In a move that may spell more jobs for young seafaring professionals, container carrier APL will train U.S. maritime academy cadets aboard its internationally flagged container ships.
By Paul Duclos
Published: February, 2008
Under terms of a partnership with the U.S. Maritime Administration last month, cadets from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and all six state maritime academies will be able to sail on board vessels operated by APL. It’s the first agreement ever signed to place American cadets on international container vessels.
U.S. cadets have long had training opportunities on APL’s U.S.-registered vessels, said APL CEO Ron Widdows, who signed the agreement with Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton. Under this agreement, we can provide even more support to our U.S. flag shipping by creating more opportunities for the academies.
The training and experience the students receive are expected to give them more employment opportunities worldwide after they graduate. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is located at Kings Point, N.Y., but one of the six state institutions is the Bay Area’s own California Maritime Academy, in Vallejo.
On a related topic, those wishing to learn more about the California Maritime Academy should attend the school’s Rizza Lecture Series. The lectures, made possible by a generous endowment grant from RADM Joseph P. Rizza (Ret.) of Coronado, Calif., who served as President of the California Maritime Academy from 1972 to 1983, are open to the public, although reservations are necessary.
Douglas A. Tilden, President and CEO of Marine Terminals Corporation, delivered the first lecture, which examined major trends in international trade and transportation, particularly on the Pacific Rim, and their impacts on the maritime industry over the next one to two decades.
Among topics addressed:
• How China’s rapid growth in global trade, transportation, training and shipbuilding will impact the maritime industry in the years ahead.
• How the lack of coordinated national infrastructure planning and policies in the United States could impact future cargo flows.
• The potential impact of expanding port and terminal operations in Canada and Mexico on West Coast U.S. ports and terminals.
For more information on upcoming lectures, contact Karen Spall at the California Maritime Academy Foundation, (707) 654-1246 or kspall@csum.edu.
