Page 8: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 1998)

INVESTMENT IN DESIGN

No Substitute For Experience

Star Cruises gets aggressive on safety with purchase of its own sophisticated simulator by David Tinsley, technical editor

By David Tinsley

By the time Star Cruises' fine new German-built fleet addition,

SuperStar Leo, makes her first visit to Cruise Bay, Singapore, the company's captains and the local pilots will have made more than 100 simulated entries with the ship into those waters.

Emergency maneuvers and worst-case current and wind condi- tions incorporated into the pro- gram will have helped determine the best procedures under differing circumstances. Of even greater significance, the whole process of familiarization and training will have been conducted on a state-of- the-art simulator purchased by the shipowning company, and installed at its modern terminal and head- quarters building in Port Klang,

Malaysia.

Since the shipping industry tra- ditionally looks to training and research institutions for simulator- based needs, Star Cruises' initia- tive in acquiring its own, highly sophisticated system is exception- al. "With this investment, we are becoming pioneers, doing some- thing that many major shipping companies have been talking about," observed Fleet Captain

Gustaf Gronberg. "I would be surprised if other leading cruise companies did not follow the lead we are taking," he added.

Progressive Star Cruises, which has rapidly worked its way up through the international league in the cruise market, has imple- mented a major fleet renewal and development program.

The recently-commissioned, 75,000-gt SuperStar Leo and new- build consort SuperStar Virgo from

Meyer Werft, are set to be followed by two further luxury vessels of 85,000-gt, and more orders are in prospect.

The company has also added a high-speed dimension to its opera- tions, through the phasing in to service of the Austal-built, 82-m catamaran RoRo ferry SuperStar

Express, and can be expected to pursue further opportunities in that field. Designed and engi- neered in Germany by STN Atlas

Elektronik, and incorporating mathematical models from the

Danish Maritime Institute (DMI) in Copenhagen, the simulator delivered to Star Cruises is intend- ed to meet the company's long-term requirements arising from its oper- ations in both the cruise and ferry sectors.

The acquisition of a own simula- tor reflects practical considerations of its particular operating domain in heavily trafficked waters such as Singapore and the Strait, Port

Klang, the Strait of Malacca, and

Hong Kong. In the initial stage, all those areas will be available for exercise purposes, along with

Keelung, the Taiwan Strait,

Xiamen, Phuket and Langkawi.

Furthermore, it will provide a ser- vice to the shipping community at large on a commercial basis, and thereby generate an additional income stream for its owner, under a joint management and market- ing agreement with DMI.

The scope of Star's simulator stands to be substantially increased as a result of the accord with the Danish organization, which gives the Malaysian compa- ny access to the institute's data- base. This includes port models pertinent to the fleet's cruise oper- ations, embracing areas such

New York, Dover, Stockholm a:

Alexandria. Australian ports w shortly also form part of the da1 base. As a further indication of t company's circumspect approach safety and efficiency, lesso: learned from the aviation sect have been reflected in the syste installed by Star. Provision h been made for training in equi ment failure, to better prepa masters and officers to hand unforeseen events and malfun tions at the worst moments, and develop skills in managing su< situations. "Star Cruises has always give safety top priority, and we belies that the cruise industry should ai to have as high a safety profile < the airline sector," confirmed M

Gronberg. Underscoring an analy ical as well as pragmatic line i concerns operational and safel matters, the company plans to f voyage data recorders (VDRs) o all its ships before the end of 199I

In conjunction with VDR supplie

Consilium Marine and DMI, Stc is looking to transfer real eventi as borne in the future shipboar data recording equipment, on to it simulator so as to provide a mor authentic basis to its training pre grams. 8 Maritime Reporter/Engineering Newc

The crew of Superstar Leo will have the advantage of having "sailed" into Singapore more than 10C times prior to the ship's maiden voyage, complements of the new, sophisticated simulator purchasec by Star Cruises.