Mass Maritime Cadets Arrive In Panama City As Sea Term Continues

A reception in Panama City celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

PANAMA CITY, Panama – Students from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy have reached their first port of the 2016 sea term: Panama City.

The T.S. Kennedy, captained by Thomas Bushy and operated by nearly 600 Mass Maritime cadets, arrived at the Panama Canal Friday morning and spent the day traveling through the canal.

“This was truly an amazing experience to see and go through one of the man-made marvels in the world,” said the school’s blog posting chronicling the voyage. “And just think we all get to do it again to come home!”

It was the first trip the Kennedy has made through the Canal since 2012. Panama Canal passages have been completed by Mass Martime cadets in four year intervals since 2004.

The vessel arrived in Panama City early Saturday morning, and cadets spent the weekend exploring Panama City and the surrounding areas.

School officials held a reception Sunday night to celebrate Mass Maritime’s 125^th Anniversary. School officials, Panamanian maritime officials, and alumni attended the event. According to Bushy, there are 28 Mass Maritime graduates piloting ships through the Panama Canal with many more working fringe operations in the area.

At the reception, Bushy announced that this Sea Term would be his last. Bushy has been at the helm for 20 years.

Earlier in the voyage, students spent four days conducting anchoring drills off the coast of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, one of the major training elements of the trip. Cadets dropped off humanitarian supplies in Haiti and also held a memorial service at the site of the sinking of the El Faro cargo ship, which was lost during Hurricane Joaquin in October.

Two Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduates, Keith Griffin and Jeffrey Mathias, were among the 33 crew-members lost at sea.

Griffin was a native of Winthrop and graduated from the Academy in 2005. Mathias was from Kingston and graduated in 1996.

The Kennedy departed Buzzards Bay on January 9 and is scheduled to return on February 21.

By MATT McCARTHY and MATT PITTA, CapeCod.com NewsCenter