WEBVTT

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Global shipping trends have introduced

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larger , more economically and

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environmentally efficient ships to the

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world's shipping fleet . This class of

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ship , the ultra large container vessel

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or UV requires large scale

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infrastructure investments ranging from

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the widening of the Panama Canal to

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improvements in us national and

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regional rail systems , ports and

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harbors . The Panama Canal expansion

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completed in 2016 now enables these

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deep traffic vessels to transit its

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locks and will bring a growing number

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of US CVS to ports along the US east

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coast . The port of Baltimore is well

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positioned to handle this increased

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traffic after modernization efforts to

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its Seager Marine terminal , the

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destination for a majority of the

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port's container traffic . The port of

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Baltimore is now one of only four US

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east coast ports with a 50 ft deep

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channel and 2 50 ft deep berths . Plus

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recent investments in Seager marine

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terminals , intermodal connectivity

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enabled the rapid transfer of cargo to

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and from the UC . The US Army Corps of

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Engineers are you and the Maryland

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Department of Transportation's Maryland

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Port administration have invested

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heavily in dredging to maintain

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Baltimore's navigation channel depth

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and width . However , while the current

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configuration works well for legacy

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ships that can easily exit the terminal

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via a loop channel . Vessels with

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drafts greater than 42 ft such as CVS

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can only back out through the loop

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channel's turning basin . A maneuver

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that presents concerns and vessel

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traffic inefficiencies . We're bringing

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progressively larger and larger up to

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ultra large container ships into the

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terminal . The terminal was not

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originally built , obviously handle

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ships of this size didn't exist when

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the terminal was built . And so it

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requires constant expansion , constant

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development to get these high t ships .

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And so it's the constraints of

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the limitations of the approach channel

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and the turning basins that really have

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created the challenge . And then

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Baltimore specifically is a very wind

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prone harbor , very , very intense wind

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specifically in the winter months and

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they run cross channel into the

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approach channels to sea . As a result ,

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the USA Baltimore District and the

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Maryland Port administration initiated

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a study to identify safe , technically

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feasible , economically justifiable and

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environmentally acceptable

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modifications to the existing Seat Loop

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channel . The study included

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engineering improvements such as

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deepening and widening the western half

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of the sea loop channel to meet future

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demand capacity and provide large

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vessels an alternative path to exit the

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terminal . The study also leaned on the

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rich expertise of the US Army Engineer

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research and Development Center or dic

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ship simulator facility which has

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modeled the maneuverability of large

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ships through our nation's ports and

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harbors for USA since the late 1980 s .

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In coordination with the Baltimore

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District and the port . The ship

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simulator was used to optimize channel

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design and assess vessel navigation

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safety within the proposed improvements

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in the Seager Loop channel . What's

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unique about the ship simulator is that

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it provides us the opportunity to test

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navigation channel designs in a virtual

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environment . So this means that we can

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test the channel designs prior to

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construction which ultimately provides

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savings and design , construction and

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maintenance costs . This effort was

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supported by four ship captains from

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the Association of Maryland pilots who

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operated the ship simulator through

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these tests over a two week period ,

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providing realism to the simulations

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and offering invaluable assessments and

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feedback . And it's very important

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actually in any study that you have

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pilots from that area come in to do the

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testing because they're the ones that

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know that water way they know the

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challenges they face every day . So you

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can have a great design on paper and

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these engineers that do these designs

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do a wonderful job in creating these

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designs . But there are some aspects of

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these channels that only those pilots

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are gonna know they're credibly open to

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any sort of input that we have at

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pilots because it seems like they want

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to use that data and our input to

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ensure that the project is designed to

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specify to meet the needs of the

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traffic and the stakeholders . It

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allows us to simulate real world

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situations in inclement weather in very

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risky conditions with absolutely no

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worry of having real collateral damage

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in real life . So it allows us to

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simulate and actually find where that

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line is where things become safe and

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unsafe . Multiple simulations were

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conducted with a variety of channel

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maneuver scenarios and environmental

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conditions . The vessel models tested

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included a 1300 ft long container ship

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navigating within the Seager loop

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channel with assistance from several

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tug boats to simulate a ship that is

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forecasted to call on the port of

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Baltimore in the future . Without

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simulations , it would not really be a

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safe proposition to just shoot from the

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hip on a class ship that's just so much

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bigger and so much more critical than

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anything we've ever handled . So , you

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know , at least initially where your

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achilles heels might be before you

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actually get a real ship and you have a

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real problem and it's a great

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partnership between the core and us to

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be able to , if they see what we do ,

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they see the challenges that we're up

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against and they have the ability to

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make the adjustments . Ultimately , it

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will lead to better channel designs ,

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allowing larger vessels to get into

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these harbors , which increases the

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commerce , which helps the economy and

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it all works together . The ability to

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deliver these rapid solutions is the

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Hallmark of Eric's ship simulator team

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driven by an interdisciplinary group of

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engineers and scientists with an

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exceptional commitment to its customers .

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I've never seen civil servants of the

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quality that I've seen in the work

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ethic that I've seen at a , this is ,

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this is no experience I've ever had in

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government . I have many good

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experiences in government but , er , is

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the most impressive , um , civil

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service operation . And I say that

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frankly and honestly that , that I've

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ever seen it , it's really been a great

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experience beyond what I would have

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ever expected .