Many of you reading this may already be familiar with my background in Scouting. In 1992, as a young teenage girl, I was fortunate to be introduced to Sea Scouts and the numerous opportunities it presented. I became a member of the Sea Scout Ship Genesis, which had a rich history, having been established shortly after girls were permitted in Sea Scouting in the 1970s. Our fleet did not include any mixed-gender ships, leading to heightened competition on various levels. At 14 years old, I quickly learned to refrain from requesting or accepting assistance from boys. Our leadership would reprimand us if they suspected we allowed a boy to help! While this may seem extreme decades later, the confidence and empowerment instilled in many young girls through these practices is something we are missing in today’s society. I never felt inadequate, weak, or incapable. Which is very different than how most young girls feel today.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The inaugural Top Women in Maritime Celebration, hosted by Marine Log, made its mark by shining a spotlight on the incredible achievements of women in a field long dominated by men.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) today awarded $4.85 million in United States Marine Highway Program (USMHP) grants to five marine highway projects across the  U.S. The funding, which is sharply down on some previous years, aims to enhance the movement of goods along waterways while expanding existing waterborne freight services in Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Washington, and West Virginia.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. A new study just released by the Eno Center for Transportation finds that federal support for the U.S. inland waterways system yields significant societal benefits in a variety of areas, completely aside from the obvious freight movement advantages. Commissioned by the National Waterways Foundation (NWF) the study, “Benefits and Beneficiaries of the Nation’s Inland Waterways,” describes 14 benefit areas derived from federal support for inland waterways, grouped into three categories.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Under a plan approved Oct. 30 by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, and disclosed by the Navy yesterday, the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) is to sideline 17 ships to ease the stress on its civilian mariners. “That number’s based on again the number of mariners that we need to get us to 95% [manning],” MSC’s commander Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck told reporters in a call Thursday morning. “It is aligning the force so that we are most ready and that we are getting after the fleet requirements.”

I've been reflecting on the concept of training—what it means, how it looks, and how we define success. I recently returned from the Teaching with Small Boats Alliance Conference and have begun working on the second iteration of Aquaculture Manager Training with Washington Sea Grant (WSG). Additionally, I’m considering the new employee we plan to bring on in early 2025. At Sea Potential, we are continually engaged in training for our youth, the community supporting them, and their employers. This ongoing reflection ensures that what we offer remains beneficial to us as individuals, community members, and educators. With all of this on my mind, I wanted to share my thoughts on the Aquaculture Manager Training. Perhaps you’ll find these insights valuable as you navigate or create your own training initiatives.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. A 48-foot sailboat at the Skagit Valley College Marine Technology Center in Anacortes is making a world of difference for SVC students. Soon it will make a difference in the world as well. The One Ocean, on display at an open house last Friday, will embark with a five-member crew next spring on a 14-month voyage around North and South America to spread awareness about oceanic health through education and the collaboration of crucial scientific research.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. BAE Systems has been awarded a contract by General Dynamics Electric Boat for deck module fabrication in support of U.S. Navy submarine programs. The contract between the companies will cover the production and shipment of structural steel components for both Columbia- and Virginia-class submarines from the BAE Jacksonville, Fla., shipyard.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. BRIX Marine plans to expand its Port Angeles, Wash. manufacturing facility, the vessel builder announced Oct. 23. The new more-than-35,000-square-foot facility would allow BRIX Marine to grow its production capacity and broaden its range of products, the company said. The new location along Marine Drive in Port Angeles also offers BRIX Marine direct access to the Port Angeles Boat Haven through Marine Travelift, according to the company.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Within days of its delivery to MARAD by Philly Shipyard, the TS Patriot State, the second of five new purpose-built, state-of-the-art NSMV training vessels for America’s state maritime academies arrived at Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA), which formally accepted custody of the ship at a special ceremony held October 11, during which Rear Admiral Ann Phillips, MARAD Administrator, officially signed the vessel over to the academy and to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. A bill recently introduced in Congress to strengthen the U.S. Navy’s shipyard support and bolster its ability to keep pace with China’s blistering progress in shipbuilding has a few words to say about inland priorities as well. The bill is the Ships for America Act, drafted and introduced by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Az.) and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) in both houses of Congress.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Union dockworkers at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports began walking picket lines early Tuesday, halting the movement of billions of dollars’ worth of goods including furniture, paper, shoes, manufacturing components, farm machinery and much more.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. In a world where CEOs seemingly come and go like the wind, Cliff Pemble is a unicorn. He’s been leading Garmin as CEO since 2013 (and was president and COO from 2007 to 2013). More remarkable is that he started at the company way back in 1989, just after Gary Burrell and Min Kao founded Garmin in Olathe, Kan. In the marine world, Garmin is instantly recognizable. From chart plotters and radar to trolling motors and stereos, the company’s marine segment in 2023 drove $917 million in revenue toward its bottom line. But the company is as diverse as it is big. Garmin is made up of five segments — fitness, outdoor, aviation, marine and automotive OEM — all of which contain products that are well-respected in their fields. These segments drove consolidated revenue of $5.23 billion in 2023.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Plunge into the world of maritime employment, exploring trends, regional differences, and the diverse workforce within this vital sector.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Kitsap Transit has been awarded $13.5 million in federal funding to replace its aging fast ferry, the MV Finest, which serves the Kingston-Seattle route. The funding comes from the Federal Transit Administration’s Passenger Ferry Grant Program and was announced by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. In August 2024, the MV Finest broke down due to a water jet malfunction which caused a temporary halt in the Kingston-Seattle service. According to Kitsap Transit, the 25-year-old vessel is at the end of its operational life, and the cost to refurbish it would be 75% or more of the expense of a new vessel. 

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. With towering masts and impressive sails, the Adventuress resembles a pirate ship. However, it sails the sea not to pillage or plunder, but to teach. Last month, the 133-foot schooner once again hosted “Everett at Sea,” a free program aimed to give kids and teens from the historically disadvantaged Casino Road neighborhood an opportunity to spend six days sailing through Puget Sound. A state grant made “Everett at Sea” free for Casino Road families who couldn’t afford the expense. However, after this year, funding runs out.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. In 2021, the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA) initially received funding from the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnerships Project for modeling and analysis of alternative propulsion systems. Based on that work, the original plan—developed in conjunction with the National Research Energy Laboratory—was to put a Transfluid clutch, electric motor, and batteries on Eric Jordan’s troller, the I Gotta, but Jordan has withdrawn his vessel from the project for personal reasons but continues to lend financial support. After receiving $700,000 in additional funding from the Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technology Office and $500,000 from the Department of Energy, the new plan is to outfit Jeff Turner’s troller longliner, the Mirage.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The U.S. Navy's growing manning gap is adding to its existing fleet maintenance issues, according to the Government Accountability Office. In a fleetwide survey, GAO found that most warship crews are having a hard time performing underway repairs and maintenance because they do not have enough people on board to do the work. As incomplete underway maintenance leads to more serious issues down the road, like increased rates of corrosion or mechanical wear, the challenges in getting the work done at sea are adding to the Navy's difficulty in completing timely repairs during drydock or pierside availabilities. Mission-limiting backlog counts rose measurably in 2023 rose from about 8,500 job items to about 9,000 job items, with most of the increase concentrated in the surface fleet.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The U.S. Navy is going all-in on its partnership with a recently-founded non-profit, the BlueForge Alliance, handing the organization a contract worth nearly $1 billion to strengthen worker recruitment and resourcing for the U.S. submarine industrial base. The gaps in the nuclear submarine workforce are among the Navy's biggest procurement concerns, as worker shortages at the two prime contractors and their suppliers are causing production delays for the Columbia-class ballistic missile subs and the Virginia-class attack subs. 

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Washington State Ferries (WSF), Seattle, has put the decommissioned vessels Elwha and Klahowya back on the market after terminating a sales agreement with buyer Nelson Armas. This decision follows a series of setbacks, including a failed attempt to tow the ferries to Ecuador in August. During the attempted tow, malfunctions in the towing equipment left the Elwha and Klahowya stranded in Puget Sound. As a result, the vessels were returned to WSF’s Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility on Bainbridge Island. WSF assistant secretary Steve Nevey emphasized the decision to end the contract was in the state's best interest, citing repeated failures to meet contractual deadlines.