LBN journalist Tony McDonough takes charge of a commercial ship in the Mersey Estuary off Crosby and manages to run aground… luckily it wasn’t the real thing, but a ship in the hi-tech bridge simulator at Liverpool John Moores University

 

Unlike airplane simulators, the shipping simulator at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) doesn’t physically move – but it can make you feel queasy all the same.

I’ve been a business journalist in Liverpool for more than two decades and, given we are a port city, much of my focus has been on the city region’s £5bn-plus maritime sector. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by ships.

Growing up in Liverpool in the 1970s and 80s, my favourite place was the old viewing platform on the Pier Head. I was rarely happier than when I watched ships go up and down the river while I devoured hot, freshly made sugary doughnuts from the shop that used to sit below.

A trip on the Mersey Ferry was, and remains, a real treat. I’ve also turned green while being buffeted around on the Irish Sea on a boat to the Isle of Man and I was privileged to enjoy a three-day voyage on board Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 following the Three Queen’s spectacular event on the Mersey in 2015.

But other than steering a slow motorboat on the Dee at Chester, I’ve never actually taken charge of a vessel. So, it was with great gratitude and excitement that I accepted an invitation from Master Mariner, Dr Abdul Khalique who runs the maritime simulators at LJMU’s Byrom Street campus.

It’s an impressive piece of kit. Supplied by Wartsila, this simulator comprises four full mission bridges with the primary bridge configured to a 360° field-of-view. Despite it being static, once the simulator is fired up, powered by over 60 networked computers, it really does create the illusion of movement – hence my queasiness.

A full mission engine room simulator is located next to the bridges which can be used as a standalone simulator for training marine engineers in skills related to engine room watchkeeping. This facility has the capability to connect the bridges with the engine room – training both deck and engineer officers simultaneously.

 

 

Abdul is an experienced seafarer with many years of piloting ships of different types and sizes all over the world. A Master Mariner by qualification, he came ashore in 2003 to work at the Shetland School of Nautical Studies (SSNS), setting up the Merchant Navy Deck Officer cadet programme.

He then moved to Southampton Solent University and then to Serco Marine in the Portsmouth Royal Naval base. In 2016 he joined LJMU as  head of the LJMU Maritime Centre. A renowned expert in his field Abdul, has authored and co-authored multiple papers and books on seafaring, navigation, maritime and offshore safety.

Before he let me loose on the simulator, he gave me a warning… “It takes a lot of focus, concentration and patience to control a ship”. He wasn’t kidding.

When you first take control of the wheel and glance up at the display it doesn’t feel all that challenging and there is an initial feeling of serenity. However, then you start to see the multiple screens, lights, knobs and buttons it suddenly gets a bit disorientating.

I’m piloting a commercial vessel in the Mersey Estuary, just off Crosby beach. When you look from the shore, or on a map, you would think it was fairly straightforward. But one of the screens in front of me paints a different picture.

I have to navigate my way around the correct lanes, using the buoys to guide me. But the one of the biggest hazards in the estuary are the sandbanks and it is easier than you think to run aground on one which I did – twice.

Abdul then added an extra challenge – bad weather. Then the simulator offered strong winds, rain and choppy waters. It was at that point I was convinced the whole room was moving and swaying. I was concentrating so hard now my head was hurting.

“Most of the time with the simulations you can reset everything and replay them,” said Abdul. “If someone has got something wrong then they can run again. During the playback, they can only see their own mistakes on the playback.

“The replay can also play the voice recordings and that is so important because communication is critical in these situations. If a person gives incorrect or insufficient information then they also need to realise the mistake.

“Maintaining situational awareness is one of the main skills that we can help people develop. Knowing what is going-on around the ship is so important. It is a holistic approach. It is so important to be aware of everything.

“A ship’s captain relies on information they get from the other officers or the watch keepers as well as from the equipment. But the captain also has to be able to narrow his focus on a particular task otherwise he will lose concentration. He needs to be fed the information from others.”

Anyone who wants to become the captain of a ship has to undergo a rigorous process lasting several years and combining classroom experience with real experience on a bridge. This is where the simulator can prove invaluable.

Abdul explained: “If a person who holds a  GCSE or higher qualifications wants to join the merchant navy as a  deck or engineering officer they will need to join a college or a university and their programme will be either HNC, HND, foundation or bachelors degree.

“Minimum time they will need to spend at a college is three years and that includes breaks where they will spend time on ships. Within those three years they will need 12 months of ship time at least. This will make them eligible to become an officer of the watch.

“In the UK there is a Government funding scheme called Smart Funding and that is available for companies to sponsor deck, engineering or electro technical officer trainees. The company will sponsor them through employing them as trainees throughout their training, somewhat similar to apprenticeship programmes in the UK.

“The sponsoring company, in addition to arranging for their training and time onboard ships, will also send them on certain internationally recognised mandatory courses before they can be employed on a ship. 

“For deck officer cadets, their training will include six or seven weeks training in the bridge simulators. That is the longest time they will spend in the simulator. Without doing that they cannot complete their training.

“Once they have completed all their courses and passed their HNC, HND or degree course exams they will be interviewed in a one-to-one oral examination by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). 

“Once they pass that they will become an officer of the watch and be issued with a globally recognised Certificate of Competency (CoC).

“With that qualification they can be initially employed as a third officer with an option to be promoted to a second officer on a ship. Once they have that qualification they will need another 12 months watchkeeping service as a deck officer before going for the first or chief officer qualification.

“They will then come back and do another eight-day course in the simulator and after that they will return to the MCA for another oral examination. They will then be qualified as a chief officer.

“They then need to spend another 18 months on ships gaining more experience. Then they will come back and go to the MCA for another oral exam to become a ship’s captain. That will give them a CoC as a Master.”

LJMU’s simulators are also extensively used to help clients who are building new ports in addition to using them to navigate any waters in the world.

“Manoeuvring a big ship is not an easy task and we can simulate everything that can happen in the port to see suitability of different vessel sizes in the port.  The centre can also build ship models for proof of concept studies in relation to suitability of ship for any given port,” explained Abdul

“LJMU is globally well recognised for maritime research outputs. LJMU’s simulators are used for research but not in the same way in the organisations using it for seafarer training. 

“As our maritime research and master’s degree portfolio is the biggest in the UK, these simulators are used by our researchers as well as students.

“An LJMU student will taste being on the bridge of a ship in the simulator and will get a feel for it before they will need to travel by sea for their job in the offshore renewable or oil and gas industry. . In addition, the experienced Masters may come to the centre to test out different types and sizes of ships or to even polish their skills.”

 

 

Abdul added that the simulator can also offer a valuable way to study human factors. A couple of years ago he carried out a research project – Lookout Awareness of Distractions The creation of a Distraction Evaluation Ratio (LADDER) where he used eye-tracking devices to see where people were looking when they were on the bridge.

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“There are so many screens and if there is something flashing or moving that will naturally attract attention,” he explained.

“It takes a lot of focus and concentration to control a ship. When there are problems alarms will be going off and people such as the port authority will want to know what is going on.”

Meanwhile, I’m really starting to feel the pressure. Things are flashing, there are noises. I’m turning the wheel frantically in different directions in order to avoid a second major maritime incident in just half an hour. It is all to no avail. I am back on a sandbank.

I look across to Abdul and tell him I think I’m probably done now. He looks relieved and with a laugh he says: “Even though it is simulation I still don’t like running aground.”