Sea Term 2009: Captain's Blog

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February 2009 S M T W Th F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Jan 2009

Friday 13 February

"Nae man can tether time or tide."
-Robert Burns

Valentine's Day is approaching. Watch for a special LINK celebrating this special day!

0800 ET/1300 GMT Position
In Port, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI
USTS Kennedy's updated track: Sailwx Track

Air Temperature 28.0 C
Sea Temperature 24.3 C
Sea State
Barometric Pressure mb and
Wind @ kts
Visibility miles.

Division I Watch
Division II Liberty
Division III Liberty
Division IV Liberty

Here is a LINK to a story about the TS Kennedy's visit in the local St. Thomas paper: St. Thomas Source

Liberty, Liberty, Liberty...Now, Liberty
by Cadet 1/C Peter Beuth

Excited cadets ran rampant on board TS Kennedy this morning as liberty calls began to be made over the PA system. Even though I was not on mooring stations this morning, I rolled out of my rack as enthusiastically as one can at 0600 in order to capture some pictures of TS Kennedy pulling into Charlotte Amelie, St Thomas. The sights did not disappoint. The sun rose behind a moderate cloud bank in the eastern sky, with a light east wind blowing over our starboard side as we made our approach. The Virgin Islands are just as I remembered them from my freshman year - small and very hilly, covered by alot of foliage and dotted with innumerable small dwellings. We are docked at the cruise line pier on the far south eastern end of the port. Very nearby are all of the yachts and mega yachts. A few cadets made joking references to jumping ship and taking jobs on those vessels then and there. Within a half hour of being securely moored starboard side-to in Charlotte Amelie, the liberty calls began to be made. First came the officers and crew, then first class cadets, followed by the underclass cadets.

No too long after liberty began, a few cadets are already straggling back, having had a few "bushwhackers," which are evidently the Caribbean rum version of a mudslide. From the stories I'm hearing about beautiful beaches, good surf, and good drinks, I know that Saint Thomas is going to be the best port we will visit this year.

Business, But Not Just Coat-and-Tie...International Maritime Business
by Cadet 1/C Peter Beuth

Often times, when people hear the term 'business' in reference to a college major, they envision a career sitting in a cubicle, wearing a suit and tie, and having three coffee cups with your name on them and two paperweights on your desk. International Maritime Business (IMBU), a bachelor of science degree program at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, regularly places graduates into the maritime field, far beyond the walls of a cubicle and often away from any sort of desk.

An employee since 2000, Dr. Bani Ghosh is the department chairperson in the IMBU program at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. She has overseen the growth of the IMBU program, this year expecting the largest cohort to date with approximately thirty five to forty new cadets entering the business program. Born and raised in India, Dr. Ghosh received her masters degree there and then travelled to Melbourne, Australia where she completed her PhD in Economics. Upon completing her masters degree, she began teaching at Penn State University as an economics teacher before accepting a position with Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Since beginning at MMA, Dr. Ghosh has made it a point to show that the IMBU program is completely unique in that it prepares cadets for a career in a maritime related career. In the maritime world, TIME IS MONEY, and everything comes down to EFFICIENCY. Many of the core business classes strive to prepare graduates tomeet the needs of the maritime world. These classes include Port & Terminal Operations and Management, Vessel Chartering, Marine Insurance, and Global Business Logistics, just to name a few. During the sea term, fourth class cadets are introduced to the International Maritime Business program for two consecutive days. On Day One, they are given some general information regarding the IMBU program and listen to presentations from the three IMBU cadet training officers 1/C Heather Mallory, 1/C Michael Loughman, and 2/C Benjamin Zager. Each of these three cadets gave a presentation on their particular internship(s) and each one showed that careers in maritime business are far different from most business jobs. 1/C Loughman interned with APM Terminals, a part of Maersk Lines, Ltd, frequently going to work wearing a polo shirt and jeans and conducting business in the terminal itself. (How about the cubicle and suit and tie? Not in IMBU) 1/C Heather Mallory found herself interning with the Boston Harbor Pilots Association which has provided her with a great networking opportunity including communication between herself and a great number of MMA graduates. 2/C Ben Zager interned with Maersk Lines, Ltd, in Norfolk, Virginia, one of the busiest shipping terminals in the United States. After they each gave their presentations, the freshmen were put through a 'double auction game' in which they win and then manage fake money in order to observe how transactions are recorded on a regular basis in the shipping world. This activity also gave the cadets knowledge of the effects of fees and tariffs on maritime trade as they were incorporated into all of the transactions.

DR Ghosh and Crew...

Day Two of the IMBU introductory program brought a different type of curriculum with cadets being introduced to using modern day software technology to help solve everyday business problems. They also went over the increasing problem of piracy, particularly in Indonesia and Somalia, and its affect on international maritime trade. Also, a major concern to the shipping industry is the recently volatile price of bunker fuel (crude oil) and how its price swings and inherent instability affect the cost of shipping and, consequently, the prices of the goods which we as consumers purchase.

In just this past year, graduates have received jobs with such companies as Exxon Mobil, Maersk APM Terminals, CSC Advanced Marine Center, Global Alliance Logistics, US Dept of Homeland Security, SEACOR, and Kuehne Nagel. Many cadets are currently engaged in their winter internships and this year they find themselves interning with such companies as Maersk Lines Ltd, Poten and Partners, Weavers Cove Energy, Kirby Inland Marine, ECM Maritime Services, Liberty International, and the American Bureau of Shipping. It is plainly evident that there are a variety of jobs to be had in the maritime business field, many of which defy the typical image of a business career with a nine to five job, a cubicle, a suit and tie, three coffee cups, and two paperweights. If they are lucky they will find a job where they work near the ocean, are out in the field, and just might need a coffee cup or two if they work a job where they see the sun rise over the ocean or coastline every morning.

Ultimately, everything in the maritime business field comes down to efficiency. Whether it be efficiency in terms of time or in terms of money, it doesn't matter, because in today's economy, time IS money. As they say, an idle ship is a ship losing money and that is where IMBU graduates excell...working with logistics and problem solving methods to ensure that us license track cadets (deck or engine) have work on board ships that are effectively engaged in the business of shipping. According to Dr. Ghosh, the entire complement of faculty and cadets in the IMBU program are, "...a close knit group, everybody pitches in, and it is a great resume building experience to be part of the IMBU leadership." Such has been the experience of cadets Mallory, Loughman, and Zager.

Follow the Voyage
Here are today's questions:

History: Since its installation, how many kWh of electricity have been generated by the Academy's wind turbine?
Math: According to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, MMA enrolled 212 new students in the Fall Term 2001 (Fall 2001 cohort = 212). By the Fall of 2007, 135 had graduated. What is MMA's six-year graduation rate for the Fall 2001 cohort?
Science: Can you tell us what the machine in the photo below is designed for? Hint: MMA already has a different type of this machine.

Geography: What is the estimated population of the world? Where does the United States rank in world population?

LINKS:
Official MMA Photography

Christiaan Conover Blog Page
Buzzards Bay Weather
MMA Parents Association

Departure Photos
Cape Cod Times Online Departure Photos
217 Photos of TS Kennedy's Arrival in Tampa

Should you have an emergency and need to contact someone at MMA regarding your cadet or a crew member, please contact Commander Stephen Kelleher:
Commander Stephen Kelleher
508-830-6485 (daytime)
508-364-6217 (Evenings/Weekends)
seaterm@maritime.edu

If Commander Kelleher is not available, you may contact me at any time:
Captain Allen Hansen
508-269-0925
ahansen@maritime.edu

Parting Shots...When Do We Get Off?

Been There, Done That

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