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noworries

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Just watched this on TV. I think it is a couple of years old. This documentary highlights the duties and challenges of a crew of a container ship along its route.

WOW...our mariners are going to have some stories.

I hope all of the parents get a chance to watch it. We will get a better understanding why this academy works so hard to make our kids mentally tough, adaptable leaders capable of making the extraordinary look routine.
 
National Geographic Youtube links

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21BD1YtozjI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWe1YYr9BTI&feature=related

been there, done that..:rolleyes:

In video clip part one, I loved the second line on the job description for the "old man"..
"purser and financial control". That was one of my least favorite, more mundane and time consuming parts of the job..

I also loved the line "..the Captain likes to check on the containers from the top to the very bottom." :yllol: that is complete BS. Daily checking of containers and container lashing is the Chief Mates job. Heck, due to paperwork, there were days I barely got out of my office except to go up to the bridge or down to the officers saloon to eat..

NG sure did make working on a ship seem pretty cool though..
 
Those are great, thank you.

Since you have an undistorted view on this subject, I want to ask you, in your opinion. What do you think are the most valuable skills required to be successful in a maritime career field?
 
What do you think are the most valuable skills required to be successful in a maritime career field?
Now this is mainly from a deck perspective..

• A thorough understanding of meteorology. Specifically where it relates to vessel weather routing, 500 millibar and surface weather pattern analysis, heavy weather maneuvering and tropical storm avoidance.

• A thorough understanding of collision avoidance maneuvering and ARPA (Automated Radar Plotting Aid) radar equipment. Being able to interpret ARPA information particularly in heavy traffic is critical.

• A basic understanding of maritime labor relations, maritime labor contracts, and the history of the maritime labor movement. We are constantly dealing with crew contractual issues. A good fundamental understanding of contracts and the history of how they evolved helps in those dealings.

• A basic knowledge of ships business. Be familiar with Safety Management Systems (SMS) and the requirements of regulatory bodies (port state authorities, classification societies, etc.) This is especially important where it involves pollution regulations.

So that’s just a few of the things right off the top of my head.. Hope that helps answer your question.
The linked video documentary clips are pretty good (maybe a little overly dramatic in places). Even though the OOCL ATLANTA is a foreign flag ship their operation is remarkably similar to what you would see on a U.S. flag containership.
 
Absolutely, that answered my question and I hope each and every student does what is neccessary to master these tasks.

Thank you for you guidance.
 
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