Page 34: of Marine News Magazine (February 2024)

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Feature

Marine Simulation

All images courtesy Virtual Marine

S T R DIMULATOR RAINING IS THE EAL EAL

By Eric Haun

A legacy of innovation n the commercial maritime and offshore industries, where worker safety and competency are crucial, ef- Virtual Marine’s journey began two decades ago with a sin- fective training practices are an absolute must. While gular vision: to leverage digital technologies to enhance the

I hands-on, in-the-? eld learning will always be a vital effectiveness of maritime training and, ultimately, improve component of any mariner’s training, marine simulation crew safety. The company built its ? rst simulator for the Hi- has become a welcome enhancement to the education pro- bernia ? eld offshore Newfoundland as a direct result of the cess. And in some cases, it’s seen as a safer alternative to Ocean Ranger sinking in 1982, which resulted in 84 lives traditional survival craft and rescue boat training. lost. A Canadian Royal Commission report concluded that

A leader in this space is Virtual Marine, based in New- a main factor leading to the tragic incident was insuf? cient foundland and Labrador. Founded 20 years ago, the training at many levels, including lifeboat coxswain training.

marine technology company has been a pioneer in revo- The company has since been at the forefront of lifeboat lutionizing training methodologies through immersive coxswain training as well as fast rescue boats and ice man- simulation technologies. agement simulators.

34 | MN February 2024