Real-life training in a virtual world

Gregory Sudwoj, WinGD, Switzerland, discusses the importance of virtual seafarer training for the safe and effective operation of LNG vessels.

In March 2021, classification society DNV reported a record month for new-build LNG-fuelled vessel orders, taking the total for 1Q21 to beyond the final count for the whole of last year. The 265 gas-fuelled vessels on the orderbook (more if LNG carriers are included) will more than double the global fleet. While much energy goes into projecting the supply and infrastructure that will be needed to support that growth, less focus is placed on the extra demand it will create for seafarer training.

Training is crucial for seafarers embarking on service on LNG-fuelled ships. But while the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) convention requires that engineers on gas-fuelled ships are trained in LNG bunkering, it does not require training in other LNG-related ship equipment, including engines, so far. Equipmentspecific training is therefore defined as ‘added value’ and left to the discretion of ship owners, operators, and managers.

According to WinGD’s General Manager Customer Training, Operations, Gregory Sudwoj, the case for specific gas engine training is clear, and it is not necessarily about the fuel. “Marine engines in general are getting more complex and require more understanding from the crew to operate them in an optimal and safe way,” he says. “Training for the specific type of engine is getting more important, including for gas-fuel engines.”

Much of the complexity comes with modern electronic control systems (ECS). For this reason, WinGD’s courses are categorised by control system rather than engine model.

The ECS is essentially the brain of the engine. It is the key to understanding what happens with an engine, its operation and efficiency, as well as indications of failure and troubleshooting.

WinGD’s X-DF dual-fuel engine designs are available with two control systems, UNIC or the recently launched WinGD Integrated Control Expert (WiCE). Training across the entire portfolio can therefore be covered by two courses, making the training widely applicable. Crew members can move between vessels with engines of different sizes and still be familiar if the control system is the same. All new WinGD engines now use WiCE, meaning that in the future the whole dual-fuel engine series could be covered by a single course.

As so often during the evolution of LNG in shipping, investment in supporting infrastructure comes in advance of market growth. WinGD is preparing for the anticipated boom in training demand in several ways. As well as extending the availability of its courses with training partners, it is also developing its cloud-based training platform, enhancing its engine room simulations, and adding new training programmes to meet emerging needs.

The focus is on making training less burdensome, more valuable, and more flexible, both for shipping companies and for crew.

Expanding the training network

Figure 1. Full mission simulator.

Figure 2. WinGD training simulator room in South Korea. The operational training course – which can be distinguished from maintenance courses and advanced operational courses offered by the company and its service partners – is a five-day programme that has traditionally been taught in classrooms at WinGD’s facilities in Winterthur in Switzerland, Busan in South

Korea, and Shanghai in China. One early development has been to expand the training location network by working with authorised training partners. The cost and hassle of travelling is a limitation for whoever delegates crew members for training. With

WinGD’s partners the company can make access much easier and wider, respecting the crews’ time, and removing unnecessary expense and complications from the shipowner. Today the network includes partners in major crewing markets in Asia (the Philippines and India) and

Europe (Greece and Poland), as well as the important crew exchange hub of the UAE. In addition to the operational training courses, partners can provide further courses – for example covering the auxiliary machinery typical to modern engine rooms – using computer-based training. WinGD is in discussion with potential partners to further expand its list of locations. Another important means of improving accessibility – especially during the current pandemic – is cloudbased training. From the beginning of travel restrictions in March 2020, WinGD has been conducting training online. However, this was limited to instructor-led presentations which included video from the instructor’s simulation. The company responded fast and by the beginning of this year had developed a cloud streaming service capable of delivering a truly interactive training experience. Every participant can run their own simulation on their PC or laptop. When the instructor gives them tasks, he can see how the trainees are reacting. This is a completely new dimension and is a good substitute for classroom training. WinGD has tested the system in Asia

and Europe and is now building up the server infrastructure.

Simulation developments

Full access to simulators is an important element of the cloud service. Simulation has been part of operational training since 2011, when WinGD worked with Unitest Marine Simulators to develop a simulation for the first X35 engine. Focusing on developing the software gives WinGD more flexibility in how the simulation can be used, ranging from personal computers to full mission simulator rooms with 18 touchscreens mounted on real marine consoles. Full mission simulators are particularly valuable where possible as they meet STCW standards for A-class simulators, meaning that time spent training in these scenarios partially counts towards experience needed in watchkeeping and other elements of the STCW syllabus.

Two cases highlight the value that simulation can bring to WinGD and to the crews of its customers. In the first case, the company delivered software for a full mission simulator replicating the engine control rooms of nine gas-fuelled, ultra-large container ships being delivered for French liner CMA CGM. The vessels, the first of which are already in service, are powered by the largest Otto-cycle dual-fuel engines ever built – the 12-cylinder, 92 cm bore 12X92DF.

WinGD developed software for the full mission simulator on which CMA CGM’s crew are to be trained in Marseille, France, once COVID-19 restrictions allow. The simulation is based on drawings of the vessel’s engine control rooms and roughly matches the number of decks on the vessel and other aspects important for familiarising crew. When it comes to the simulated engine behaviour, the simulation is a complete match.

This simulator is based on the thermodynamic models of the engine that WinGD has verified, which differentiates the simulator from whatever other simulators will appear on the market which would not be calibrated. WinGD believes it is important to have a true model with the true thermodynamic response.

Another example comes from the LNG carrier sector, where WinGD’s X-DF dual-fuel engines have a leading market share. A skilled crew is particularly important on these vessels, which are very expensive assets with strict safety requirements. They are also at risk of spoiling their cargo if they encounter unexpected delays.

Gas carrier crew do not require dedicated engine training, but shipowners have more reason than those in other sectors to want crew to be familiar with their specific engines. WinGD started a project to build an engine room simulator dedicated for LNG carriers the year. The project should be completed by the end of this year and will enable gas carrier crews a more realistic training experience. Virtual reality It is easier for WinGD to train the crew using the specific set-up of the engine room. In the case of LNG carriers, this is pronounced because they have two main engines and there are some extra safety features installed in the engine room.

Figure 3. Virtual X92DF engine room access. Image courtesy of Unitest Marine Simulators. Figure 4. Close-up engine access for detailed training. Image courtesy of Unitest Marine Simulators. The use of simulation in training continues to evolve and WinGD is also advancing its own use of simulation. The latest step is adding virtual reality capability, so that trainees wearing goggles can walk through the engine room and ‘dive into’ the engine structure. There are further innovations ahead. One area for development is the range of training courses that WinGD can offer. As crew are already booked in for five-day courses, it may make sense to extend the course to add on extra training. WinGD has already developed LNG bunkering courses for ship-to-ship and shoreside bunkering. It is now looking at courses for other equipment, including working with other LNG technology providers to develop new training solutions. STCW-regulated training for gas-fuelled ships has justifiably focused on safety and on areas such as bunkering where the potential risks are greatest. But gas-fuelled ships need to be operated efficiently as well as safely, and understanding the engine is one of the most assured ways of helping crew to do this. As the numbers of crew working on gas-fuelled vessels is set to rise dramatically over the coming years, WinGD is making sure that shipowners have all the training opportunities they need to deliver a crew capable of operating their assets effectively.