CME Named a MARAD Center of Excellence
September 10, 2026
Evan Brown—Director, Communications: Seamen’s Church Institute The Seamen’s Church Institute’s (SCI) Center for Maritime Education (CME) has been designated a Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD), recognizing CME’s demonstrated success in training and developing the nation’s maritime workforce. The five-year designation places […]
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SCI Expertise at Work on America’s Waterways
August 19, 2026
Since 2004, SCI’s Center for Maritime Education (CME) has completed 28 major feasibility studies supporting bridges, ports, docks, terminals, channel modifications, and other waterway navigation projects across the United States. Using full-mission simulation, CME helps engineers, agencies, and operators understand how proposed projects may affect vessel movement and navigation before construction begins. Licensed captains bring […]
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Closing the Gaps: Training Mariners to Use a Layered Approach for Safer Navigation
May 20, 2026
By Capt. Stephen Polk Director, Center for Maritime Education Every safe voyage depends on more than a single tool; it depends on how well a watchstander builds a complete picture using all available information. In today’s busy and complex waterways, when vessels find themselves in close-quarter situations, the difference between a near miss and a […]
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2026 Maritime Bell Awards Luncheon
April 28, 2026
On April 23, 2026, More than 300 maritime leaders and professionals gathered at the Hilton Americas–Houston for the Seamen’s Church Institute’s Annual Maritime Bell Awards Luncheon. During the event, Kelly M. Teichman, Executive Chairman of T&T Group of Companies, received the Maritime Bell Award, and Sandra Ashford, Director of Training, HSSE at Ingram Marine Group, […]
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CME Expands Partnerships and Impact in 2025
January 22, 2026
Throughout 2025, the Center for Maritime Education continued to collaborate with partners across the U.S. inland and Gulf Coast maritime industry. Mariner enrollment remained steady, with training schedules in Paducah, KY, and Houston, TX, fully booked throughout the year. Across both facilities, CME worked with more than 1,200 mariners in our simulators and provided e-Learning […]
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EMPOWERING SIMULATION: CME at the 2025 Kongsberg User Conference
November 4, 2025
by Evan Brown Director, Communications In September 2025, SCI’s Center for Maritime Education joined industry peers on the island of Terschelling, Netherlands, for the Kongsberg Maritime’s International Simulation User Conference. Now in its 17th year, the conference brought together 185 delegates from more than a dozen nations (pictured above) and was hosted in partnership with […]
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SCI Engages with Global Leaders in Maritime Simulation at Kongsberg Conference
October 25, 2025
SCI’s President and Executive Director, the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, together with members of our CME team, participated in this year’s Kongsberg Global Simulation User Conference in Terschelling, Netherlands, from September 16-18, 2025. The event highlights how advanced simulation solutions can enhance maritime education and training, build competence, support decision-making, and promote more sustainable operations. Over […]
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SCI and KOTUG Renew Strategic Partnership on Maritime Training
October 25, 2025
The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) and Rotterdam-based KOTUG Training & Consultancy (KTC) have renewed their strategic partnership to broaden access to world-class maritime training opportunities for U.S. mariners. Through its Center for Maritime Education—with locations in Paducah, Kentucky, and Houston, Texas—SCI is a national leader in simulation-based maritime training. Under the renewed agreement, SCI will […]
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The Rev. Grace Pardun Welcomes Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky to CME-Paducah
October 24, 2025
On October 16, 2025, the SCI office in Paducah hosted a special visit from the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky, including Bishop the Rt. Rev. Terry Allen White, which was coordinated and facilitated by the Rev. Grace Pardun, Supervisory Chaplain for SCI’s Ministry on the River. The day began in the lecture hall, where Pardun introduced […]
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Advancing Maritime Safety: SCI Hosts Buffalo Marine Service for Specialized
September 19, 2025
The Seamen’s Church Institute’s Center for Maritime Education in Houston, TX, recently had the privilege of hosting Buffalo Marine Service Inc. for advanced simulator training. Focused on their bunkering operations, the training was tailored to enhance the skills of the company’s wheelhouse personnel and reinforce best practices on the water. Photos and videos captured during […]
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