Captain Christopher Hearn

• Board Member

• Marine Institute of Memorial University

• Director, Centre for Marine Simulation

• [email protected]

Member of the Nautical Institute, Captain Christopher Hearn began his nautical endeavors in 1996 after graduating from the Marine Institute’s Nautical Science Program.

He quickly moved his way through the marine ranks advancing to Master Mariner and Marine Superintendent/DPA (Designated Person Ashore) in less than ten years.

His years at sea as a from Third to Chief officer and finally as Captain has afforded him experiences working with numerous companies engaged in a variety of operations including Offshore Supply, Seismic Survey, Ice Breaking, General Cargo, Crude Oil and Clean Products Tankers, Tugs, Subsea Cable ships, and RO-RO Container vessels.

Coming ashore as Marine Superintendent and DPA with Canadian and Foreign companies, he was involved with resolving operations issues dealing with vessel Flag state and Classification authorities, marine insurance, and supporting the vessel’s management team. Additional initiatives included researching and identifying training needs and methods for improving competency among crews, establishing ship management programs on vessels, and working on dry-docking and upgrade programs. As the designated lead for ship quality assurance, responsibilities included internal audits of shipboard safety management system and dealing with external agencies. He also acted as Company Security Officer (CSO) as required by international maritime legislation.

Captain Hearn returned to the Marine Institute in 2008 as the Director of the Centre for Marine Simulation. The Centre is the largest and most comprehensive marine simulation training facility in Canada and covers an entire range of training, educational, and research and development capabilities through the use of simulation technology. As Director, Captain Hearn works with maritime and offshore industries to mitigate the risk of accidents, to accelerate training and improve performance, and to test new equipment design and procedures. CMS’s particular areas of expertise include the modeling and simulation of harsh maritime environments, training for polar waters navigation, ship maneuvering and human performance in challenging maritime environments.