The Seamen’s Church Institute is completing construction of
an environment tailored for one-on-one mariner skills appraisal. SCI’s new
Houston simulator, manufactured by Transas,
provides a dedicated tool for assessments, corrective action implementation and
company human resource evaluations, according to SCI.
The new simulator suite contains a single full-mission
bridge pilothouse, classroom and debriefing area, all designed to work
independently from SCI’s existing four-bridge Kongsberg simulator. The smaller
footprint of the new simulator allows SCI to offer individualized instruction
at a lower cost. SCI estimates that construction of the
simulator will be completed in time for its Maritime Training Benefit Luncheon
on Oct. 24, at the Institute’s Center for Maritime Education in
Houston. Full operation of the new simulator is expected by early 2013.
SCI offers its new simulator for companies wishing to
supplement onboard training. “This is not a substitute for real-life
experience,” Capt. Stephen Polk, SCI’s Center for Maritime Education director, said in a statement. Instead, he says, maritime transportation
companies will employ the unique encounters available in the simulator to round
out a mariner’s experience and assist in identifying candidates for hiring and
promotion decisions. The SCI’s tool allows a designated examiner or port
captain to evaluate performance in various scenarios.
The environment of the simulator replicates many conditions
on the water that limit training and evaluation in the real world. Many of the
areas in which companies need to assess mariners include high-risk and seasonal
conditions. SCI’s newly constructed specialized space for mariner assessment
provides the ability to sign-off Towing Officer Assessment Record (TOAR) items,
regulations stemming from new Subchapter M towing vessel regulations and the
Tanker Management and Self Assessment (TMSA) guidelines. When the simulator
goes into operation, SCI says, maritime transportation companies will choose
from a catalog of simulations matching standardized exams and requirements.
SCI says it also intends the new simulator environment to
assist maritime transportation companies of varying sizes in efficient and
cost-effective human resource practices. The new Transas simulator provides a
mechanism to examine and identify candidates best suited for employment and
promotion, SCI says, by providing straightforward, discernable competency
analysis in a single location.
SCI says it chose technology for this new simulator based on
industrywide standards. Most of the U.S. maritime academies use Transas simulators in similar applications of training and safety testing.