Novatug, the R&D department of Multraship Towage & Salvage, has launched a new simulator and training centre using technology from Wärtsilä. The centre is to promote safer operations and strengthen the preparedness of its crew for complex towage, vessel handling and specialist maritime operations.
The new simulator suite, which is based at the group’s headquarters in Terneuzen in the Netherlands, enables masters, towmasters and crews to train in realistic operational scenarios, including complex towing procedures, challenging navigational conditions, project towage operations and emergency response scenarios.
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Operational environments and vessel handling requirements
The new training centre brings together a state-of-the-art full mission simulator, mixed reality technology, project simulation capabilities and customised digital vessel models that reflect the operational environments and vessel handling requirements of the fleet. This includes a high-fidelity digital model of a Carrousel RAVE Tug, enabling crews to train for tailored and highly specialised manoeuvring, towage and vessel handling scenarios.
The training centre is supported by a team of experienced trainers, all of whom are active, or recently active, vessel captains. This means they continue to draw on hands-on, on-board experience as they train other crew members alongside their real-world operations.
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Carrousel RAVE Tug
The Carrousel RAVE Tug (CRT) overcomes growing challenges related to port-calls of very large and ultra large cargo vessels by improving their steering and braking capabilities in confined spaces, whilst also reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Therefore, the specially configured Wärtsilä simulators, featuring digital models for mandatory, professional development and competency training, as well as applied research, allow tug masters to attain proficiency in operating the CRT and a range of other modern tugs in a safe and controlled environment.
The Novatug CRT uses a patented carrousel towing system, where the towing point can rotate around the tug. This design keeps towing forces under control and eliminates the risk of capsizing due to a towload, while also improving braking and steering so that assisted ships can be handled more safely and efficiently in port. The inclusion of the CRT in Wärtsilä’s simulator enables tug masters to rehearse specific CRT manoeuvres realistically and repeatedly, thus giving instructors a consistent way to assess competence before the skills are applied in live operations.
Complex operations and making mistakes
The introduction of the new state-of-the-art training centre comes as Multraship, together with Novatug, continues to equip its people for increasingly complex and high-pressure situations, while also preparing them for the operational challenges of future vessels, including new propulsion methods, fuel types and data-led scenarios.
‘Advanced training techniques have always been a critical part of our operations, particularly during complex towage operations and high-pressure manoeuvring situations where no two scenarios are ever the same,’ says Leendert Muller, Managing Director at Multraship.
Muller: ‘Most vessel simulators are built to train crew for navigational scenarios, but Multraship’s new simulator is designed specifically to enable our crews to understand the challenges of manoeuvrability. Effective operations depend on close cooperation between towmasters, wheelmen, and many other stakeholders, often working across specialised assets and on complex projects where Multraship plays a crucial role. The simulator is built to develop exactly this kind of coordinated handling and communication. And because our work is rarely a one-vessel job, the simulator allows multiple people to train simultaneously in a single shared scenario, coordinating across several vessels in real time, just as they would in a real-life operation.’
‘By investing in this simulator and our people, we are giving our teams access to a much wider range of operational scenarios that are difficult to replicate in the real world. Crucially, we are giving them the space and resources they need to make mistakes, learn from them and build an environment where we can grow our crew for the future,’ Muller concludes.
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Towards a regional training centre
Beyond internal crew development, the facility will also be available to external clients and partners, for crew training, project simulation, port operation assessments, dedicated research initiatives and bespoke vessel handling scenarios ahead of live execution. Over time, the ambition is to develop the site into a dedicated regional training centre for the wider maritime community.
Picture: The advanced simulator stations within Multraship and Novatug’s new training centre, including 240-degree and 360-degree simulator environment (photo by Multraship).
