Living Alaska — Learning to Drive a 500-Ton Ship

The Simulator Experience

Photograph by Author — The Ship Simulator at the University of Alaska Southeast

Getting a Driver's License

Learning to steer a 500-ton ocean-going ship is not that simple. If you work on an ocean-going vessel, chances are you will get a chance to steer when there is nothing to hit. You have miles of open ocean around you and nothing on Radar. That is an excellent opportunity to learn.

Hands-On Experience

Working on a ship encourages you to try your hand. Getting wheel time is a good experience. In case of an emergency, it might help to know the controls, commands, and instrumentation. Getting a license to steer a large container vessel near shore, ports, or harbors is a completely different story.

Rules of the Road

Charting your turn a mile early, spotting traffic five miles out, and communicating with crew, shore, and other ships is critical to safe seas navigation. Like piloting an aircraft, there are rules and regulations galore. The only difference between ships and aircraft is that we operate on 2D and Planes in 3D.

The Process

Learning to navigate, communicate, and steer a ship is a long process. You need a few years of documented Sea Time, training, licensing, and credentials in the United States and International…