Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland

Nautical Science students at the Fisheries and Marine Institute (MI) of Memorial University of Newfoundland will put their knowledge to the test on Saturday, January 28 during the 2017 Nautical Skills competition, hosted by the Master Mariners of Canada (MMC) (NL Division) and MI.

Nearly 50 students from MI’s nautical science program will take part in this year’s event. Divided into eight teams, the students will complete a series of exercises in dynamic positioning, seamanship, cargo work, ship handling/navigation and offshore operations.

“The Nautical Skills Competition involves a series of challenging exercises designed to not only test knowledge and ability but also to develop leadership skills and confidence,” said Captain Chris Hearn, divisional master of MMC NL and the director of MI’s Centre for Marine Simulation. “By taking part, students will network with some of this region’s most experienced mariners, interact with fellow cadets and put their education to the test in pursuit of the top prize – $1,000 and their name on the Captain Jim Thorpe plaque.”

Each team will be awarded points based on their attention to safety, ability to successfully execute specific tasks and procedures and to demonstrate teamwork. Teams will also be tasked with presenting a two minute safety moment at the start of each exercise to demonstrate how they were incorporating safety into their tasks. This includes factors such as situational awareness of the environment, concern for the cargo and crew and knowledge of the equipment being used.

In addition to competition participants, 11 high school students who have applied for MI’s Nautical Science program in September will attend the Nautical Skills Competition. The event provides them with an opportunity to interact with future classmates, meet representatives from the Master Mariners organization and learn more about the maritime sector.

Twenty seven organizations are sponsoring this year’s competition, including Atlantic Towing,  Woodward Group of Companies, McKeil Marine, Fednav, NEAS, Canship Ugland, Group Ocean, DOF Subsea, Reliance Offshore, C-MAR Group, Oceanex, Rutter, Secunda Canada, Wrightway, Teekay, Atlantic Pilotage Authority, Marine Atlantic, Horizon Maritime, Virtual Marine Technology, Kongsberg, the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, MMC, Transocean, Survitec, Canadian Coast Guard, Husky Energy and INAMINKA Marine Services.

Follow this year’s competition on social media via the hashtag #NSC2017.