Two Beauty Point stalwarts setting sail for new horizons

The Australian Maritime College (AMC) is bidding farewell to its purpose-built training vessel, MV Bluefin, after more than 40 years.

The vessel's chief engineer Ashley Dean, who has spent 16 years aboard the Bluefin, is also leaving the college.

The Bluefin was launched in 1981 and has been involved in more than just training activities.

Over the years the vessel was chartered to rescue stranded Antarctic scientists, surveyed the Bass Strait for undersea cables and surveyed marine environments around the country.

AMC principal, retired Commodore Malcolm Wise, said this history made for a bittersweet moment for staff and students at the college.

"The send off of Bluefin is very sad," Commodore Wise said.

"We've had a lot of conversations amongst the staff some of our alumni about her departure. We've been planning this now for a year. It's been a long journey.

"A ship is a very special thing to the people who use it because it keeps them safe."

It has been an even longer journey for Mr Dean, who first began working on the Bluefin in 2007 before becoming its chief engineer in 2012.

He said it would be a sad moment for him when the Bluefin set sail from its berth at Beauty Point for the final time, but he was happy to know there was a bright future for the vessel.

"I've made a lot of friends over the years on the Bluefin and trained thousands of students," Mr Dean said.

"The vessel is destined to move on to a new home and a new life, and it's good to see that.

"I would hate to see the vessel go somewhere that it's not going to be used, or end up tied up and become derelict."

The vessel had been a major part of Mr Dean's life - something that made for good, and bad, memories.

"I've got lots of memories, it's hard to pinpoint any standouts," Mr Dean said

"It was a fantastic place to work. You could have the best and best days when it's nice and calm, sunny, and there's whales and dolphins and birds everywhere.

"Then it could be really horrible, you'd have horrible weather and it would be uncomfortable.

"The good times always outweighed the bad times."

AMC said the decision to sell the ship came about due to its ageing equipment, systems and technology.

The new owners, an American-Australian family, bought the Bluefin in a private transaction, the terms of which Commodore Wise said he could not disclose.

Commodore Wise said the vessel's new owners would keep the ship true to its original, educational purpose.

"The new owner has indicated that they work as part of a not for profit, that's going to provide training, and experiential learning for young teenagers," he said.

"Using the ship as a place to build teenage skills and confidence, and set them up for their future careers."

As for the AMC's students, Commodore Wise said there were a range of training opportunities available.

Some would build their experience on the school's fleet of smaller vessels, while others would get theirs on vessels owned by partner organisations like TT-Line.

Some, Commodore Wise said, may not need to get on the water as AMC looked to the future of the industry.

"As many people would understand, simulation has now come a very long way in the last 40 years," he said.

"A lot of our work can be done in simulation, although I certainly say that's not the entire answer."