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.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Maritime High School (MHS), a public choice school in the Highline School District operated in partnership with Northwest Maritime, Port of Seattle, and the Duwamish River Community Coalition, announces the expansion of its maritime-focused curriculum with the addition of a third educational pathway, Marine Construction, which will be made available to students entering grade 11 beginning with the 2024-25 school year. Other educational pathways students can explore include Marine Resources & Research and Vessel Operations, Design & Maintenance.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Today, All American Marine (AAM), Bellingham, Wash., announced the delivery of a 74’x27.5’ aluminum hydrofoil catamaran patrol boat to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). AAM states the vessel, Barracuda, was designed and built to enhance CDFW’s capabilities in coastal and marine enforcement, playing a crucial role in safeguarding California’s marine resources for its Law Enforcement Division. In a press release, AAM noted the vessel is equipped to handle a wide range of near coastal and offshore missions, including multi-day patrols, commercial gear inspection and recovery, fishery enforcement, and marine protected area patrols.

Everywhere you turn, discussions about a labor shortage are prevalent, and this issue is not confined to any specific industry. The maritime sector has been grappling with this challenge for years, and from an external perspective, it can seem as though we are unable to attract enough talent for both seagoing and shoreside positions.

Having spent over a decade within the industry, I can affirm that labor shortages are just as influenced by hiring processes as they are by recruitment efforts.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. Designed to protect U.S. shipyards and its workers while also serving as a key element of national security, the Jones Act is arguably the most significant piece of legislation in the maritime industry. These considerations are not unique to the United States, as the majority of the world’s shipping ports have some type of Jones Act equivalent to protect against foreign intrusion in a country’s domestic industries. Nonetheless, efforts to dismantle it have continued, led by certain lawmakers who would allow foreign mariners into domestic markets.

As part of our Career Connect Washington Maritime Sector ongoing work, we actively track, document, and inform about emerging technologies and trends. The Coast Guard’s heavy icebreaker Polar Star and crew returned to their homeport in Seattle Aug. 24, after an annual deployment to Antarctica and service life extension shipyard work in California. The 138-day voyage supporting Operation Deep Freeze 2024 was followed by the 399’ Polar Star pulling into Mare Island Dry Dock (MIDD) LLC. in Vallejo, Calif., to start the fourth phase of a five-year Service Life Extension Project (SLEP).