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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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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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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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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Director of SCI’s Center for Maritime Education, Capt. Stephen Polk, Featured on Between the Levees Podcast
August 23, 2025
Capt. Stephen Polk, Director of Maritime Education and Training at the Seamen’s Church Institute’s Center for Maritime Education (CME), was recently featured on Between the Levees, the podcast hosted by Tim Tregle that spotlights voices from the inland maritime industry. In this engaging episode, Capt. Polk shares his personal journey—growing up in the Houston area, […]
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Pilot and Tug Master Training: A Win for Maritime Safety
July 15, 2025
Building on the success of previous years, KOTUG and SCI’s Center for Maritime Education (CME) once again joined forces in Houston to deliver an intensive and highly practical training program for KOTUG’s Tug Masters and Buckeye Bahamas Hub’s Pilots operating in Freeport, Grand Bahamas. A notable update to this year’s curriculum was the close collaboration […]
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CME Runs Study for Proposed Cairo Terminal
February 19, 2025
The Center for Maritime Education (CME) in Paducah recently hosted representatives from the Alexander-Cairo Port District and the engineering firm BFW/Marcum to conduct feasibility studies for a proposed port terminal on the western side of Cairo, IL, along the Mississippi River. Approved for construction in 2020, this state-of-the-art, multi-modal terminal will better facilitate the transport […]
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An Intern’s Experience at CME
December 18, 2024
This past semester, I had the pleasure of mentoring Valdemar (Val) Tamez Jr., a high school senior and Eagle Scout I’ve known since his childhood through our Boy Scout troop. Val’s father and I served as Assistant Scoutmasters, and I’ve had the privilege of watching him develop into a determined and capable young man. When […]
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