Maritime Training News

In a previous article, we explored how shrinking attention spans demand new approaches to training. But atten-tion is only part of the story. Memory itself is changing. Today’s mariners, like the rest of us, live in a world of instant answers, with tools like Google, Siri, and now AI agents and copilots. Instead of storing knowledge, the reflex is often to look it up. This profound shift changes what training should emphasize. Rather than focusing exclusively on rote memorization…

The UK offshore renewables sector has been put through its paces in a major emergency response exercise designed to test coordination among industry, government, and emergency services during a large-scale offshore incident.Organized by the Offshore Renewable Energy Emergency Forum (OREEF), the triennial TRIREX exercise — titled Exercise Blyth — brought together Ocean Winds, Police Scotland, HM Coastguard, Esvagt, Vestas, and other stakeholders at the Moray East Offshore Wind Farm to conduct realistic emergency response drills.The two-day exercise…

Finnish technology group Wärtsilä and Sinocrew Maritime Services have inaugurated an advanced maritime simulation and training centre in Beihai, China, to support the next generation of seafarers in the Asian cruise industry and advance the adoption of decarbonization technologies.The Beihai International Seafarer Training Center (BISTC) will provide simulation-based training focused on cruise ship operations and sustainable maritime practices. The project aims to equip seafarers…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and class society RINA have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a technology demonstration center and to collaborate on maritime innovation, digitalization, decarbonization, and talent development.The technology demonstration center will be part of RINA’s Open Innovation Hub in Singapore and serve as a collaborative platform to co-create and trial innovative solutions for maritime digitalization and decarbonization.

The World Shipping Council (WSC) has released the third edition of the WSC Whale Chart, a global voyage planning aid that maps where slower ship speeds and route changes can help protect whales from ship strikes and reduce underwater noise.The WSC Whale Chart brings together all known mandatory and voluntary ship-strike and underwater noise reduction measures worldwide, including speed restrictions, routing measures and seasonal protection zones. It is the first tool of its kind to make this global information available in a single source…

Anglo-Eastern Univan Group introduced its methanol bunkering simulator in October, developed in collaboration with Wärtsilä, a system that delivers both theoretical and practical training for the safe handling of methanol as a marine fuel. This follows the launch of the world’s first functional LNG ((Liquefied Natural Gas))/ammonia bunkering station skid at the Anglo-Eastern Maritime Academy (AEMA) in Karjat, Mumbai in February. Alongside the training skid, Anglo-Eastern has introduced…

On November 1, the latest cohort of the maritime and oceans leaders graduated from the World Maritime University (WMU). The Class of 2025 has received the education required to contribute to maritime and oceans issues in their home countries and more broadly to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The overall number of WMU graduates now exceeds 6,600 from 171 countries. Welcome remarks were delivered by WMU President, Professor Maximo Q. Mejia, Jr., who expressed collective gratitude to all donors who support the University.

Ineffective coordination and monitoring by the crew and harbour pilots on board the container ship Maersk Shekou contributed to its collision with the tall ship Leeuwin II in the Port of Fremantle, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has found.The 333-metre, Singapore-flagged Maersk Shekou was being navigated into Fremantle under the direction of two harbour pilots in heavy squall conditions before dawn on August 30, 2024, when the incident occurred.Audio from the ship’s bridge…

Renowned inventor and engineer Dean Kamen, creator of the Segway, the iBOT wheelchair, and founder of the organization FIRST Global, delivered a keynote lecture on October 28 at the Ascanio Arosemena Training Center of the Panama Canal. During his presentation, he shared his vision of innovation as a tool to transform societies.Kamen emphasized the importance of inspiring new generations to engage with science and technology. Through FIRST Global, a nonprofit organization that promotes international educational robotics competitions…

Maritime publishing and digital training group Witherbys has unveiled plans to introduce a new oceanographic research vessel, the MV Sea Ranger, from 2026 to support its technical development, real-world navigational studies and maritime training programs.The MV Sea Ranger will support Witherbys’ mission to enhance maritime knowledge and safety through research directly linked to shipboard operations.It will strengthen the delivery of computer-based training programs, both via Witherbys’ eBook Reader Witherby Connect…

Following the IMO’s newly tightened rules on enclosed-space entry, InterManager is urging all seafarers to participate in its global survey aimed at understanding why fatal incidents in enclosed spaces continue to occur, despite decades of safety campaigns and regulatory updates.The IMO’s recent amendments strengthen requirements for training, hazard identification, space-specific registers and rescue preparedness. Only trained and authorized personnel should enter or stand by during enclosed-space operations…

On March 14, 1975, 22-year-old Californian woman Donna Tobias graduated from the US Navy Second Class Dive School to become the first woman deepsea diver in the Navy.Marking the 50th anniversary of women’s integration into the US Navy Diving community, the Association of Women Navy Divers highlights that over 300 women have now graduated from the Navy’s schools.The society recounts that this happened during a period of immense change brought about by the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment through Congress in 1972. Admiral Elmo R.

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has published a new guidance document, providing the first roadmap for the safe and responsible use of nuclear technology in commercial shipping and offshore industries.As the maritime sector accelerates its transition towards sustainable energy solutions, nuclear power has re-emerged as a viable solution to achieve net-zero ambitions. The guidance, Navigating Nuclear Energy in Maritime, was developed in partnership with Global Nuclear Security Partners (GNSP) and marine insurer NorthStandard.It sets out the practical steps project teams must take…

In a deal to deliver immersive training at scale to the maritime industry, ABS has signed an agreement to purchase the MetaSHIP intellectual property and related vessel simulator software assets from Orka Informatics as part of the strategic growth plan for ABS Training Solutions.The acquisition, subject to Turkish regulatory approval, will allow ABS to expand its digital training program, which can be delivered on board, in port or at home, as well as in a global network of high-tech ABS learning centers in Qatar, Greece and Singapore.

Building on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Peninsula and the University of Gibraltar earlier this year, the two organizations have taken their collaboration to the next level with the creation of the Peninsula Maritime Simulation Suite, a high-tech facility, funded by Peninsula, set to support cadet education and professional development.This investment not only fulfills mandatory UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) training requirements but positions Gibraltar as a rising global hub for maritime excellence.