Patrick Dougan is one of our SOCP 2026 Conference Panelists. Patrick is Port Captain Vane Brothers for Puget Sound operations. He is a seasoned maritime professional with over two decades of experience, he is a graduate of the first Workboat Apprentice Program MITAGS West 2006-2008. He holds a 1600 Mate Oceans license, upgraded to Master of Towing Oceans, and spent 10 years at sea working aboard tugs and barges, hauling oil tank barges, tandem deck barges, Great Lakes ATB freighters, retired Navy vessels, and dump scows.

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From 2015-2018 he transitioned shoreside as a Nautical Science Instructor at MITAGS – West with USCG certification to teach 15 courses including Celestial Nav, ECDIS & License Prep.

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Since 2018, he has served as Port Captain for Vane Brothers, overseeing Puget Sound operations and managing a fleet of tugs and bunker barges.