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November 2010 www.marinelink.com 77 the full 90 days.) As technology changes, we have added to our curriculum as well as to the facilities onboard our ship. This past year, we have added an ECDIS lab in the classrooms, as well as expanded the number of licensed Officers onboard to help teach and mentor the cadets. The Sea Term is an integral part of the licens- ing programs, as it provides the necessary exposure to the daily life on a ship, the work and safety responsibilities and of a Mate/Engineer, as well as the reality of being away from home for months at a time. When we met, you mentioned that the Summer Sea Term cruises are at ca- pacity, and SUNY Maritime is seeking industry partnerships to get students aboard commercial ships. Can you tell me about the efforts to date. With the growing number of students, we seek to send out our cadets onboard com- mercial vessels for their "Cadet Ob- server." Usually completed in lieu of their second class cruise, a cadet observer stays onboard a commercial ship for a minimum of 75 days. He/she follows the Mates onboard, participating in all activ- ities and duties of a working ship, in- cluding at sea and inport watches, mooring operations, anchoring, drills, cargo operations, and vessel mainte- nance. Every year, our school sends out a few dozen cadets to ports around the world. They work on a variety of differ- ent ships, from LNGs to Cruise Ships to Government Contracted vessels. The stu- dent earns a 6 credit grade upon the com- pletion of their in depth Cadet Observer Project. Companies that have partici- pated in this program include Military Sealift Command, Shell, Celebrity Cruise Lines, Maersk, and OSG. From your experience, what is the value of putting students on commercial ships? The Cadet Observer program is an in- valuable experience to the cadets, as it provides a one on one learning experi- ence where the student is exposed to the inner workings of a commercial ship at sea. As an Instructor, I can see how the cadets mature and greatly expand their knowledge of this unique industry when they complete their observer time. I have spoken to many cadets about their sea going experiences, and the general re- sponse is that it is a very positive experi- ence, with much confidence, knowledge, understanding, and experiences gained. Uncompromised Control WaterJet Bow/Stern Thrusters 75-2200 HP JT575AM HT600 Low Submergence Requirement Small Hull Penetrations Auxiliary Propulsion/ “Take Home” Capability Effective Thrust In Currents Proudly Made In The USA! Do You Have Space Onboard for a CADET? As SUNY Maritime continues to ex- perience strong growth, it increas- ingly is seeking to build relationships with ship owners and operators to enable its cadets to gather experi- ence onboard working commercial ships. If you are interested to learn more, contact the Marine Transportation Department Head, Mr. Anthony Palmiotti, for further information. Email: apalmiotti@sunymaritime.edu Telephone: 718-409-5564
