Wärtsilä simulator for Swedish training lab

Wärtsilä Corporation is to supply a specially designed laboratory equipped with the latest simulation equipment for a new marine training centre under development by tanker owner, Furetank, on Donsö island in Sweden.

The lab, equipped for 14 students at a time, will combine physical simulation bridges with virtual, augmented, and mixed reality applications. This combination creates realistic environments for navigation, manoeuvring, docking, cargo handling, and safety procedures, Wärtsilä said. The system also incorporates new technologies, including the modelling of shore power connections and the bunkering of fuels, including liquid natural gas and liquid biogas.

Due to open within the next few months, the Donsö facility will also include a full-sized navigation bridge simulator with nine portrait-mounted and one landscape-mounted 190cm displays. They will provide a 240-degree horizontal view and good vertical height.

Other features will include a virtual reality bridge and bridge wing, a tug simulator, and an engine room simulator sited in a virtual machinery space. Meanwhile, an "ECO" module will enable students to practise ways in which ships can be operated as efficiently as possible.

Furetank’s Personnel manager, Jonas Gunnarsson, commented: "Until now, the lack of access to simulator technology has been a bottleneck for us and many other fleet operators. New vessels are being ordered, and manning them with fully trained and competent crews is a challenge, which is why this centre is so important. Thanks to Wärtsilä’s technology, we can simulate 50 ship models, from pilot boats and cruise ships to tankers and towboats. Fairways for various ports can be navigated on the system, and we can simulate moving through ice or rough seas. The possibilities are endless.ˮ