A Lot Is Happening at SCI's
Centers for Maritime Education (CME)

Personalized Training Solutions

On July 27-31, SCI performed a simulator class with CME Houston’s new ship bridge for AET’s Mooring Masters.

In the four days, SCI performed 22 simulations in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area, Southwest Pass, and tested customized current profiles which included surface and sub-surface currents for the ships involved in the simulations with various drafts. The class also challenged the participants by simulating emergency scenarios, non-routine high-risk tasks associated with ship-to-ship lightering. SCI utilized new customized pilot grade hydrodynamic models (VLCC, Suezmax, Aframax, and Panamax tankers) previously purchased for SCI’s feasibility work for the mooring masters to assist with special requests when designing exercises.

CME provides a favorable 6:1 student-faculty ratio or better in the simulation rooms allowing for personalized instruction, and a more immersive experience for the participants. Assessments are conducted at ratios of 1:1 and 2:1.

Inquiries on training and feasibility studies may be directed to spolk@seamenschurch.org. For e-learning specific questions, please contact Jonathan Burson at jburson@seamenschurch.org.
"With our new wheelhouse, we were able to train several NGL wheelmen in the simulator on the original four bridges within the Kongsberg system at the same time as our Mooring Masters class for AET.

It was a great week to be able to take care of multiple training partners' needs without compromising quality."
- Captain Stephen Polk
Consultation with Captain Dave Adrian

Captain Dave Adrian of the Port Aransas Pilots stopped by the Houston campus this week to test out CME's latest visual training area in development for Aransas Bay. Running from the channel entrance through to the City and Alcoa docks, his valuable input on this first draft will assist CME in enhancing the visuals, and tailoring it to suit his organization's individual needs.

Take Your Daughter to Work Day
One of the perks of having a Captain/CME instructor for a mother is getting to learn wheelhouse skills in a real simulator room!
In the video, Teagan receives instruction from Captain Tom Chivers along with some offstage coaching from her mother.

Teagan's mother brings nearly ten years of experience in the maritime industry to her role as instructor at CME Houston. After graduating from New York Maritime College with a BS in Marine Operations, she commanded towboats pushing chemical barges on the Western Rivers, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and inland waterways.

Teagan has a fabulous role model for a successful career in the maritime industry!
David Loy Stewart Sr
(1947-2020)
Loy was a good friend to SCI and we were so sorry to hear of his passing. Our heartfelt sympathy and prayers go to his family.

This excerpt from his obituary provides some insight into the widespread affection felt for him in the maritime industry:

"Loy was fond of saying 'There are three ways to get ahead in life: 1. Right place at the right time 2. Know the right person or 3. Marry the boss’s daughter.' He chose #3. In 1973 Loy went to work for his father-in law at Detyens Shipyards as a Machinist helper. By 1982 he had risen to the position of Secretary/Treasurer of the shipyard. In 1990, he bought the shipyard from his partner and began driving the Shipyard to success, moving its location in 1995 to the Charleston Naval Shipyard and turning a small family owned business into one of the premier ship repair facilities on the East Coast. 

. . . Diagnosed with ALS in the early 2000’s he never missed going to the office and mentoring or helping those in need of advice. He touched countless lives and businesses.When he turned 50, he decided to help 10 people, either with money, guidance, or both. By the age of 60, that 10 had become over 60 and to this day the people he touched is immeasurable."

“It’s not often a shipowner meets the owner of the shipyard overhauling his ship, and remembers that meeting for many decades. I had the honor of meeting Loy Sr in the 1990s, and never forgot his manners, friendliness, and intellectual curiosity. Loy handled his affliction with class, and I am glad to have known him.“ - Rich du Moulin, SCI Board Member and former Board Chair

Your Support Allows Us to Respond to Mariner Needs Without Hesitation.
This photo of Chaplain Thomas Rhoades from early March ministering out in the field, mask-free, gives some hope of happier days ahead!

Founded in 1834 and affiliated with the Episcopal Church, the Seamen’s Church Institute of New York & New Jersey (SCI) is the largest, most comprehensive mariners’ agency in North America. Annually, its chaplains visit more than 3,000 vessels in the Port of New York and New Jersey and along 2,200 miles of America’s inland waterways. Through its Christmas at Sea program, SCI delivers 16,500 knitted gifts hand-crafted by volunteers to mariners. SCI’s maritime education facilities provide navigational training to 2,700 mariners each year through simulator-based facilities located in Houston, TX and Paducah, KY. The Institute and its maritime attorneys are recognized as leading advocates for merchant mariners by the United States Government, including the Congress, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization, the International Labor organization and maritime trade associations.

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