Canadian Coast Guard College unveils new state-of-the-art training engine

From: Canadian Coast Guard

News release

August 26, 2022

Sydney, Nova Scotia - Since 1965, the Canadian Coast Guard College in Sydney, Nova Scotia, has been providing internationally recognized training to personnel of the Canadian Coast Guard. Today, this impressive training is benefiting from the addition of a new, state-of-the-art Wärtsilä training engine – the first of its kind in Canada.

Parliamentary Secretary Mike Kelloway, on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray, was at the Canadian Coast Guard College today to unveil the new training engine. The event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, as well as a tour and a demonstration of the training engine.

The training engine replicates a Coast Guard ship’s engine room, including a fully functioning Wärtsilä W8L26 diesel engine. This allows personnel and trainees to learn hands-on how to operate, repair, and rebuild a Wärtsilä W8L26 diesel engine – training that is currently only offered in one other place in the world: Trieste, in Italy. Featuring a control room, equipment, and systems layout similar to those on a Canadian Coast Guard ship, the training engine effectively prepares students and personnel for future work in our fleet.

In addition to the new Wärtsilä training engine, the College is also home to several world-class simulators, including a propulsion plant simulator, a marine navigation simulator, and an ice management simulator. There is no other marine training institute that offers training on a Wärtsilä engine, or on medium- and high-speed marine propulsion engines in a fully simulated state.

The unveiling of this impressive, one-of-a-kind training engine is another example of how far the Canadian Coast Guard has come since its creation 60 years ago. Throughout its history, the Canadian Coast Guard has continuously sought out innovative and exceptional training and techniques to propel the organization into the future, and cement it as a world-class marine safety and response agency.

Quotes

“Congratulations to the Canadian Coast Guard College on its new Wärtsilä training engine – the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere! This exceptional training tool provides Canadian Coast Guard personnel with important hands-on experience with the necessary equipment to serve Canadians safely and effectively.”

The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

“I’m honoured to be part of today’s unveiling of the Canadian Coast Guard College’s new Wärtsilä training engine. With modern equipment and facilities like these, graduates from the College can continue to gain the knowledge and skills they need to serve Canadians, keeping mariners and rural coastal Canadians safe, protecting the environment, and enabling safe and efficient marine trade.”

Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

“The addition of the Wärtsilä training engine represents another huge step forward for the Canadian Coast Guard and our goal of building the standard and raising the bar on maritime training. As we celebrate our past, it’s new and ground-breaking technologies like the training engine that are helping us to navigate and shape our future as a modern organization committed to helping Canadians from coast to coast to coast.”

Mario Pelletier, Commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard

“The Canadian Coast Guard College is proud to add the new Wärtsilä training engine to our growing list of exceptional and modernized training facilities on our campus. With this new system, our students and personnel will be provided with the theory and practical hands-on training that’s essential to the safe and effective operation of our fleet and the delivery of programs for all Canadians.”

Dena Richardson, Executive Director, Canadian Coast Guard College

Quick facts

  • The new training engine provides students and Canadian Coast Guard personnel with the opportunity to dismantle and rebuild components of the engine to train for a major overhaul or repair of a vessel’s engine – something that was previously unable to be done on an operational engine due to ship downtime, costs, and risks.

  • Wärtsilä only has a few training centres in the world, and only one other centre that uses the same model of engine. 

  • The Canadian Coast Guard College is a national maritime training facility that offers a post-secondary education for students wishing to join the Canadian Coast Guard in a variety of positions, both on-shore and at-sea.

  • For 60 years, the Canadian Coast Guard has been helping mariners in need. Whether at sea or ashore, our personnel are there for Canadians 24/7, 365 days a year.

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Contacts

Kevin Lemkay
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
613-992-3474
Kevin.Lemkay@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Media Relations
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
613-990-7537
Media.xncr@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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