SCI’s Center for Maritime Education, U.S. Army ERDC to Advance Maritime Simulation
The Seamen’s Church Institute’s Center for Maritime Education (CME) has established a new partnership with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, MS, with the goal of improving maritime training, advancing ship simulation technology, and enhancing safety across the nation’s waterways.
The collaboration, formalized through a recent Memorandum of Agreement by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is the result of ongoing conversations with mariners, industry leaders, and federal partners over the past several months.
Mariners, companies, and industry partners played a key role in shaping the partnership. Their feedback highlighted both the value of ERDC’s realistic environmental modeling and SCI’s high-fidelity tow-simulation capabilities, as well as the need for improved access to project data, such as bathymetry, current patterns, and environmental conditions. Rather than viewing each organization's capabilities as competing approaches, both recognized an opportunity to integrate them, potentially creating more effective, realistic training tools that better reflect real-world conditions.
Under the agreement, CME and ERDC’s Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory will work together to improve ship simulation technologies, broaden access to quality training, and support USACE navigation project design and delivery. By sharing knowledge, tools, and facilities, the partnership will boost simulation capabilities, sharpen project design, and speed up innovation in the maritime sector. This partnership also helps USACE modernize infrastructure planning and delivery through advanced simulation tools, increasing efficiency, improving results, and enhancing safety.
The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is the research and development arm of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, focused on solving complex engineering and environmental challenges. ERDC conducts world-class research in areas such as water resources, infrastructure, geospatial science, and military engineering to support national security and public safety. Through innovation and collaboration, ERDC delivers technical solutions that enhance infrastructure performance, environmental sustainability, and mission readiness.
The Seamen’s Church Institute’s Center for Maritime Education (CME) operates two advanced training and simulation research facilities in Paducah, Kentucky, and Houston, Texas. CME provides high-fidelity simulator training and online courses tailored to the inland and Gulf Coast maritime industry, along with assessment services that help mariners and operators evaluate skills and provide credentials. In support of safer waterways and stronger infrastructure, CME also partners with engineering firms, port authorities, and transportation agencies to conduct simulator-based feasibility studies, testing vessel operations and construction viability in real-world marine environments.
