What Is Indigenous Maritime Simulator Technology Developed For Waterways, Ports?

NTCPWC has commissioned an indigenous simulator technology to boost the port and marine sector in the country. India has a long coastline, and developing indigenous technology is a significant boost for the country’s marine industry.

IIT Madras National Technology Center for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) which works as a technical arm of the Union Ministry of Shipping, has been set up to promote the development of indigenous technology and expertise in the port and maritime sector.

What are the focus areas of the unit?

The unit had established to focus on a host of areas that could help bring the Indian port and maritime industry to par with that of the world. For example, take the development of an autonomous platform for navigation and water-quality monitoring. The unit is working on technologies for night-time navigation in inland waterways and dredging for small ports and inland waterways.

In the pursuit of the development of new technologies, NTCPW, IIT Madras recently commissioned a large 360 Degrees Projection Based Full Mission Ship Handling simulator. One of its kind in the country, it will help in conducting complex Navigation Feasibility studies for port development projects. This state-of-the-art technology will be a great help in conducting R&D projects at IIT(M). The country expects some big achievements from NTCPWC.

What is this simulator?

The simulator technology is the largest of its kind in the region as it involves the latest marine technology available anywhere in the world. But the biggest achievement of the country is that it is wholly indigenously designed, developed, and installed by a globally renowned New Delhi-based company, ARI Simulation. This achievement in marine technology made the country proud.

The main components of this marine simulator technology include an Integrated Bridge System with Radar, Navigational Equipment, ECDIS, Conning Station, etc. It features the latest visualization system made up of a large cylindrical seamless display that shows the vertical projection for the ship side view, improved bridge wing stations, integrated tug stations, and a drone view.

The technology gives high-fidelity hydrodynamic ship models that allow operators to conduct complex manoeuvres with propulsion and steering. Also, the operators learn to interact with the environment while manoeuvring ships. The software provides detailed modelling that makes the technology a compelling tool for feasibility studies.

It won’t be an exaggeration to call the development of simulator software a big leap in this field of science and technology. India is blessed with a long coastline dotted with 200 major and non-major ports handling 95% of the country’s trading by volume. The country must develop an indigenous technology that can help boost India’s maritime trade. And the simulator software was the technology India was looking for to boost its capabilities.

NTCPWC has a two-pronged approach. First, it wants to provide solutions to fulfil the technological requirements of the sector, and it wants to continue as the leading solution provided in the Indian context. In short, the objective is to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign technology by developing indigenous technologies, and the development of simulator technology is a big leap in this direction. NTCPWC wants to further improve the port and maritime sector.

India Science TV Channel has a dedicated video on the simulator technology where people can experience how the simulator software works. It is a short video and provides rich details of the work NTCPWC does. The video shows how the software works from the operator’s angle. You will see the simulator working like an operator so you will get a better idea of the technology. The video is available for free and can be viewed on mobile.

Key features of the bridge simulator

· It helps in studying the feasibility of safe navigational operation of ships in the proposed area before large resources are committed to the development of port infrastructure.

· It helps in studying the ability of ships to manoeuvre in the approach area safely under the combined effect of the environment including current, weather, tide, and swell.

· It helps in studying the ability of ships to arrive and depart from the proposed births.

· It helps in studying specific manoeuvres close to ships.

· It helps in studying the number of tugs, their size, and power required to assist the ships during transit, turning, birthing, and un-birthing. The study also includes the ability of tugs to assist ships in emergency conditions.

· It helps in studying the ability of river boats to negotiate the bends of river sections including leaving and entering the area.

· It is used in mission rehearsals involving pilots and tug operators.

· It helps in studying birthing and un-birthing in rough weather conditions, equipment failure, shipboard emergencies, and other necessary training sensors.

The IIT Madras National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways, and Coasts (NTCPWC) has done a commendable job by commissioning the simulator bridge. The simulator technology is expected to reduce the country’s reliability on foreign technology for developing its ports. If the country wants to make optimum use of its coastline then there has to be an indigenous technology to develop the port and maritime sector.

What are the future of the port and maritime sector in India?

Considering the latest development, especially the commissioning of the indigenous simulator software, it can be said that the port and the maritime sector have a bright future in India. NTCPWC is involving experts in the development of ports to develop indigenous technologies.

If you are interested in knowing more about the working of NTCPWC and the marine simulator technology, you should visit India Science TV Channel and view the video dedicated to the simulator software. It is an educative video for students studying science and those preparing for various competitive exams. The video is available in English but the graphics of the simulator software gives a clear idea of how it works.