GMATS takes MarPro to School

MaritimeProfessional

Training& EducationGMATS TAKES MARPRO TO SCHOOL

MEET SUZ MICHEL, CROWLEY’S NEWVP OF SAFETY & LEARNING

BOURBON INVESTS IN SIM CENTERS

3Q 2011 www.MaritimeProfessional.com

COMMANDBRIDGECUTTING EDGESITUATIONALAWARENESS PAGE 32

ECDIS MASTERSAFE NAVIGATIONPAGE 24

“E” LEARNINGANTI-PIRACY TRAININGPAGE 27

PROFILEDAVID TURNER, PONPAGE 56

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20 Maritime Professional 3Q 2011

When I last signed aboard a seagoing merchant ves-sel as a Deck Officer in the mid-1980’s, the term“Bridge Resource Management” was only just

being brought into play aboard the world’s merchant fleets.Certainly, it had not yet been formally mandated as a trainingprotocol. On board my oil tanker – operated, interestinglyenough, by a large integrated oil refining and explorationcompany – BRM was not something we discussed over din-ner in the officer’s saloon. Instead, resource management inour antiquated, 1940’s-era wheelhouse typically involvedmaking darn sure that the Master had fresh coffee when hecame up. And, as I remember it, a very important task for theMate on the mid watch was to step down one deck from thebridge wing and reset the recalcitrant A/C unit when it shutoff; usually 3 or 4 times each night at sea.

As possibly the last mariner and maybe the oldest on theplanet to enter and utilize a bridge training simulator, myjourney to STCW compliance – something that came alongafter my ship was scrapped out from under me in the mid-

1980’s – actually began only a couple of years ago. Theeffort, something I dubbed “STCW at 50” has now stretchedout into my 52nd year, partly due to scheduling issues withmy job and personal affairs. That it has taken this long isproof of the overwhelming regulatory burden presented bythe International Convention on Standards of Training,Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (or STCW).Those attempting to achieve these qualifications outside aformal training program or – as I am doing from scratch –know exactly what I’m talking about. With six of these cours-es now under my expanding belt, along with the U.S. CoastGuard mandated (NAVC 04-08) physical examination and adrug test, I will submit my credentials in the near future.Before that could occur, however, I needed to complete theBRM training.

Adopted in 1978 and entering into force in 1984, STCWsets qualification standards for officers and watch personnelon seagoing merchant ships, the Convention was significant-ly amended in 1995. More recently, the so-called Manila

HHands On

GMATS takes MarPro to SchoolMarPro Editor Joe Keefe edges closer to STCW compliance as GMATS shows off its customized education andtraining programs for commercial mariners. by Joseph Keefe

STCW and BRM

Full mission Kongsberg Simulator.

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Amendments of last year furtherramped up requirements for other per-sonnel and addressed technologyadvances and other issues. One of thekey requirements of STCW outlinesthe need for Bridge ResourceManagement Training (BRM) fordeck officers. In May, I traveled toKings Point, NY to take the requiredcourse, along with 19 other Matesfrom Reinauer TransportationCompany. Over the course of threevery full days, which included 8 hoursof advanced simulator training, I wasbrought up to speed on the manyadvances in technology and naviga-tion/management techniques thathave occurred over the past threedecades. Arguably, no one in the busi-

ness is better qualified to deliver thatknowledge than the instructors atGMATS, using cutting edge technolo-gy to do it.

NO SURPRISE: GMATS ONYOUR RADAR

Perhaps better known for its serviceto military groups and federalemployees, the broader mission andperformance of the Global Maritimeand Transportation School (GMATS)has long since eclipsed that important,but narrow sector of the maritimetransportation training demographic.Conveniently located within easyreach of three major airport hubs andboasting access to state-of-the-artsimulation and training equipment,

… navigating New York and Baltimore harbors, docking andundocking and practicing other skills with realistic controls and thelatest in ECDIS equipment in one of the newest simulation arrange-ments available anywhere was a terrific learning experience.

Captain George Sandberg instructs BRM students.



STCW and BRM

GMATS has not onlyemerged as an industry leaderin delivering high-quality reg-ulatory training but also in itsability to deliver tightlyfocused, customized pro-grams. That’s hardly surpris-ing, but it is, at the same time,also hard to beat anywhereelse.

The most visible name inmaritime education in NorthAmerica is as agile as it isbig. At the heart of theGMATS mission is its abilityto quickly and efficientlydevelop training programsdesigned to meet the specific needs of any organization.Expanding from its formal roots in 1994, the school, co-locat-ed with the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on 82 acres onLong Island Sound, delivers more than 140 professional edu-cation and specialized training programs spanning 4 divisionsof learning which include Nautical Science and MilitaryTraining, Marine Engineering, Transportation Logistics andManagement and Research and Special Projects. Last yearalone, 4,000 students and their sponsoring organizations tookadvantage of the GMATS menu of course offerings, reflect-ing a growing client list that includes numerous government,military, and commercial entities.

CUSTOMIZING THE REINAUER EXPERIENCEIn May, and as a perfect example of its nimble learning plat-

form, two customized STCW-compliant Bridge ResourceManagement (BRM) courses were put together by GMATSfor Reinauer Transportation Company. Using intensive casestudy material, award-winning professor (Captain) GeorgeSandberg led students through a myriad of lessons involvingsituational awareness, decision making, leadership, crisismanagement, communication, master/pilot relationships, andvoyage planning. Incorporating much more than the requiredU.S. Coast Guard and STCW mandated content, the course(s)also included extensive use of the latest version of TransasNaviTrainer 5000 simulators, as well as Transas ECDIS unitsand the lively interaction of as many as four different student-piloted vessels in the same exercise. Significantly, exercise(s)were customized for the type of equipment typicallyemployed by Reinauer’s Mates and Captains, adding to therealism and utility of the learning experience.

I attended the first of those customized courses and, duringthe simulator training, was paired with a young ReinauerMate (who clearly drew the short straw when it came time toselect a partner). As we worked through the exercises which

sometimes included interac-tion with as many as threeother tow units (operated byothers in the same exercise)and ships inserted into themix by the instructors, heshowed remarkable patiencewith his “dinosaur” partner.For my part, navigating NewYork and Baltimore harbors,docking and undocking andpracticing other skills with therealistic controls and the latestin ECDIS equipment in one ofthe newest simulationarrangements available any-where was a terrific learning

experience. For their part, Reinauer Mates told me that one ofthe most valuable parts of the GMATS BRM experienceincluded the primers on bridge-to-bridge communicationsand the importance of those skills in their daily work.

In addition to the BRM curriculum, participants also werepresented with the GMATS 8-Hour Advanced SimulationTraining certificate. The simulation, led by GMATS ECDISsubject matter expert Christian Hempstead, included integrat-ed training involving safe navigation and maneuvering ofmultiple towing vessels and barges in various conditions ofvisibility, wind, current, challenging traffic and emergencysituations. Hempstead, widely regarded as North America’sforemost authority on ECDIS training for professionalmariners, tailored the simulation directly to the needs of theReinauer’s professional mariners. Classroom chalk talksincluded required topics such as voyage planning, effectivecommunications, error trapping, the value of a “shared men-tal model,” and effective teamwork in action. The full course,BRM plus simulator training, was a powerful learning expe-rience.

Although Reinauer’s bridge personnel were already com-pliant with all aspects of their licensing requirements, theNew York-based marine transportation group regularly electsto provide continuing education for their marine personnel.As is usually the case, they chose GMATS in this instance,rotating two groups of 19 mates each through the customizedprogram.

Frank Kuziemski, Fleet Manager for Reinauer, also over-sees training requirements for the 75-vessel operation fromhis Staten Island offices. He told MarPro, “GMATS’ ability tobring together large groups is important to us. Not everyonecan do that.”

As a regular client of GMATS, Kuziemski added that thenewly upgraded, state-of-the-art simulator equipment wasalso a key factor in their decision to use GMATS.

Author’s BRM STCW Certificate, issued by GMATS.


OUTSIDE THE BOX; INSIDEYOUR PRICE RANGE

Able to accommodate as many as 24participants in one BRM class, theGMATS BRM training experienceprovides economy of scale for largercompanies, while tailoring courses tothe needs of today’s diverse maritimeprofessionals. Well beyond the fullarray of STCW-compliant and U.S.Coast Guard approved course offer-ings that augment GMATS’ betterknown military training programs, theinnovation continues. Transportationprofessionals can also choose from awide menu of other, industry-relatedGMATS Programs – most eligible forVA Benefits – that include the ODUBusiness Gateway and GMATSPartnership in Engineer TrainingGMATS, the American MilitaryUniversity (AMU) Partnership andthe MATE 500/1600 Gross TonLicense Program with TowingEndorsement.

Based solely on the quality of theGMATS Bridge ResourceManagement (BRM) module, it iseasy to imagine GMATS as being my“one-stop” source for future profes-sional training. In May and on theway to STCW compliance, I got takento school by GMATS. Are you next?

On the WEB:http://gmats.usmma.edu/



The key to mastering safe navigation with ECDIS is amatter of personal discovery. The navigation part ofthis idea means continually defining what to look for

– what information is needed right now to continue safe nav-igation. The ECDIS part means how to look. At the very leastthis requires nimble selection of and brief glances at infor-mation best suited to the situation at hand. The safe part,however self-evident, should include the critical competen-cies of maintaining adequate under keel clearance and low-risk approach to other vessels at all times.

It is a matter of personal experience to appreciate the com-plex variety of navigational situations that will occur on avessel. These elements include the vessel, things external tothe vessel, and what you are doing there in the first place.Variables of the vessel consist of speed, draft, maneuverabil-ity, sensor equipment, and control functions. Externals con-sist of bathymetry, coastline topography, traffic, environmen-tal conditions, chart detail, and chart data quality. Your pur-pose may be a transit, arrival, departure, cargo transfer, pilotarea approach, anchoring, berthing, drifting, holding posi-tion, or pattern navigation. These lists are not exhaustive. Thepoint is that any degree of experience underway reveals thatany combination of elements requires the watch officer maketransitions and adaptations to changes.

The discovery aspect of mastering safe ECDIS navigationoccurs on several levels. The crucial fact that no single settingsuits all circumstances demands active monitoring. This isdefined as “highly efficient intervention.” Any navigationalcontext, from mild to nearly overwhelming, demands the effi-cient shifting of attention sequentially between all accesspoints. The access points are the visual scene, digital andgraphic information displays, source sensors, and auditorysystems. Efficient shifting of attention is especially necessaryin solo watchstanding. Becoming captivated by any one ofthe access points inhibits or even shuts down the process ofactive monitoring. Such captivation is likely to be at the heartof any failed critical competency. This is another way ofdescribing the familiar admonition to avoid over reliance onany one piece of equipment.

Many of these issues came to mind while sailing deep seaas senior deck officer responsible for my ships' navigationsystems. My years of learning to navigate with chart plottersand eventually ECDIS began in the early 1990's. In theabsence of useful manuals or instruction, I knew that learningto navigate safely with ECDIS would come at the prolongedrisk of unsafe navigation. In part, this prompted me to comeashore in 2000 to develop and teach ECDIS navigation.Pacific Maritime Institute supported my effort to create the

first USCG-approved ECDIS course in 2001. It was based onthe just published IMO Model Course 1.27. During this sameperiod, desktop simulation with high-fidelity visuals, own-ship control, and integration with type-approved ECDIS andradar was just becoming commercially accessible.

In quick succession, I discovered the enormous potential todevelop skills-based training in solo navigation with thisform of simulation. At no risk to safety, a trainee could havethe opportunity for the first time to integrate all aspects ofsolo navigation - visual piloting, paper and electronic chartplotting, radar/ARPA and traffic management. The potentialfor interactive ownships in non-visual simulation had been inuse for a number of years. The advent of the $500 VGA cardwas at the heart of the solo visual training revolution. Butthere was no real precedent in courseware or instruction forthis approach.

Within a year of moving to the U.S. Merchant MarineAcademy in 2004, I took the opportunity to begin replacingthe aging windowless radar/ARPA simulation lab. The steps

HHands On

Mastering Safe Navigation with ECDISby Christian Hempstead

ECDIS TRAINING

GMATS Instructor Christian Hempstead



were modest at first, but by early 2007, solo navigation sim-ulation at USMMA consisted of two labs each with 16 inter-active ownships, where each ownship was essentially anECDIS-equipped full mission workstation within its owncubicle with a large screen visual channel. In addition, twosupporting classroom labs had been created using the samesimulation and ECDIS systems. By the Spring term of 2007,I was able to offer a USCG-certified ECDIS course atUSMMA, the first at any US academy. That course re-sequenced the required content, emphasized the navigationalcontext, and added guidance on scenarios and competencyassessments. Although not my intention at the time, thisbecame the template for proposed revisions to STCW and toModel Course 1.27.

The fundamental goal of the new ECDIS navigation train-ing taking place at USMMA was, and still is, to create a fairand graded assessment of solo watch keeping and decision-making skills centered on the effective use of ECDIS. Whatmakes this possible is a considerable amount of underwaypractice. While teaching academy midshipmen, I becamevery aware of the effectiveness of what I refer to as "socialnavigation" – the compelling experience of the unexpected asstudents navigate around each other. I found that this effi-ciency of learning requires a simulation-equipped classroomfor familiarization phases. But it is in the semi-isolated con-fines of interactive solo navigation that the real integratedlearning takes place.

The coincidence of navigation, display, and personal simu-lation technologies were out of synch with the evolution of

competency-based training in the maritime field, namelySTCW. Although STCW-95 came into force between 1997and 2002, its preceding years of work just missed the revolu-tion in navigation and visual training, as did the initial ECDISModel Course. But in 2007, work to revise and update STCWwas begun. Professor Dennis Compton, a colleague atUSMMA, was aware of our advances in ECDIS navigationtraining. Professor Compton also represented the MaritimeAdministration and the federally regulated maritime acade-mies on the STW subcommittee (STW), and representedUSMMA at MERPAC. Answering a request by him andMayte Medina, USCG, head of the U.S. delegation to STW, Iproposed ECDIS training requirements to MERPAC. I hadderived these directly from the progress I was making withmy ECDIS course at USMMA. After a period of peer reviewand refinement, this inclusion of ECDIS in the STCW Codeand Guidance revisions was finalized in 2009, and adopted inthe 2010 Manila Amendments.

Early in 2009, I was asked again by Professor Compton andMayte Medina to propose a revised and updated ECDISModel Course 1.27. The process of peer review, revision andfinal IMO validation proceeded through 2010. In May 2011,the STW sub-committee added the revised draft model courseto its 2012 voting agenda as item 43/3/1. As a result, flagstates should be able to formally recognize the revised MC1.27 as the training requirement begins to come into force.The broad implementation will require industry support foradherence to assessment criteria for ECDIS navigation com-petencies, consistently prepared ECDIS trainers, and guid-ance for flag states and ship operators. In their recently pro-posed implementation of STCW, as amended, the USCG willrequire all deck watch officers assigned to ECDIS-equippedvessels of any size to “provide evidence of meeting the stan-dard of competence” in ECDIS, among other skills, and willnote the absence of such evidence on the STCW certificate. Ianticipate that the USCG will issue a policy circular indicat-ing MC 1.27 (2010 edition) as the reference standard for U.S.mariners.

STCW and BRM

State-of-the-art Transas simulation and ECDIS equipment

The Author

CDR Christian Hempstead (USMS) is an AssociateProfessor at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at KingsPoint, NY. He is also a licensed Master Mariner. Hempsteadhas been at the forefront of ECDIS training and the develop-ment of STCW training standards for many years. The infor-mation in this article does not necessarily represent the viewof the Maritime Administration or of the U.S. Dept ofTransportation.


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GMATS takes MarPro to School