Northeast Maritime Institute (NMI) has announced plans to hold a competition that will identify the world’s most skilled ship handlers. The competition, to be held June 5 to June 7, 2009 in Fairhaven, Mass. will offer a total of $50,000 in prizes to the top three contestants.
The International Shiphandling Championship will challenge contestants to demonstrate their skills in handling four different vessel types ranging in size from modern tugs to large containerships. Participants will face challenging ship handling scenarios on Northeast Maritime Transas simulators.
First prize will be $30,000, second will be $15,000, and third will be $5,000.
The contest is designed to honor the most highly skilled people in the industry, while helping the general public to better understand how those skills allow mariners to foster a healthy economy while safeguarding the environment.
Robert Glover, Director of Education at the institute said “We believe the average American may not understand the importance of the mariner’s skills and we believe this competition will bring to light the daily challenges of handling ships.”
Sponsors to date for the event are Transas, Professional Mariner Magazine, Gcaptain.com, the Dominica Maritime Registry, Inc. and the US State Department.
To learn more about the competition and how to register, please visit us online at www.shiphandlingchampion.com.