Q&A: Curtin Maritime unveils labor training program
Written by Heather Ervin
Capt. Martin Curtin.
Marine Log (ML): First, can you tell us about Curtin Maritime and the services you provide the industry?
Capt. Martin Curtin (MC): Curtin Maritime is a leading American-owned and operated marine solutions company that provides a range of maritime services globally, including marine transportation, marine construction, and dredging.
I founded the company in 1997, and we now employ nearly 400 employees with a diverse fleet of tugs, floating cranes, barges, and specialty vessels.
While we are headquartered in the Port of Long Beach, Calif., Curtin Maritime undertakes projects spanning the globe as far south as Antarctica, as far north as Alaska, reaching west to Japan and Australia, and covering the entire Pacific. Our capabilities extend worldwide, enabling us to deliver excellence in maritime services wherever the seas may take us.
We provide a hands-on, personalized approach to maritime training and career progression via on-the-job training through the Curtin Maritime Accelerator Program (CMAP). CMAP provides career opportunities for entry-level individuals looking to enter the maritime industry. Once they graduate CMAP they can move into roles such as deckhands, engineers, crane operators, mates and captains.
Curtin Maritime is committed to excellence through innovation, efficiency and integrity across every element of maritime operations. We are currently looking for the next generation of mariners ready to navigate their passions in the maritime industry.
ML: Much of the maritime industry is dealing with the challenge of a thinning workforce. How does Curtin Maritime plan to approach this issue?
MC: It starts with taking care of our employees. At Curtin Maritime, we nurture career progression from within and strive for excellence.
Our people are the heartbeat of Curtin Maritime and we make investing in their development top priority. We respect and value the individual talents of each employee, recognizing that our combined strengths are the key to our success.
Above all, Curtin Maritime offers all our employees the chance to work with the best people on some of the best projects the maritime industry has to offer.
ML: Is the training program only for Curtin Maritime employees?
MC: Yes. For new employees, CMAP provides the training, hands-on experience and tools to help aspiring mariners learn about the maritime industry, craftsmanship, project management and many other lifelong skills.
Curtin Maritime is committed to creating an accelerated, respectable and high-paying career path for entry-level employees. Our hands-on, personalized approach to maritime training and career progression, guides our team to navigate their passions, both on and off the job.
ML: Besides recruitment and retention challenges, what other issues does Curtin Maritime see as workforce challenges?
MC: Besides recruitment and retention, our biggest challenge is identifying the subset of the workforce with the desire and work ethic required to be successful within the maritime industry.
Other challenges include the training and skill development needed to keep up with technological advancements and regulatory changes. This requires continuous training and skill development.
An aging workforce poses challenges for succession planning and transferring knowledge to younger employees. The maritime industry is recognizing that more needs to be done to ensure that there is an awareness of the industry as early as possible for the upcoming workforce. We see strides happening but this is a long game.
The safety and health of our employees are our top priorities. Given the hazardous conditions of our work, ensuring safety and providing continuous training remain challenges that we consistently prioritize.
While at sea and on the job the work is taxing. At Curtin, we work hard to offer a balanced schedule with time to rest and maintain a home life while still making a great living.
ML: Can you tell us about some recent notable projects Curtin Maritime has been on the forefront of?
MC: Recently, Curtin Maritime has removed wildlife-threatening shipwrecks from coral seas in the Pacific Ocean; completed the Webb Telescope heavy lift transportation project for NASA; designed, fabricated and installed a ramp for the U.S. Navy; provided transportation support for a new pier build in Antarctica; salvaged a Boeing 737-200 from the south of Oahu; and performed many routine mooring overhauls to prevent large ocean oil spills.
Our most recent innovation is the DB Avalon—a market-first, hybrid-powered dredge vessel designed and built by Curtin Maritime to be the highest capacity, with the lowest carbon footprint clamshell dredge of its class.
DB Avalon can move up to 30,000 cubic yards of material a day and has 110 metric tons (or 242,000 pounds) of lifting capacity. Approximately a dozen employees man the vessel over a 24-hour shift. DB Avalon and its crew recently completed Curtin’s largest project to date, deepening and widening the Houston ship channel as part of Houston Project 11.
