Inter-agency training on port simulators
Port Security Awareness software is being used to train security and patrol personnel.
Coastguard rescue operations, harbour pilots, local police and fire crews all have a number of plans to deal with port emergencies, but whether or not they come together to be effective is another issue entirely.
“In any one port city you will probably find geographic and functional dividing lines all over the place as to who does what in an emergency, explained Mark Woolley of simulator and virtual training software developer VSTEP. “If established plans and protocols do not work then it can be very dangerous.”
According to Mr Woolley, there is a need to practice responses together to check what is out of the ordinary and needs to trigger a response. He said, “You may do a lot of training on how to intercept and arrest, but how do you recognise what to look for?” His answer is that a multidisciplinary approach works best.
Ideally, he explains, you want an inter–agency tool, one which means port authorities, coastguard, and law enforcement integration.
While it is difficult these days to pull a tug away from its routine, simulator training of the off-duty crew is a lot easier to schedule in. There have in the past been lots of criticisms about the effectiveness of this kind of training as it was very basic, using ‘generic’ ports and terminals. With each port so varied, “there is a different type of commerce going on, with different types of traffic pattern even across ports that might be relatively close in other ways”, added Mr Woolley.
With the ongoing push from gaming, tailored set ups are gaining ground. “It is now quite possible for people to train their staff and people from other agencies on a simulation which depicts their own port.”
These mean you can actually find a way to replicate a real environment. VSTEP, for example, offers Port Security Awareness software which is being used by the port of Rotterdam for training of its security and patrol personnel. It allows them to test out a security plan, see what the searchlight does and see if it’s adequate, and evaluate what they cannot see. They can change the time of day, seeing where both the shadows and the blind spots are. Normal and abnormal conditions can be tested. For example, the wave heights or the number of trucks on the road can be changed.
What’s more, a simulation can be done which pushes the boundaries of experience, the personnel will be able to vet it themselves and understand what the biggest factors are in any scenario. The simulation allows you to make a mistake, go back and rerun it with a different set up.
Mr Woolley added that the work could even be done on the internet, without the agencies involved physically taking time out to come together.
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