News Headlines
Blarney, Ireland Ship Wreck
![Picture](/uploads/1/1/2/3/11231364/975884757.jpg?343)
(This is a real shipwreck in Ireland, but it is not the same on as this article)
A luxury cruise ship was evacuated safely yesterday after striking a massive iceberg in the North Atlantic.
And oil rig workers escaped without injury after the helicopter transporting them to an offshore rig was forced to ditch in stormy conditions.
The dramatic incidents were played out as part of two training exercises at the National Maritime College of Ireland’s state-of-the-art training facilities in Ringaskiddy, Co Cork.
The college has a 360-degree ship-bridge simulator which can be programmed to mimic any kind of ship sailing into the world’s largest ports.
The students were put in control of a large cruise ship programmed to strike an iceberg, and take on water.
They had to co-ordinate the emergency response and organise the evacuation of the ship’s crew and passengers.
Then in the college’s environmental pool — the only one of its kind in the country — oil rig workers had to escape from a submerged and upturned helicopter which had been forced to ditch in the water.
Wave machines, giant fans, and flashing lights combined with loud speakers playing thunder sounds to recreate deadly storm conditions, making the experience ultra-realistic.
The college’s nautical science lecturer Bill Kavanagh said the importance of its marine safety training courses has come into sharp focus in the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster.
"We train people how to work, respond and survive in stressful conditions, in a harsh safety critical environment," he said.
"The Crowd in Crisis Management course we ran yesterday teaches you how to behave in emergencies when decision-making is critical.
"These kinds of decisions can only be made if there is strong leadership and strong teamwork practices."
The National Maritime College of Ireland, a partnership between CIT and the Irish Naval Service, also uses its marine training facilities to run corporate team-building exercises.
Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/kfsnkfkfeyey/rss2/#ixzz1sXYd7PRz
And oil rig workers escaped without injury after the helicopter transporting them to an offshore rig was forced to ditch in stormy conditions.
The dramatic incidents were played out as part of two training exercises at the National Maritime College of Ireland’s state-of-the-art training facilities in Ringaskiddy, Co Cork.
The college has a 360-degree ship-bridge simulator which can be programmed to mimic any kind of ship sailing into the world’s largest ports.
The students were put in control of a large cruise ship programmed to strike an iceberg, and take on water.
They had to co-ordinate the emergency response and organise the evacuation of the ship’s crew and passengers.
Then in the college’s environmental pool — the only one of its kind in the country — oil rig workers had to escape from a submerged and upturned helicopter which had been forced to ditch in the water.
Wave machines, giant fans, and flashing lights combined with loud speakers playing thunder sounds to recreate deadly storm conditions, making the experience ultra-realistic.
The college’s nautical science lecturer Bill Kavanagh said the importance of its marine safety training courses has come into sharp focus in the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster.
"We train people how to work, respond and survive in stressful conditions, in a harsh safety critical environment," he said.
"The Crowd in Crisis Management course we ran yesterday teaches you how to behave in emergencies when decision-making is critical.
"These kinds of decisions can only be made if there is strong leadership and strong teamwork practices."
The National Maritime College of Ireland, a partnership between CIT and the Irish Naval Service, also uses its marine training facilities to run corporate team-building exercises.
Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/kfsnkfkfeyey/rss2/#ixzz1sXYd7PRz