Three Dutch companies that have won their spurs in the maritime sector are developing a dredging simulator. The simulator will be portable and affordable.
Responsible for the development of the simulator are Controllab, MSA-Service and Amsterdam Shipyards.
Arnold den Boon, spokesperson for the three companies: ‘Dredging is a critical process. Anything can go wrong, which is why it is common to use a simulator on larger vessels. That way, the operator can train “on dry land”. However, the current simulators available on the market are expensive and large. That sets the bar, to buy a simulator, high. It should be possible to do this more efficiently and cheaply, we thought. And we succeeded.”
By using standard hardware, costs are kept low. They developed the software themselves. The result is a system that simulates all processes in detail. From start-up to cutting the soil and pumping the sand-water mixture. The operator practices operation and thereby learns how different conditions and settings affect the dredging process.
Also read: VSTEP makes maritime simulations accessible from home
Dutch Dredging Simulators
The three parties work together under the name “Dutch Dredging Simulators”. Each has its expertise. Amsterdam Shipyards has extensive knowledge of the dredging process and associated dredging equipment as well as an extensive network in the market. MSA-Service is an automation company for dredgers and offshore wind equipment. Controllab specialises in designing simulators for the offshore industry and has extensive knowledge of realistically simulating machines and drive systems.
‘By combining our expertise, we can market a simulator at a good price,’ adds Den Boon. ‘With this simulator, operators learn to set up their dredging process optimally. This results in higher yields and lower fuel costs. And that is already being observed in the market: a customer in India has already placed an order.’
Also read: Construction starts on MARIN’s new simulator centre
