service when it was stricken in 2022. Of course, old didn’t…

Shipyards train for the future

The latest data from the U.S. Maritime Administration accounts for 154 active, private shipyards and another 300 private shipyards “conducting repair or other shipbuilding or repair services” in 29 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Those facilities, as of 2023, have 105,652 workers on their payrolls with employment in shipbuilding sector “increasing steadily over the past five years,” according to…

Many paths lead to the sea

As the maritime transportation field continues to evolve, “the industry faces ongoing challenges, including rehabilitating an aging infrastructure, keeping pace with technology, adapting to broad organizational changes, and meeting the growing demands of a global economy amid enhanced national security threats,” according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. Earlier this year, current administrator of the agency and retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral,…

Wanted: Ship Engineers

According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, marine engineers “supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship.” The government agency estimates that in 2022 there were more than 8,600 individuals so employed in the U.S. with a mean annual wage of just over $100,000.…