Training Facility News

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has inaugurated the ABS Global LNG Academy, a cutting-edge training center dedicated to using the latest techniques to educate mariners in modern liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel operations.Located in Doha and supported by QatarEnergy, the Academy is a coordinated effort with industry partners, who are working together to make the ABS LNG Academy the global epicenter for LNG-related training and development. Establishing the training center is also a key part of ABS’ support of Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and the Tawteen Program…

Force Technology won a deal to deliver its SimFlex4 AR solution as part of an extensive upgrade for the Queensland-based maritime simulation and training facility, Smartship Australia, which focuses on professional pilotage training and development. Smartship's facility in Brisbane includes five marine simulators, including two full mission bridges, one Tug bridge, and two-part task simulators.FORCE Technology’s SimFlex simulator was originally selected when Smartship Australia was first established in 2011.

BAE Systems announced construction has begun on a new Applied Shipbuilding Academy at its Scotstoun shipyard on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow, as the company bolsters its efforts to develop future talent.Designed to support the development of the entire workforce, from apprentices to senior leaders, the Academy will comprise of a Modern Trade Hall and a Flexible Learning Hub. It will also serve to upskill the existing workforce while attracting new talent.A historic industrial building will be retrofitted to become the Modern Trade Hall…

With the rise of China and her global ambitions, the military importance of Guam in the Indo-Pacific theater has become apparent. The force levels on the island had drawn down from a peak of about 26,000 at the height of the Vietnam War to a tenth of that—just 2,500 people in the early 2000s. Today, that's changing. Guam's defense posture is growing.Guam's proximity to major population centers in East Asia underscores its strategic importance. The island is just 1,400 miles from Tokyo, Manilla or Port Moresby. All of the armed services have a presence on Guam.

GEA marked the official start of construction of its new repair, logistics, assembly, production and training facility in Janesville, Wis. The groundbreaking ceremony of GEA’s first greenfield site in North America in 50 years was attended by company representatives and officials from the State of Wisconsin and City of Janesville.GEA will invest more than $20 million in the new site in response to growing demand for separators, decanters, valves, pumps and homogenizers which are at the heart of many industrial production processes.The 85…

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, is launching a 45,000-square-foot training and service center campus in Chesapeake, Va. The defense contractor will move its existing service center from Norfolk, Va., to the Chesapeake campus to add a state-of-the-art training facility and further expand advanced service support for its customers. The move represents a $13 million investment in the community.“We are excited to have Fairbanks Morse Defense as the newest member of our business community,” said Rick West, Mayor of Chesapeake.

The United States' largest dredging contractor, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation, announced Tuesday that it has exercised its option to build a second 6,500-cubic-yard-capacity trailing suction hopper dredge (TSHD) at Conrad Shipyard in Amelia, La.Expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2025, the new vessel will be a sister ship to the Galveston Island, presently under construction with delivery in early 2023.This newbuild is identical to the Galveston Island and will feature two 800mm suction pipes and will be able to dredge at depths of up to 100 feet…

Governor Charlie Baker, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Bethany Card, and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center CEO (MassCEC) Jennifer Daloisio joined Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) officials for a Global Wind Organization (GWO) training demonstration at the Academy. Nearly three years since helping launch MMA’s first-in-the-nation offshore wind crew transfer training facility, Governor Baker returned to observe a wind and life raft training and highlight the investments the Baker-Polito Administration is proposing to expand the offshore wind workforce further.

U.S. Navy has relieved of duty a commander of a submarine training facility in San Diego citing a loss of confidence in his abilities."Capt. Steve Antcliff, commanding officer, Submarine Learning Center (SLC), relieved Cmdr. Jared Severson, commanding officer, Submarine Training Facility (STF) San Diego, of command on April 28.The relief is due to a loss of confidence in Severson’s ability to command based on the findings of a command investigation. Severson has been reassigned to Submarine Squadron 11," the U.S. Navy said in a brief statement.Lt. Cmdr.

On behalf of the MM&P MATES Program, The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) and Maritime Conference Center (MCC) announce the appointment of Eric Friend as the new executive director.“The trustees’ decision to select Friend as the next executive director has made the transition much easier. Friend has been running the Academic Division for several years, and has been involved in most major decisions,” said Glen Paine, former executive director, now retired. “Eric is smart, dedicated, and respected by the trustees, students, and industry.

National Rivers Hall of Fame will honor marine towing industry veterans Peter Stephaich and Joseph H. Pyne during the Annual Waterways Symposium hosted by Waterways Council, Inc. in St. Louis, Mo., in November.Stephaich, the current Chairman and CEO of Blue Danube Incorporated and Campbell Transportation Company, Inc., and Pyne, Kirby Corporation’s former CEO, will receive the Hall's Achievement Award, given to individuals making significant contributions to America’s waterways and barge industry.Having served the river industry for over 30 years…

Conrad Shipyard hosted a keel laying ceremony for a new 6,500 cubic yard trailing suction hopper dredge it is building for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD). Delivery is scheduled before the end of the first quarter of 2023.The dredge will feature two 800mm suction pipes and will be able to dredge at depths of up to 100 feet. The vessel has principal dimensions of approximately 346 feet in length, 69 feet in breadth and 23 feet in depth, and total installed horsepower of 16,500. The new dredge will be well-suited to multiuse applications on various project types.

Francois Mayor nudged back on the power and made a subtle adjustment on the wheel as he coaxed his cargo vessel through a narrow point in the Suez Canal—not the Egyptian one, but a replica in the middle of a French forest.This stretch of water was built to train ship captains and maritime pilots how to navigate the Suez Canal—a skill now in the spotlight after the Ever Given cargo ship got wedged in the Egyptian waterway last month in high winds and a sandstorm.The channel is built to one twenty-fifth the scale of a section of the real Suez Canal.

Conrad Shipyard hosted a Steel Cutting Ceremony for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDD) at its Deepwater South shipyard in Amelia earlier this month, signaling the start of construction of a 6,500 cu. yd. trailing suction hopper dredge. Delivery of the vessel is scheduled before the end of Q2 in 2023.“The steel cutting for this new hopper dredge is an important milestone for Great Lakes as we strategically invest in our fleet capacity to meet the nation’s maritime infrastructure needs,” said David Simonelli, COO, GLDD.

In 2001, George Burkley, a maritime educator, wrote a look-ahead article for Maritime Reporter and Engineering News, presenting the benefits and real-world payoffs from using simulators in maritime education. In the late 1990s, new tech and software advances were creating scenario programs that moved a student closer and closer to the realities demanded by, well, reality. “The future is here, and we are ready to simulate it,” Burkley concluded.Burkley is now executive director at the Maritime Pilots Institute in Covington, La.

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) said it has launched a new liquid cargo training facility at its maritime training center in Cyprus as part of a wider boost to LNG training across the whole company, reflecting increasing industry demand and more LNG vessels entering the market.The new Liquid Cargo Simulator (LCS) has been designed and developed by BSM’s inhouse technical team and uses GTT Training software. It offers realistic training on a wide range of vessel types: LNG…

GTT Training said Monday it has reached a training partnership agreement with Wavelink Maritime Institute (WMI) to facilitate the delivery of GTT Training’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry related courses at WMI’s training facility in Jurong, Singapore.The partnership includes the installation of GTT Training’s Liquid Gas Handling Simulator ‘G-SIM’ at the Wavelink Maritime Simulation Center and the co-sharing of expertise.The LNG handling and operations courses will be geared toward personnel involved with LNG carriers, terminals and LNG-fueled vessels.

Alabama shipbuilder Austal USA said it graduated 28 youth apprentices into full-time paid positions this spring. The apprentices are recent high school graduates from schools throughout Mobile and Baldwin County and completed seven weeks of training at the Alabama Industrial Development Training facility adjacent to Austal’s campus.“Austal USA is excited to have hired 28 Youth Apprentices into full-time Fabrication Trade Assistant positions,” Austal USA Workforce Development Manager Ryan Lee said. “The Youth Apprenticeship program is a special program.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation signed a contract with Conrad Shipyard for the construction of a new 6,500-cubic-yard-capacity trailing suction hopper dredge (TSHD) for scheduled delivery in the first quarter of 2023.The deal includes an option to build an additional dredge, the U.S.' largest dredging services provider said on Tuesday.Conrad will perform the detail design and construct the dredges at its Amelia, La. location based on a regulatory-level design provided by…

Martyn Thomas is the Chief of Staff at Stream Marine Training Ltd (SMT Ltd.) following many years working for both global training providers and cruise companies. SMT is a maritime skills and technology business providing fire-fighting, sea survival, survival craft and HSE training to the global maritime, oil and gas, renewables and construction industries.Thomas works out of SMT’s head office in Glasgow where SMT trains the majority of its theoretical based courses, including Alternative Fuels…

The first-in-the-nation offshore wind training facility will be located at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.In late October, with much fanfare, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Stephen Pike, CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and many others joined officials from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) to launch the first-in-the-nation offshore wind crew transfer training facility. The group of state and college representatives also officially christened a new training vessel. The event underscored the efforts at MMA to both support, but also take full advantage of what stakeholders believe is the advent of offshore wind here in the United States.The training facility…

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.