Reducing Risks of Arctic Operations with Ice Simulator

During the process of development of the Full Mission Bridge Simulator, I have come in to a conclusion that an important part of a successful learning process is the ability to train with a high fidelity bridge simulator. The Polar areas are harsh environments and to survive there, one must have special training and experience. This surviving means that the polar ecosystem will survive from pollution and the vessels and their crew from the bad judgments or misconduct of vessel operators. The most cost-effective way to improve special skills needed in the Polar waters is to include bridge simulator training to the Deck Officers requirements. In this paper I will introduce a real life situation in which an icebreaker assisting a merchant vessel gets into a “close call” situation and how this was handled. Maritime industry hasn’t studied much about the influence simulator training has to the navigators. Here the maritime industry could learn from aviation and medical industry, since they have done some extensive scientific studies to prove the need for simulators.