The tug came here in 1984 as a result of some advice that we really needed to start training people how to operate tugs and get involved with the tug and barge industry. And so 1985, this boat came into the fleet. I've been teaching the class on and off since 1986.
Right now we're pushing ahead, we're out in Smith Cove, and we're in the notch of our barge pushing ahead and doing some maneuvering so we can learn how to twist the tugboat in its own length.
I think the coolest thing I've ever done was with a company called Foss Maritime, and the captain let me maneuver this 150-foot escort tug up to the stern of a tanker. It was a really awesome experience, and definitely not an experience I would be able to have at any other school.
We had one day that there was a blizzard. They sent out an email saying today's not mandatory because school's been canceled, but if anybody wants to come, we're still going out. We got the whole day to run the tug ourselves out in a blizzard, hooking onto a barge, and just being able to experience that. In the industry, you're not going to have a snow day. I mean, weather is weather and things have to get done.
MMA's Tug and Barge program, it's the only full-scale tug and barge program at any of the maritime academies. It gives us the opportunity to allow students to get their Towing Officer Assessments completed, so they can get their Mate of Tow when they graduate.
I jumped right into the industry after I graduated. I started doing ship assist and really found a liking. Now I'm involved in training, and I'm in a really unique position because I'm able to use what I learned here at Maine Maritime Academy and help that drive some of our training programs at Moran.
I decided to switch to Vessel Operations Technology when I saw a presentation about the Tug and Barge program and the opportunities that that industry currently has for graduates.
We are listening to industry and trying to provide a graduate that is up to speed with safety and safety management, leadership. We're trying to put them in front of the newest electronics and data collection systems. The industry has been good at talking to us and making sure that we understand what the future employee looks like, and to help us have the equipment that we need in order to provide that for them.
Financial support is both important to continue the program, but also scholarship support for the students that are attending Maine Maritime Academy.
That opportunity to actually get experience in a learning environment to do the things that you're potentially going to do when you graduate, that's just top tier. Top notch for me. I know that the investment that I've made in Maine Maritime will pay off tenfold.
There's no other school that offers a tug and barge program that really meets the industry needs like the Maine Maritime Tug and Barge program. Our program gives you an opportunity to get a lot of your check-offs, if not all of them done, to have your towing endorsement before you get into the industry. And being able to come out with that ready to go gives you a big leg up.
As far as education goes, it doesn't get much more realistic to the actual industry than this program.
