Kongsberg Digital has signed a contract with Lofoten Vocational School for development and delivery of a complete new K-Sim Fishery Simulator with fish finding and fish catching applications.
The simulator will be based on Kongsberg's K-Sim simulation technology and professional fishery equipment, including echo sounders, sonars and trawl monitoring systems.
Keeping up with Advancements
Demand for a fishing vessel specific simulator, integrating all key operations on board has grown in recent years, based on implementation of new STCW requirements (STCW-F), advancement in fish finding and catching equipment, and an increased focus on sustainable fishery and improved quality of the fish.
Lofoten Vocational School will be the first to bring this new approach to training to the fishing industry, which is especially important for this geographical area of Norway, where fishery is an important livelihood.
Upgrade with Fishery Module
The contract for delivery of a K-Sim Fishery Simulator to Lofoten Vocational School was awarded to Kongsberg Digital on 29 January. The school will upgrade its existing Kongsberg Polaris ship-handling simulator to the latest K-Sim Navigation technology platform, which integrated with the new fishery module will fulfill the STCW-F requirements. Lofoten Vocational School will move to a new location in Leknes in Lofoten and the opening of the new facility is planned in 2019.
K-Sim Fishery
K-Sim Fishery is designed as a fishing vessel bridge (different vessel model and sizes are available) with all necessary bridge and navigation equipment for fish catching, including winch for handling fishing equipment such as purse seine, trawl and long line. Both the vessel and equipment will behave as in real-life due to the simulator’s advanced physical engine.
Students will be able to perform fishery exercises where they will learn to utilise the vessel’s equipment, optimise working hours and fuel consumption, choose the best routes and vessel position, and carry out appropriate manoeuvres to control the fishing gear to ensure quantity and quality of the catch.
SIMRAD and Fishing Gear
Integrated with SIMRAD real fishery echo sounders, sonars and catch monitoring systems, K-Sim Fishery will form a complete system for the education and competence development of fishing vessel crew. The system allows students to familiarise with as well as operate different types of fishing gear, while building understanding that different fishing techniques require different approaches and that different fish species behave in different ways.
Furthermore, they will learn how to plan a fishing campaign, find, catch and safely and efficiently store the fish, whilst monitoring vessel stability during the loading process.
