Marine simulator kept busy

Despite being in the middle of a $1 million refit, the marine simulator at Kimberley TAFE is running constantly, with training and port development projects from around the world.

Simulator manager Captain Rob Tondut said the new, state-of- the-art Transas simulator would be installed by the end of

April, but was still in use for clients from around the world between now and then.

“We’ve been working on a port development in Sierra Leone and we’re about to start a series of work on the Oakajee Project soon,” he said.

The new simulator includes a main bridge, secondary bridge and tug station with replaceable panels to match any kind of vessel required by the centre’s clients.

Seven forward wraparound screens in the simulator provide 280-degree vision, while two rear screens show the final 80 degrees, giving full 360 degree vision.

The simulator is able to replicate 350 different ships and Capt. Tondut said any modifications required by the centre’s clients or students could also be accommodated by making slight changes to each vessel.

The centre’s tug station will be the only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere to offer rotor tug models for training.

Capt. Tondut said the new simulator would represent a huge leap forward for the TAFE’s maritime training capabilities.

“We’re getting a lot of inquiries from overseas as well as from resource developments in Australia,” he said.

“Local students also have access to the simulator for radar and navigation training in their master 5 and coxswain tickets.”