Project Assistant：CHANG,WEI-LUN

　　Each year, the Marine Career Exploration and Teaching Program brings a series of talks to schools, introducing students to a wide range of marine careers in their classrooms. After these talks, students often express a desire to visit actual workplaces and see these occupations firsthand. When the Ministry of Education’s third newly built maritime training ship, Wind Rider, officially entered service in March 2025, the Taiwan Marine Education Center began working closely with those responsible for the vessel. The center hoped that, in addition to providing practical training for students in navigation, marine engineering, and related disciplines, the ship could welcome visits from teachers, students, and the public between training voyages.

　　The Taiwan Marine Education Center partnered with National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology to plan a series of marine education outreach activities for summer 2026. A voyage around Taiwan would link four major ports—Kaohsiung, Taichung, Keelung, and Hualien—giving students, teachers, and parents opportunities to board the ship and experience aspects of maritime work firsthand.

　　The outreach tour officially began at the Port of Kaohsiung on August 1–2. Each guided visit opened with the captain introducing the mission and staffing of the 9,680-ton vessel. Information about seafarers’ salaries and benefits consistently drew expressions of surprise from visitors. Participants then toured the ship in groups, visiting the bridge and engine room to experience the working environment, before exploring living spaces such as cabins, the gym, and the mess room. Among the most memorable experiences was the opportunity to operate essential training equipment, including the ship handling and engine room simulators.

　　This marked the first time Wind Rider had opened to the public. For many visitors boarding a ship for the first time, the experience was unforgettable. The crew’s welcoming approach to the tours and their interactions with visitors also helped deepen the participants’ understanding of ship operations and maritime work. Many students began to picture life as a seafarer and expressed hopes of pursuing careers in the field.

　　With Wind Rider serving as a “classroom at sea,” the Marine Career Exploration and Teaching Program entered a new chapter. The marine education outreach voyage was scheduled to proceed counterclockwise around Taiwan, calling at the Port of Taichung on August 5–6, the Port of Keelung on August 8–9, and the Port of Hualien on August 11–12. Alongside giving people across Taiwan a firsthand introduction to the country’s foremost floating academy for maritime training, the voyage aimed to inspire more people to chart a career path into the marine industries.