Dr. Christopher Landsea, Chief of the Tropical Analysis & Forecast Branch of the National Hurricane Center, recently moderated a seminar delivered via live broadcast for U.S. National Weather Service forecasters. The presentation was delivered from the container ship Maersk Columbus, off the coast of West Africa by MITAGS instructor and professional mariner, Captain Rich Madden.
The discussion entitled, “Navigating the Elements: Lessons Learned from El Faro and Weather Information Techniques in Maritime Operations” was one of the first educational webinars delivered from a merchant ship under way. Captain Madden provided a unique perspective on lessons learned in 2015 from the tragic loss of El Faro. Insights were shared to obtain and interpret weather information for maritime operations.
Click here to read Dr. Landsea’s article in Maritime Executive and to watch a recording of the seminar.
Learn more about MITAGS’ Heavy Weather Avoidance Routing: Pacific Ocean course.
Related Posts

MITAGS is very pleased to announce that through the hard work of our Seattle campus, we were recently awarded a grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The grant proposal was designed to fortify the commercial fishing fleet in the U.S. Pacific Northwest with best-in-class marine firefighting and first aid training. […]

In 2022, MITAGS reached the significant milestone of 50 years in operation as the leading training facility for maritime simulation and mariner license advancement. We took a moment of gratitude to look back at how we have grown as an organization, and we are humbled to think how so many of you have been a […]

Every pilot transfer is a leap of faith — literally. With just a few feet of rope, wood, and careful rigging between them and the ocean below, maritime pilots regularly face one of the most dangerous parts of their job before they’ve even set foot on a vessel. Unfortunately, the risks aren’t just theoretical. Despite […]