A new simulator represents an important enhancement to
Cargotec’s commitment to complete value added customer
solutions.
In line with its well established ethos of developing and
implementing new technologies that contribute added value
to its customers’ businesses, Cargotec has developed a
simulator to provide valuable, realistic training for operators
of offshore load handling equipment employing advanced
active heave-compensated (AHC) technology, such as AHC
offshore and subsea cranes.
The new simulator is a logical enhancement to Cargotec’s
integrated approach to the offshore support sector, whereby
the company not only offers complete engineering solutions
that optimize functionality for specific ship types, but also
distinct value added service products, planned and on-demand,
such as maintenance and advanced operator training, both
theoretical and practical.
Recent hardware and software developments have resulted
in significant advances in simulator technology, opening the
doors for such new, specialized applications.
The simulator was designed, constructed and tested in
house by a team of system engineers at Cargotec’s offshore
load handling site in Kristiansand.
Project manager Eldri Nærum says. “The rapidly expanding
base of active heave-compensated cranes on offshore ships
utilized in subsea load handling and their operational
complexity were decisive factors in selecting this type of
equipment for training by simulator.”
Comprehensive training in the proper use of equipment
has great benefits in terms of safety and efficiency and also
reduces the likelihood of damage, downtime and repair costs
due to incorrect operation. By allowing crane operators to
gain more realistic, varied experience in a few days than they
would in weeks of live training, the simulator has a major role
to play in Cargotec’s wider training programme for offshore
load handling. This includes training in failure and emergency
scenarios in various environmental conditions.
The simulator features a full-scale crane cabin interior with
multiple high resolution displays which provide an
unrestricted view of the entire operating area through
numerous windows. The complete simulator package,
including all the necessary hardware and HVAC systems, is
housed in a single 20ft container. This gives it the great
advantage of being completely autonomous and transportable.
This means that while it can be employed at Cargotec’s
training centre in Kristiansand, it can also be taken directly to
the customer so that training can take place where most
convenient, with a minimum of disruption to the customer’s
operations.
It was a major challenge to recreate the crane operator’s
lofty vantage point in a very confined
space but Nærum says the team was more
than equal to the task. “We have
succeeded in creating such a realistic crane
cabin that we expect our trainees will
forget that they are not operating a real
crane. Realistic sounds enhance the
experience and a head tracking feature
means that when the seated operator
looks out any of the windows, the view
changes seamlessly according to the
movement of his head”
Nærum says. “In addition to its primary
training function, the simulator also
enables Cargotec to demonstrate and
assess the various functions of its products,
plan marine operations, and log data for
playback to evaluate and improve future
operations. It can also be used for the
rapid design and testing of new concepts.”