Leading smart marine simulation and training solutions provider, Wärtsilä Voyage, has been awarded a comprehensive contract to provide the University of Cebu, the Philippines with advanced cloud-based simulation solutions for Deck and Engineering training, for the esteemed university’s marine transportation and marine engineering faculties.
The agreement with Wärtsilä’s distributor in the Philippines, AWA Marine covers a wide range of services, including NTPRO Bridge, TechSim ERS and LCHS, and TGS GMDSS Tutor simulation software, containing 80,000 hours of online training content.
The University of Cebu will start using Wärtsilä Voyage’s Cloud Simulation services in October 2021, overcoming continued adverse effects of the pandemic on in-person training, and helping to define a new blended approach to maritime training in the Philippines. This exponentially extends the maritime university’s instructional reach to train students in navigation, engineering, and liquid cargo handling using on-demand cloud-classrooms accessible anytime, and from anywhere, with the interactive exercise control facilities needed by Instructors and assessors to meet international requirements.
The University of Cebu has a yearly intake of around 8,000 maritime students. In addition, the university was appointed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), a Philippine government education agency, to take part in a pilot initiative that will offer online training to seafarers during the ongoing pandemic. This will further extend the reach and adoption of Wärtsilä Voyage’s training services in the region.
“The main differentiator for the University of Cebu to select Wärtsilä Voyage’s extensive Cloud Simulation services was that it enables both interactive instructor-led simulator training and self-directed simulated scenarios. This immediately creates tangible benefits, in terms of convenient access, time and cost, for all stakeholders — cadets, faculty and the institute — alike,” said Atty. Augusto W. Go, President/Chairman of the University of Cebu.
“After an extensive market evaluation process conducted by the University of Cebu, we are delighted to have been selected to provide the full range of Cloud Simulation Services from Wartsila, covering Bridge, Engine, LCHS and GMDSS. The Wartsila Cloud Simulators have set the industry bench-mark, and we are pleased to play our part in delivering this Technology to the Philippine Maritime Training Market ” said Liam Murphy, Director and Chairman of AWA Marine Philippines.
Wärtsilä Voyage’s NTPRO (Navi-Trainer Professional 5000) was the first cloud-based navigational simulator to attain certification according to the new DNV Class D standard for cloud simulators — making it the first certified cloud solution that offers both interactive instructor-led and student-led training. With this, the navigational simulator now has full compliance (Class A, B, C, D) with DNV’s ST-0033 Maritime Simulator Systems standard.
“Moreover, Wärtsilä Voyage’s Cloud Simulation is a managed service that has received Product Certification from DNV. Meaning, the University of Cebu will not have to apply for a ‘Product Certificate’ themselves as they typically do with a physical simulator in their training centre,” explained Johan Ekvall, Head of Product, Simulation and Training at Wärtsilä Voyage.
With the pandemic continuing to worsen in some regions, like the rest of the world, training institutions in the APAC region are also increasing their adoption of digital solutions that enable remote learning, especially onboarding cloud systems for online training.
“As the maritime industry works to identify what learning events can be effectively conducted remotely and what requires a physical presence or team interactions at a training facility, Wärtsilä Cloud solutions are certified to provide both the interactive exercise control required for mandatory (STCW) training and examination, as well as the self-directed detached exercise and assessment that can be undertaken to enhance or supplement Instructor controlled simulations,” said Neil Bennett, Business Development Director, Global Simulation, Wärtsilä Voyage. “Together these simulation solutions and associated value-added services equip the training providers with all the tools needed to develop effective and targeted blended learning courses that can be considered for flag or other industry approvals.”