wfn.org | Seamen's Church Institute dedicates simulator training facility in Houston

[ENS@ecunet.org]

2001-113

Seamen's Church Institute dedicates simulator training facility in Houston 

by Debra Wagner 

     (ENS) Nearly 200 representatives from the regional maritime industry, 
the Port of Houston Authority, the Coast Guard, the church, and local 
government celebrated a commitment to advanced professionalism at the May 10 
dedication of a state-of-the art simulator training facility in Houston's 
Seamen's Church Institute Center for Maritime Education. It is SCI's third 
simulator, offering world-class instruction for professional mariners. 

     "Training is more than increased efficiency. A well-trained crew saves 
lives and protects the environment," said the Rev. Peter Larom, executive 
director of SCI. Thirteen leading maritime companies in the Gulf Coast region 
have already committed to more than 40 weeks of training over the next five 
years. 

     The training offers professional mariners an opportunity to refine their 
skills in an environment that simulates real life. The four bridges are the 
actual size of a wheel house and the simulations are constructed from field 
research, including digital photography, to produce details such as shore-
side landmarks. Set in 50-foot diameter theaters, the screens offer 
peripheral as well as forward views. The simulation even includes the sounds 
and vibrations of the engine. 

     "It would be too expensive for one company to purchase this type of 
technology. We just finished a week of training here and our pilots were more 
than impressed," said Berdon Lawrence, chairman of the Kirby Corporation. He 
also noted that the facility "did not grow out of a need to meet some state 
or federal regulation. Instead, it stands as a shining example of our 
industry's voluntary commitment to be proactive." 

     To promote safety, the American Waterways Operators instituted the 
Responsible Carrier Program in 1994, which mandates continual training of 
vessel operators. 

Divine intervention? 

     "The program provides guidelines to create a national transportation 
system that is reliable, safe, and environmentally benign," said Thomas 
Allegretti, president of American Waterways Operators. "We wondered how we 
could achieve this when divine intervention stepped in and a man in a collar 
told us that a church institute could provide sophisticated simulator-based 
training." 

     "SCI takes the mission of the church into the heart of its very 
sophisticated training for mariners," said Bishop Don Taylor of the Diocese 
of New York, who blessed the facility. "To broaden concern for God's creation 
and care for the safety of each individual soul is evident in this unique 
undertaking." 

     The Diocese of Texas also welcomed SCI with a Bible presented by the 
Rev. Laurence Gipson, rector of St. Martin's, Houston, the largest Episcopal 
congregation in Texas. 

Increased teamwork 

     Last year, over 6,800 ships and 158,000 barges traveled the challenging 
Houston Ship Channel. These vessels navigated more than 30 miles through a 
narrow channel from Galveston Bay to the Port of Houston. 

     SCI knew that captains would be challenged by the simulation exercises, 
but with the ability to have crews of four vessels in one simulation, there 
is also increased teamwork among the crews and between vessels. 

     "All of our partners are just beginning to realize the untapped 
potential of this facility," said Larom. SCI is responding to industry 
suggestions by developing new courses and creating new databases. 

     Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey, founded in 1834, 
is an ecumenical agency affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Its mission is 
to advance the personal, professional and spiritual well being of merchant 
mariners. 

--Debra Wagner is director of communications for Seamen's Church Institute. 
Contact her at dwagner@seamenschurch.org