New Finnish maritime training center will feature advanced Wärtsilä simulator

New simulator will feature the latest versions of Wärtsilä’s Navi-Trainer professional and Techsim simulation software, as well as the latest Navi Sailor and NACOS Platinum bridge systems. These include multi-pilot workstations for ECDIS, radar and conning applications. [Image © Wärtsilä Corporation]

Xamk (the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences) will feature Wärtsilä’s latest simulator technology at a new campus in Kotka, Finland, that will also be used by Ekami (the Joint Authority of Education of Kotka-Hamina Region) for part of its maritime training.

Ordered jointly by Xamk and Ekami, the Wärtsilä simulator will feature the latest versions of the company’s Navi-Trainer professional and Techsim simulation software, as well as the latest Navi Sailor and NACOS Platinum bridge systems. These include multi-pilot workstations for Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), radar and conning applications.

The training center will have two large and three medium sized full mission navigational bridges with 360-degree visualization. They include digital chart tables as well as a separate bridge wing console operated in virtual reality.

The center will have two engine room simulators implemented with two fully loaded control rooms. The simulators come with touchscreen technology, making it easy to swap between any of the engine room models.

“This new learning environment provides students with a unique opportunity to develop their practical skills and prepare for demanding maritime tasks,” said Olli-Pekka Brunila, director of education, South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences. “We are fortunate to have Wärtsilä’s highly advanced simulator technology as the basis for this training. Many critical operations cannot be safely practiced on an actual vessel, so in addition to acquiring technical skills, a versatile and realistically functioning simulation environment will significantly enhance the safety of vessels.”

“The state-of-the-art Wärtsilä simulator system will be one of the largest and most advanced in Europe,” said Ola Lundqvist, product sales manager, voyage services at Wärtsilä. “It will enable students to obtain the most realistic level of operational experience possible in an educational environment. We are proud to be supporting Xamk and Ekami with their goal of preparing students for their future maritime careers.”

In addition to the various system features, there will be several instructor and debriefing rooms capable of working with any part of the simulator. There will also be a dedicated command center for vessel traffic service, oil spill response, search and rescue, terminal cargo office, and more training applications.

As maritime technology gets increasing complex and investment-intensive, simulator training is playing an ever more important role.

“With decarbonization as a core focus for the industry, maritime organizations are looking for unique end-to-end solutions which enable them to optimize their vessel and port operations,” said Hannu Mäntymaa, vice president for voyage services, Wärtsilä and managing director of Wärtsilä Finland. “This new maritime training center from Xamk and Ekami will play an integral role in unlocking synergies here. After all, if organizations are going to benefit from future fuel engines, for example, crews must be highly competent, operate with the highest levels of safety and have access to continuous training programs.”