Page 41: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q1 2014)

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www.maritimeprofessional.com | Maritime Professional | 41

ENERGY TRANSPORTATION gathering, starts with a safety message or tip. But the Crowley message on safety extends far beyond informational speech and brochure, and its commitment to safety from the top down is perhaps best illustrated in the running of its 630 masters and mates through the MITAGS-PMI Navigation Skills As- sessment Program (NSAP), a decision made in the wake of “a string of incidents that caused us great concern.”

The premise was a program – executed in three simulator centers including PMI, MITAGS and STAR Center – was to provide a uniform assessment program for captains. “There was no program that assesses our captains, so we created this environment within the simulator which is very controlled: 45 minutes at the bridge of a boat and it is a pressure cooker, presenting the captain with 22 decision points,” Crowley said.

It took 22 months to run all 630 captains through the program, and there was a simple ‘pass / fail’ determination at the end.

After the fi rst run through, there was a 72% successful com- pletion rate. Those needing additional training were provided classes targeting their skill gaps, and were then reassessed.

Less than 1% of existing Deck Offi cers were unable to suc- cessfully complete the process and were offered non-navigat- ing positions. Approximately 17% of Deck Offi cers applying for a position were unable to successfully complete the assess- ment and were not offered employment. “I think it goes to show that you need a good combination of both academic and practical training, and it takes time and money to get that,” Crowley said. “Our AB to Mate program will take high performing able body seamen and put them through a masters and mate program to make them a mate, and it costs about $100,000 per person.”

It could be argued that the maritime industry is in a wa- tershed period, with an aging and rapidly changing employee base, a radical shift in the level and amount of new technolo- gies on board vessels of all shape and size, onerous new reg- ulation on emissions from ships and boats and a foundation change of the business itself, powered by vast new amounts of oil and gas coming from domestic sources. Amidst all of that change, the Crowley name today remains a cornerstone.

Crowley has diversifi ed its operations in recent years, a move to broaden its holdings and smooth some of the traditional peaks and troughs inherent in the maritime market.

One move included the acquisition of Titan Salvage, a company that came to global promi- nence via its work to raise the ill-fated Costa Concordia.

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