Rolls-Royce highlights role of simulators

Source: Offshore

Simulators are playing an increasingly important role in Rolls-Royce activities, said the company in a statement issued yesterday, to the benefit of offshore vessel customers and operators. Simulators for training crews can be located ashore or on the vessel itself.

The primary land-based training simulator in which Rolls-Royce plays a key role is the Offshore Simulator Centre in Ålesund, Norway, where complete offshore operations such as anchorhandling can be simulated under full size bridge conditions, with a realistic view through the ‘bridge windows’, using real controls.

Difficult operations can be tried out in the simulator, including equipment failure, ensuring that there is a minimum of risk when the operation is carried out at sea. New crews can also be trained in ship handling skills, and given confidence that they understand what may happen and have the skills and knowledge needed to respond safely and correctly.

The Offshore Simulator Centre (OSC) company was established in July 2004 to serve the international maritime community with new opportunities for improvement and innovation through simulation. It is jointly owned by Rolls-Royce Marine AS, Farstad Shipping ASA, Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute (Marintek) and Ålesund University College.

By putting together the competence of a major international operator of modern offshore supply vessels, a global leader in marine propulsion, engineering and hydrodynamic expertise, the leading Norwegian research institute in marine technology and a major institution for higher maritime education in Norway, the Centre has a solid basis for its work. Regular courses are run in Ålesund covering basic and advanced anchorhandling and PSV operation.

This simulator expertise can also be transferred to other locations. For example, Groupe Bourbon has teamed up with the OSC to develop two anchorhandling simulators to help train crews for its vessels.

The Group is radically expanding its offshore fleet and expects to employ some 4,000 seagoing staff by 2010. Its aim is to provide standardised training as working conditions across the fleet become more similar. Courses in dynamic positioning are already being offered at Bourbon’s training centres in Marseilles, France, and Manila, Philippines, and the anchor-handling training will complement the existing activity at these locations.

Rolls-Royce has also developed compact simulator systems to be carried on board vessels and used by the crewmembers for improving their skills and for practicing operations before carrying them out in real life.

A simulator of this type used with the Safer Deck solution developed by Rolls-Royce was first installed on the anchorhandler Olympic Octopus last year and by the end of 2007 will be on board at least 20 ships.

In this simulator, a PC holds the software and displays the deck operations on a 32in screen. Input comes from the same type of hand-held control stick system as is used on deck. The screen image of the deck realistically reproduces the movements of the cranes, manipulators and other equipment in response to control stick movements.

The compactness of the simulator means that it can be located informally and used in the same way as a video game, enabling crew members to hone their skills whenever they like.