Lamar State College-Orange announced Thursday a new program of study on World Maritime Day. LSC-O held a press conference at the Downtown Orange Pavilion to promote the college is developing a maritime program. Lamar State College-Orange was recently awarded state funding for the creation of the maritime studies.
Dr. Mike Shahan President of LSC-O says the new area of study is appropriate for the college located across the street from the Sabine River. Shahan is excited about the opportunity for offering training that has not been available for a longtime in the Golden Triangle. Shahan indicated the plan is to start with some entry level training with the hope being to add to that and eventually get to the point of offering a full two-year degree in maritime studies.
The Maritime Education Program will equip future seafarers with the essential skills for serving on board ships in good paying entry level jobs. State Representative Dade Phelan who was instrumental in getting the funding for the program and representatives from the local maritime industry spoke indicating the need for young merchant marine sailors to replace veteran sailors who will be retiring in the near future.
Dr. Shahan is hopeful that LSC-O could start offering the classes in about a year as the college is working to get people in line to head the program, to help design curriculum, and secure facilities for the maritime classes. Shahan estimated the new studies could start as early as June 2016, but certainly by September 2016 they can do that.
The need for merchant marine sailors locally was brought home by the fact that following World War II there were close to a thousand merchant mariners in the area, now there are only a few hundred. The Golden Triangle ports in Orange, Beaumont and Port Arthur represent the third largest seaport in the United States behind only Los Angeles and Houston.
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