Enough realism to make your head spin
The tug simulator looks and feels very real.
The latest tug simulator at Transas is realistic enough to make a trainee seasick if they miscalculate their turn in a heavy sea state, even if that sea is a virtual one.
The simulator is based on the Damen 2411 and 2509 tugs. Both models are now fully validated, giving the operator the sense of the tug reacting to the ship it is working, its pressure points, the sea and the wind states, in a remarkably visceral imitation of reality.
Some of this comes from the bank of 48 angled, high definition LED screens that are faceted around the captain’s chair, mimicking the actual glass windscreens of a tug. Each of these is run from its dedicated, networked high-spec computer. Other parts, from the joystick controls donated by Damen to the bridge instruments, are those used on the real vessels, all programmed into the behaviour of the tug.
This means that tug training can put ‘extreme’ scenarios in front of a trainee, pushing the boundaries and showing trainee crews what happens not just when necessary actions are taken but also what happens if they are not taken.
James Norwood of Transas pointed out to MJ that even seasoned crew could still benefit from occasional training, especially with the arrival of much larger vessels in ports. “These vessels, like the Maersk Triple-E class, are deceptive. Not only do they hold 4,000 teu more than the current largest containerships owned by MSC, but they are harder to manoeuvre because their hull forms follow those of bulk carriers more than the slender, sleeker lines of a containership.” Because of the size, these vessels require tugs to operate in the indirect towing mode, as this can increase the effective bollard pull of the tug by 250%. However, this is risky unless a tug crew is well trained. “You can end up by girting, capsizing the tug,” said Mr Norwood.
Training can also cross the normal boundaries, with one team on a tug and another with the pilot on the bridge of the towed ship, both vessels interacting as they would in reality. But Transas’ system is looking further forward, and aft.
“We are just in the process of building three auxiliary stations that can be linked together so that you have multiple tug operations running with different teams onboard”, explained James Norwood. “It’s important because they can learn to work together, in a safe environment. We also film what they do, and debriefing plays an important part of the process.” He added that what happens inside the simulator gets a careful appraisal from the point of view of enhancing the efficiency and safety of the team.
And in future it looks as if it will be even more realistic, as there’s a plan to make it all happen in 3D.
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