Bouchard Hosts Leadership Training Course

During the weeks of July 18-21, and August 1-4, Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc. partnered with SUNY Maritime College and privately hosted the required USCG Leadership & Managerial Skills Course at Bouchard’s corporate headquarters in Melville, N.Y. for all Bouchard tug captains and chief engineers. Bouchard is the first operator to privately host this class for their vessel employees.

Effective March 24, 2014, additional training and/or assessments became required for certain Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) endorsements. Bouchard felt it was important to host a private course in order to ensure that the proper requirements are met for all management level (captains) and CEO (chief engineer officer) vessel employees before December 31, 2016.

Proper training and education is of vital importance at Bouchard, and ensures a safe operation for vessel crew and customers. The USCG Leadership & Managerial Skills Course is designed to demonstrate the importance of clear communication and leadership needs aboard the vessel. With this understanding, captains and chief engineers are then able to competently, and productively carry out their duties, leading to an overall safe operation.

By the conclusion of the course, each tug captain and chief engineer held proficient knowledge of the following: knowledge of shipboard personnel management and training; knowledge of related international maritime conventions and recommendations, and national legislation; ability to apply task and workload management; knowledge and ability to apply effective resource management; and knowledge and ability to apply decision-making techniques.

Following course completion, all tug captains moved on to receive a full day of simulator training at the Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc. Tug & Barge Simulation Center at SUNY Maritime College. Simulator training was conducted by a USCG level licensed instructor, and held in the Port of New York, Port of Houston and New London area databases. The own ships, target ships and tugs in SUNY Maritime’s Simulator Library were used in the simulations. The goal of training was for all Captains to demonstrate the sufficient knowledge needed to undertake the duties of an Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch.

Training included the following: operation during restricted visibility, navigating in a narrow channel, use of “Z” Drive tug(s), meeting and overtaking in close quarters situations, application of COLREGS, workload management and situational awareness.

Bouchard  said each session was successful, and exceeded expectations for all involved. Internal evaluations concluded that a direct result of the course’s success was due to the private nature of the class, as it was convenient and specifically structured to meet the needs of Bouchard employees. The rare opportunity for office personnel and crew members to interact with each other was also a large benefit.

Kevin Donohue, VP Safety & Vetting, Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc., said, “The USCG Leadership & Managerial Skills Course illustrates the importance of working as a cohesive unit, while demonstrating the positive leadership skills needed to operate efficiently and safely. These skills can be used in all situations, including navigational, operational and personal, which leads to an overall collaborative crew. Thank you SUNY Maritime College for partnering with us, as the private nature of this course assisted in making these weeks such a success for all involved.”