New state-of-the-art Wärtsilä training engine

About the training engine

The Canadian Coast Guard College recently installed a new state-of-the-art Wärtsilä training engine on-site at the College, the first of its kind in Canada and one of only six in the world. The training engine allows students and fleet personnel to gain hands-on experience on how to operate, repair, and rebuild the Wärtsilä W8L26 diesel engine – training that is only offered in one other place in the world: Trieste, Italy.

The fully functioning training engine is housed at the College’s Marie Engineering Training Building and replicates a Coast Guard ship’s engine room. Featuring a control room, equipment, and operating systems similar to those on a Canadian Coast Guard ship, the training engine effectively prepares students for future work in our fleet – providing them with the opportunity to practice many of the skills that they need to work safely and efficiently in the engine room.

The training engine uses the Wärtsilä W26L8 diesel engine, the same type of engine that is currently being installed on several Coast Guard vessels, including buoy tender vessels and light icebreakers.

With this model of engine, the College is able to provide robust training to students, which includes

• Practical training: students learn in-class theory about the maintenance schedule, related special tools, and measuring equipment for the engine with the aid of a simulator and maintenance manual.
• Operational training: students train hands-on with the training engine, focusing on the operation and basic maintenance of the engine.
• Overhaul training: students dismantle and rebuild components of the engine that would be part of a major overhaul or repair.

There are several other general Wärtsilä training centres in the world, including those in South Korea, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, and Finland. The College is currently one of only two centres in the world that offer practical, operational, and overhaul training on this specific model of Wärtsilä engine, the other one being in Trieste, Italy.

In addition to the new Wärtsilä training engine, the College is also home to various world-class simulators, including a marine 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. With these exceptional training facilities, the Canadian Coast Guard is preparing the next generation of maritime personnel to serve Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

About the Canadian Coast Guard College

At the Canadian Coast Guard College, we are building the standard and raising the bar on maritime training.

Located in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the College is one of the most modern and well-equipped marine colleges in the world. It provides an all-inclusive, comfortable home for students wishing to join the Canadian Coast Guard in a variety of positions. From life at-sea on a Coast Guard ship to monitoring marine traffic at a Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centre, all of our positions play an important role in the lives of Canadians.

When students arrive, they instantly become part of an elite community that will support them in achieving success. Students who enter the College for the Officer Training Program and the Marine Communications and Traffic Services Program are provided with many of the same benefits as an employee of the Canadian Coast Guard and train towards a rewarding career in their respective fields.

From there, our graduates work across Canada to help keep mariners safe, protect the environment, conduct scientific research, and enable safe and efficient marine trade.

Anyone who is interested in applying or is looking for more information about the Canadian Coast Guard College can contact the recruitment office at CCGCRecruitment@dfo-mpo.gc.ca or visit https://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/college/index-eng.html.

August 2022