Cadets from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., and all six state maritime academies will be able to learn and work on board vessels operated by APL, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the carrier announced.
| Widdows |
“U.S. cadets have long had training opportunities on APL’s U.S.-registered vessels,” said APL Chief Executive Officer Ron Widdows, who signed the agreement with Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton. “Under this agreement we can provide even more support to our U.S. flag shipping by creating more opportunities for the academies.”
It is the third such public-private agreement to be signed in the past six months, and more agreements are being negotiated, MarAd said. The previous two agreements were signed with Overseas Shipholding Group and SeaRiver, which operate tanker fleets.
Connaughton has worked since taking office in 2006 to expand opportunities for U.S. merchant mariners at a time when licensed mariners are in short supply around the world. U.S. federal and state maritime academies are training more students, but there are not enough opportunities available on U.S. vessels to obtain the necessary sailing time to obtain their licenses, according to MarAd.
