Page 32: of Marine News Magazine (July 2012)

SAME ROOTS : DIFFERENT INDUSTRY DEMOGRAPHICS Clinging tightly to its maritime roots and Þ rmly anchored in the crystal clear waters that surround its picturesque campus, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy last month sent the largest graduating class in its 212-year history out into the workplace. Not all of todayÕs graduates aspire to go to sea, but about one-half of cadets still participate in traditional curriculum, culminating in a Coast Guard license allowing them to work at sea in the engineroom or on deck. SigniÞ cantly, many of those are also opting to maximize their knowledge in workboat training through a unique and comprehensive training module now available on campus. The programs reß ect the changing demographics of the U.S. merchant ß eet where virtually 99 percent of the approximate 40,000 domestic hulls can now be classiÞ ed as brown water workboats. Leveraging that statistic and adjusting to the times, MMA Þ nds itself out in front as inland and coastwise operators call out for competent mariners.STATE -OF-THE-ART & ENVIRONMENTALLY AWARE At Mass. Maritime, classroom buildings surrounded by LEED Gold certiÞ ed dormitories and the recently completed ABS Information Commons which houses a full mission Transas Bridge simulator (made largely possible by a $3 million donation from the American Bureau of Shipping) highlight the modern infrastructure on the Buzzards Bay At the Leading Edge: Innovative Brown Water Programs At the Leading Edge: Innovative Brown Water Programs Mass Maritime?s smaller platform training ship Arguably the best equipped and most environmentally sound maritime campus in the country, Mass Maritime also Þ nds itself (not by accident) at the leading edge of a fundamental change in how maritime academies deliver education in a changing marketplace. At the heart of that effort is a comprehensive workboat simulation and training program. By Joe Keefe, Editor 32 MNJuly 2012