Learning through Simulation

With Mr Jakob Pinkster

The team with our pilot 

The class at the end of a successful exercise at the Simulator Park in Rotterdam, with the Erasmus Bridge in the background

Maritime training simulators are being increasing used as an affordable alternative not only for training officers and crew but also for designing ports and channels. As part of our port design and management study module, the class spent a few days at the STC Simulator Park at Wilhelminakade in Rotterdam. Our teacher Mr Jakob Pinkster explained ship manoeuvring characteristics that help determine the needed space for vessels to navigate while entering and leaving a port and how the ship's characteristics influence the manoeuvring space required. A thorough understanding was facilitated through simulation exercises.

Finally, each team had to take a simulation examination that tested their familiarity in steering and manoeuvring ships as part of the design of a port. It was indeed an interesting assignment, that gave the feel of a real ship in real waters, as we navigated in full-mission simulation to maintain course through the entrance channel of an assigned port, at times hitting the buoys! Above all, it enabled us to assess the feasibility of the access channel from a navigational point of view.