Developments in Engine Room Simulator Training Technology for Future Ships: Facilitating Training in Context

Recent developments in ship engine room simulator technology support the more contextualised high-fidelity training and facilitate the transition to training for future ship operations. With the gradual adoption of automation and digitalization onboard, modern ships are increasingly equipped with remotely monitored unmanned spaces such as the modern engine room. Marine engineers are no longer required to be co-located within the boundaries of the engine room to carry out their duties. Maritime Education and Training (MET) needs to evolve and reflect the developments in the changing work context wherein the marine engineer is removed from the physical work locale. Advancements in engine room simulator training are suited to modern and future ship operations. Situated in-context training has been the mainstay of competence development in shipping. Previously seafaring training took the form of on-board apprenticeships and gave way to shore-based MET provision over time. This led to an increase in the distance between the training environment and the context of work. This paper presents the recent developments in engine room simulator technology, the walk-through engine room simulator, and argues that the immersive training experience afforded by this novel technology facilitates near-context training especially for the technologically advanced and future ships. We envisage that in the future, the digital twin of the engine will be part of the digital space that constitutes the future workplace of autonomous ships. We discuss that utilizing the walk-through engine simulators affords a bridge between the current and the future autonomous engine room training.