AMC eye VRI with Kongsberg training support contract

Kongsberg Digital AS has extended its training support contract with the Australian Maritime College to supply simulation software.

Kongsberg Digital area sales manager Paul Gilkison and AMC principal Michael van Balen signed the contract in early August. It is the third successive five-year contract between the two parties.

"Simulation is an integral part of our training," said Balen. "It gives us the capability to run any number of scenarios in a repeatable fashion, which not only benefits the students but also enables us to learn in the teaching environment as well."

Gilkison said the software would be continually subject to improvements over the life of the training support contract.  He said they hoped to roll out the new K-Sim Navigation platform for the AMC this year.

K-Sim Navigation would allow next-generation platform functionality, including virtual reality interactions (VRI), said Damien Freeman, from the AMC.

“VRI enables a student to be placed in simulation exercises on the deck of a ship, in the engine room or on the bridge, experiencing and interacting with the simulated environment as they would in the real world," said Freeman, who works in the AMC's Centre for Maritime Simulations  .

AMC’s Maritime Simulation Centre is located in Newnham, Tasmania. It features a full mission ship’s bridge simulator, two 360° tug simulators, a full mission engine room, an advanced dynamic positioning bridge simulator, six basic dynamic positioning simulators, six ship operations cubicles and an 18-seat electronic chart display laboratory.

Kongsberg Digital is a provider of software and digital solutions to customers within maritime, oil and gas, renewables and utilities.