Thanks to the generous support of the Ontario ministries of Training, Colleges and Universities and Transportation, Transport Canada Marine Safety and the City of Owen Sound, along with a major commitment by Georgian College and members of the Canadian marine industry, the Great Lakes International Marine Simulation and Research Centre will officially open on Nov. 21.

Upgrades will allow the College and the marine industry at large to keep up with the demand for skilled professionals, said Archie Dickson, Director, GLIMTC.

“With global marine traffic set to triple in the next 20 years and a worldwide shortage of ship’s officers and seafarers, Georgian’s upgraded facilities will meet the training needs of the marine industry in Canada and internationally,” said Dickson. “As Ontario’s only Transport Canada-approved marine training facility, the Great Lakes International Marine Training and Research Centre will continue to attract domestic and international training opportunities in addition to reaping positive economic benefits for Ontario.”

The 20,000-square-foot facility will be equipped with four navigational training bridges designed to simulate real system interfaces including modern ARPA/Radar, ECDIS, AIS, GMDSS communications, and the most up-to-date integrated navigation systems on the market today. The Centre will also feature a comprehensive library of vessel models (including several specific to those on the Great Lakes) using real databases covering large areas of Canadian waters, global shipping ports and central routes.