Georgian College

GeorgianView 2014

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Capt. Seann O'Donoughue travels two-and-a-half times the distance around the earth each year. He does it carrying 1.5 million tons of cargo on the largest ship on the Great Lakes. That's a typical nine-month season for the captain of the 740-foot Algoma Equinox. The route includes loading Prairie wheat in Thunder Bay to bring to Quebec City; then picking up Labrador iron ore in Sept-Îles to deliver to the steel mills in Hamilton; then a 12-hour journey through the Welland Canal and back to Thunder Bay. Growing up on the St. Lawrence River near Montreal inspired Seann's career choice. "As a child growing up in the 1970s, I thought the M.V. Algoisle, which was the first and largest diesel ship on the Great Lakes, was so interesting in its innovative design, that it was one of my favourites. I never dreamed I'd get to be her captain some 20-odd years later," he says. His latest assignment has him going to China this fall to collect Algoma's newest ship, the CWB Marquis. A fellow Georgian grad and a Georgian cadet will be part of his 18-person crew on the 27,000 km, 60-day journey. "This will be the peak of my career," says Seann of being chosen by his company to bring the ship home. The Marquis and the Equinox are the same class of vessel. He describes them as the largest ships built on the Great Lakes, carrying the most cargo, having the largest propeller and rudder, as well as being super fuel efficient. He is part of the team that trains Canadian crews to navigate them. Training and recruitment are other roles that have helped shape Seann's career, both as a part-time instructor in Georgian's marine program in Owen Sound and on-board ships with his crews. "It's a transition from academia to the practical. It is challenging and rewarding to see how Georgian cadets grow into the ship," he says. "There's a high demand for people in the Canadian marine industry, and a large number of our Algoma captains and engineers have gained their training skills through Georgian. We will be training a lot of new people in the next decade as our mature workforce retires, and we are working to introduce this innovative career choice to both high school graduates and those retraining for a second career." EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE: BEING CAPTAIN OF THE LARGEST SHIP ON THE GREAT LAKES As a child growing up in the 1970s, I thought the M.V. Algoisle was so interesting… I never dreamed I'd get to be her captain some 20-odd years later. Seann O'Donoughue on commanding the largest diesel ship on the Great Lakes CAPT. SEANN O'DONOUGHUE Marine Technology — Navigation, 1997 21 GEORGIANVIEW 2014 ALUMNI HAVING EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES

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