Concurrent Technical Session 2C-1: Advanced Education Models

Shipping is currently an industry that is suffering from a skills gap in regards to ship operators and officers. This is felt on both the deck and engine side and is a problem that is global in nature. At the same time the use of distance education has been slow to be incorporated into the training of mariners, particularly in regards to people upgrading their skills (e.g. wanting to progress from a 3rd engineer to a chief engineer). For 15 years the Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland has been working with the regulator as well as ship owners and mariners to create advanced education models and techniques that are built around distance learning. Courses built on these models have been accepted by Transport Canada and are being used with industry clients to upgrade engineers up to Second Engineer with ongoing work to adapt these to the Chief’s level courses. These educational models that have been developed at the Marine Institute and are based on the Keller Plan (or Personalized System of Instruction) which has been shown to provide better learning outcomes in key metrics. The implementation of this is made feasible by algorithmically generated questions. This presentation will discuss the motivations for developing this model and how this model is implemented in its current form. It will also discuss the methodology of how this is applied to industrial clients, the success that it is finding with these clients, and what this training could look like in the future.

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Concurrent Technical Session 2C-2: Korea’s Green-Ship Test Bed

The maritime industry faces the urgent challenge of achieving deep decarbonization while ensuring safety in adopting alternative fuels and advanced propulsion systems. Korea’s Green-ship Test Bed (K-GTB) has been developed as an innovative international collaboration platform to accelerate this transition. The K-GTB is a 2,600 GT-class hybrid demonstration vessel capable of integrating megawatt-scale shipboard batteries, fuel cells, and dual-fuel engines simultaneously. Its modular “Lego-block” design allows flexible assembly and reconfiguration, enabling diverse technologies to be validated under real-sea conditions and shared globally with partners. By functioning as a living laboratory, the K-GTB builds reliable track records that support international cooperation and standardization. A central feature of the K-GTB is the Damage Control Support System (DCSS), designed to safeguard both technology demonstration and real-world green shipping operations. As ships increasingly employ high-risk alternative fuels such as green ammonia, green methanol, and large-scale batteries, safety concerns regarding toxicity, flammability, and cascading failures become critical. The DCSS addresses these risks by integrating more than 30 sensors with scenario-based, ISO-compliant response protocols. It features real-time fire and flooding simulations, a buoyancy support subsystem, and intuitive graphic interfaces that guide crews or remote operators through emergencies. Sea trials have proven its effectiveness in minimizing human and environmental damage, reinforcing trust in next-generation fuels. Beyond K-GTB demonstrations, the DCSS represents a versatile safety framework that can be extended to naval vessels exposed to combat risks or passenger ships such as cruise liners, where human life is paramount. This study introduces the K-GTB as an international innovation platform for decarbonization technologies and highlights the DCSS as an essential enabler of safe and reliable adoption. Together, they illustrate how shipping’s pathway to carbon neutrality can be advanced in a manner that is both practical and resilient, fostering global trust in the era of green shipping.