Vocational News

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the designation of 32 Centers of Excellence (COE) for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education. The designated COEs consist of 50 maritime training locations across 17 states and Guam. The designation recognizes and promotes support to post-secondary maritime training programs that prepare students for careers in the maritime industry.“Our country depends on a highly-skilled mariner workforce to strengthen both our economy and our national security,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

When asked about the top issues facing shipbuilders, executives at the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) listed a number of topics and concerns. SCA is the only national trade association representing U.S. shipyards engaged in the building and repairing of military and other government and commercial vessels, and companies providing goods and services to the shipbuilding industry.Shutdowns have consequencesMatthew Paxton and Paula Zorensky are, respectively, SCA President and Vice President. Their top federal concern at the end of September? A U.S.

South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean is conducting a comprehensive cooperation project to train and recruit Vietnamese workers.Hanwha Ocean signed an MOU with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam (MOIT) in Hanoi, Vietnam on July 22. The aim is to meet the recruitment needs of Hanwha Ocean in the future by supporting programs for strengthening the capabilities of vocational training institutions under the Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade. Through this, Hanwha Ocean expects to be able to establish a stable recruitment plan for skilled foreign technical personnel.

For companies active in all parts of the commercial maritime sector, finding and holding onto the workers they need to build, operate and service the industry’s wide range of vessels has been challenging. Simply put, the labor market is tight, and the problem is not getting any easier to solve.Mike Ellis, CEO at American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), said a continued shortage of qualified personnel has been the most pressing issue for ACBL—and probably for the barging industry as a whole. “There's been so much demand on people.

St. Johns Ship Building (SJSB) is working to attract the next generation of skilled shipyard workers.The Palatka, Fla. shipbuilder announced it has introduced a comprehensive vocational training program designed to cultivate a variety of sought-after marine and shipbuilding crafts and trades. The program will be progressively rolled out, with each stage focusing on different skill sets and timeframes.The initial six-week course aims to provide workers with the essential skills required in the industry.

VARD, a Norwegian shipbuilding subsidiary of Italy's Fincantieri Group, announced Arnt Inge Gjerde has been appointed as the new yard director at Vard Brattvaag. Gjerde is also yard director at the nearby Vard Søviknes and is now leading both shipyards."We are very pleased that Arnt Inge has taken on the responsibility for the two yards in Sunnmøre. We know him as a solid leader with great credibility both among our employees and customers and we look forward to further developing our yards…

About 28,500 workers at Norwegian shipyards, oil industry fabrication plants, and other manufacturers will go on strike from April 1, unless labor unions and employers reach a new wage deal, a state-appointed mediator said on Monday.Firms that stand to be affected are suppliers to the oil and gas industry, such as Aker Solutions, where 736 workers may strike; Aibel, with 661 employees, and Kaefer Energy, with 405 employees, the unions said.A strike would affect construction of ships…

Crowley Maritime Corporation and Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) said Tuesday they'd create a first-of-its-kind training and workforce development program dedicated specifically to the New England region’s offshore wind energy industry.The program will be certified by the Global Wind Organisation (GWO), a non-profit that sets international standards for safety training. The academy will coordinate with Relyon Nutec, the world’s largest provider of specialized instruction for energy and industrial sectors…

The Australian Maritime College (AMC), part of the University of Tasmania (UTAS), and the International Association of Maritime and Port Executives (IAMPE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreeing to work together on professional development for the maritime and port industry. Under the MOU, AMC and the IAMPE will acknowledge and endorse each other’s programs related to port and terminal education and training. The IAMPE will look to provide a professional certification as Marine Terminal Operator (MTO) to AMC undergraduate students for successfully completing the maritime undergraduate program. In addition, AMC is reviewing IAMPE programs for the granting of academic credit to graduate students in their new Maritime Business Administration in Maritime Management program.

Kongsberg Maritime (KM) said it will supply an equipment and simulation package for the maritime training vessel MS Gann, helping both to reduce the vessel’s emissions and enhance the education offered on board. The contract, worth 41.2 million NOK, is part of an extensive refit and will include KONGSBERG’s SAVe Energy battery system and hybrid shaft generators, in addition to power management, propulsion control and monitoring systems.MS Gann – which ran passenger services along…

The technology group Wärtsilä said it has been contracted by the City of Duisburg, Germany, to provide the latest in simulator technology for inland waterway navigation. The simulator will consist of seven full mission bridges in two locations within Duisburg; six at the Schiffer-Berufskolleg Rhein vocational college, and one at the DST Development Centre for Ship Technology and Transport Systems.The technology will enable inter-connectivity with other simulators, a universal hardware interface for future developments, and can be used for R&D purposes, Wärtsilä said.

The offshore wind industry in the United States is growing exponentially, with multiple projects in the development stages off of the Atlantic coast. The total megawatt capacity of U.S. offshore wind farms is anticipated to reach 22,000 by 2030 and 43,000 by 2050. To support this growth, U.S. Department of Energy reports estimate over 40,000 new jobs will be created by 2030.The new jobs anticipated to support the offshore wind industry include a wide range of types, including engineers, trade workers, surveyors, scientists, technicians, managers, and seafarers.

The offshore wind industry in the United States is growing exponentially, with multiple projects in the development stages off of the Atlantic coast. The total megawatt capacity of U.S. offshore wind farms is anticipated to reach 22,000 by 2030 and 43,000 by 2050. To support this growth, U.S. Department of Energy reports estimate over 40,000 new jobs will be created by 2030.The new jobs anticipated to support the offshore wind industry include a wide range of types, including engineers, trade workers, surveyors, scientists, technicians, managers, and seafarers.

Maritime focused steel and aluminum fabrication specialist Blue Atlantic Fabricators said it has been awarded as 2019 Manufacturer of the Year by the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership.Formed in August 2014, the Manufacturing Caucus and Annual Manufacturing Awards includes more than 60 legislators from around the state of Massachusetts. Lawmakers focus on training for manufacturing employees; encouraging innovation by helping start-ups access resources; and expanding education and apprenticeship opportunities in key manufacturing centers.

Recently I was attending the United Nations Science Technology and Innovation conference (STI Forum). While I attended to present on Wave Energy Conversion, the main subject at the conference was STEM education and STEM gender inequality. Almost every country in the world reports a lack of available STEM educated workers, and also reports that they have had problems engaging the non-male population in STEM professions.The discussions were extremely far and wide ranging, but when all was said and done…

Celebrations in Wismar: Twelve apprentices – six construction mechanics, four plant mechanics and two manufacturing mechanics – from Wismar, Rostock and Stralsund received their certificates of completion today. The young men have just completed three and a half years of vocational training.The ceremony was attended by representatives of the MV WERFTEN management team, training supervisors from each of the three locations, the works councils as well as representatives of the vocational schools and chambers of industry and commerce in Schwerin and Rostock.

VDAB, the Flemish Service for Employment and Vocational Training, has chosen a unique dredging simulator developed by Kongsberg on its state-of-the-art K-Sim Navigation technology platform. Selected during a multi-million Euro public tender initiated in September 2018 with the contract signed this April, the system will be installed at VDAB’s training facility in Zeebrugge, Belgium, where new and experienced vessel crew will take part in the most realistic dredging training exercises available.VDAB’s new capabilities will enable safer dredging by further building crew competence…

Software solutions from Wärtsilä have been selected for installation in three maritime training centers in The Netherlands.The turnkey systems is designed to allow training to commence immediately following the site acceptance. The systems have been ordered by the Rotterdam based STC Group, an international maritime transport and logistics education provider. The order with Wärtsilä was booked in April 2019.The Wärtsilä Navi-Trainer Professional (NTPRO) 5000 software will enable the teaching of the latest approaches to navigation…

Devon Grennan, president and CEO of Global Diving & Salvage, and president of the Spill Control Association of America (SCAA) asks the tough questions. What are the biggest challenges the spill response industry faces in light of the current political and economic climate in the United States? And what is SCAA doing to meet these challenges? I see the primary challenge that the spill response industry – as well as SCAA’s membership – currently has is to manage expectations and competing interests at a unique point in our nation’s energy renaissance.

Portugal’s Blue Atlantic has released new plans for an 800 meter quay to berth two Panamax vessels showcasing its maritime trade potential. The 96-hectare site for sale in one of Europe’s leading maritime industrial zones is being primed for maritime, ports and logistics investors targeting the Iberian Peninsula and mainland Europe. Blue Atlantic project lead Fernando Fernandes said it offers one of the fastest and most efficient routes in and out of Europe, bypassing the congested Mediterranean.

The 1914-built three-masted steel bark Statsraad Lehmkuhl is the oldest of the large square riggers still in operation today. The century-old tall ship, which is currently in use as a Norwegian sail-training ship, will be able to cruise out of Bergen harbor next year without any greenhouse gas emissions, thanks to a hybrid power system from Rolls-Royce. Norway’s state-owned company Enova, which works to facilitate the country’s transition to a low-emissions society, is providing just over NOK 4.2 million for an innovative project to equip the historic tall ship with shipboard battery power.

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that Australia’s Department of Defence has awarded a contract to Naval Shipbuilding Institute (NSI), a joint venture between HII’s Technical Solutions division and Kellogg Brown and Root’s (KBR) Government Services division, to establish and manage Australia’s new Naval Shipbuilding College. This effort is in support of Australia’s mission to recapitalize its shipbuilding and maritime sustainment industry over the next several decades. In announcing the request for proposals in 2017, Minster of Defence Industry Christopher Pyne emphasized that the Naval Shipbuilding College is a unique organization…

Hong Kong’s first-ever cruise and yachting event, International Cruise and Yachting Festival (Hong Kong) 2018, is scheduled to be held from November 22 to 25 at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, Kai Tak Runway Park and Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter. The four-day event, organized by the Hong Kong Cruise and Yacht Industry Association, will bring together global cruise and yacht brands and boats with Maritime Education and Employment, Marine and Leisure Tourism and Maritime Industry Developments as the major focuses.