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

For most of the crew aboard the M/S Oceania, June 19 was just another port call in Seattle. For a select few however, it was a chance to spend the day battling large shipboard fires. Not on Oceania, which was busy taking on stores at Pier 66, but fifteen minutes away, at the India Tango Marine Fire Training School.

It is with great pleasure that we announce the promotion of Elisabeth Hoover, Academic Services Representative to MATES Program Executive Administrator, reporting directly to Executive Director, Eric Friend. As we move towards the future under new leadership with Executive Director, Eric Friend, we are excited to have formulated a succession plan that recognizes the skills […]

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. […]