Now, the Fort Lauderdale-based facility has received accreditation from The Nautical Institute as a Dynamic Positioning (DP) Training facility, joining a select few organizations both in the U.S. and worldwide that are authorized to offer training in this highly valued and specialized profession.
”We are extremely proud and pleased to be leading the way in providing one of the latest and most advanced facilities, offering the highest standard of training and providing a level of support and practical exposure for our DP students that will be unmatched,” said Ted Morley, Chief Operating Officer at MPT. He added,”We have made a substantial investment in our facility and believe that the combination of cutting edge technology and DP instructors who are NI certified, as well as experienced and licensed at the highest unlimited tonnage levels, positions us to offer the most comprehensive realistic DP training available.”
MPT has graduates that work for Carnival, Holland America, Princess and other cruise lines. As the details of the Costa Concordia accident come into focus, what happened off the Italian coast will also become a scenario in the simulator.
Re-created with details that include the exact weather conditions, the reefs and rocks on the ocean floor, even the commands given that resulted in 11 deaths with 20 passengers still missing, the simulation is expected to be a textbook scenario.
“This incident will go into the books,” Capt. Ted Morley, MPT’s chief operations officer said. “This will be one that people will learn from for a long time.”
MPT offers all levels of certification, license and document study programs, many of which offer in-school testing, are USCG Approved and are recognized by many foreign administrations. Training programs are designed to meet and exceed IMO standards and are fully STCW Compliant. The Fort Lauderdale based campuses host over 45,000 square feet of classrooms, deck and engineering training labs. Training programs also take place at the MPT SMART Simulation Center, Marine Tech Shipboard Firefighting Site, Sea Survival Training Facility, and onboard the MPT Fleet of Training vessels.
Chris Owen is a travel writer from Orlando Florida charged with sharing frank, inside information on cruise vacations with travelers. Certified a Master Cruise Counselor by the Cruise Lines International Association, Chris can be found via the popular travel blog, ChrisCruises.net and on the long-running cruise information website, YourCruiseDream.com.
