Disruptive technologies are entering ships, ports and maritime organisations, and they are bringing new life into a well-established industry. But as these new technologies are taking over old systems, the importance of seafarer training rises.

At CrewConnect Global 2017, John Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer of The Nautical Institute, said: “I think our training institutions and our employers have got great responsibility of making sure that our seafarers have got the skills to use the most modern equipment. With changes in technology, that equipment can change very quickly, so they will need on-board training, they maybe need the support of computer based training, and of course the colleges need to equip themselves with the most up-to-date equipment, ready for the seafarers to get the right experience in their training phases.”

A few years ago, ECDIS training was what seafarers had to pick up, and now the industry is concerned about training seafarers to use various ballast water management systems. With the introduction of digital technologies, seafarers already need a better understanding of cyber security, and soon, they will be learning about machine monitoring along with navigation.

To close the gap in knowledge about technology, the industry is turning to technology. Many are embracing computer based training, and K Line LNG Shipping is already using 3D simulation to reshape safety culture, which is crucial, especially when dealing with dangerous cargo like LNG.

In this article, KNect365 asked 3 maritime experts – Captain Kuba Szymanski, Secretary General at InterManager, Despina Theodosiou, CEO of Tototheo Maritime and one of the Board of Governors of the Cyprus Maritime Academy, and Pradeep Chawla, Managing Director QHSE & Training at GlobalMET/ Anglo-Eastern Ship Management – about the potential the use of technology and digitising seafarer training brings to the table.

Digitalisation is entering the maritime industry, and there is a great potential that it will completely transform the seafarer training and education scene. Is that an achievable future? Why?

Szymanski: “I personally like the idea of virtual reality. Gaming is entering the scene in many industries and I believe we will start seeing it here in the shipping industry too. The younger generation is very familiar with these platforms and is eagerly waiting for new and exciting methods of transferring knowledge. The old ‘talk and chalk’ will need to leave the scene and make room for a new, more engaging training environment.”

Theodosiou: “I think it’s more accurate to say that digitalisation has already entered the maritime industry. There are a lot of tools that are already digital. Let’s not forget that the IMO made ECDIS and ENC’s mandatory on some vessels eight years ago, and created obligatory training requirements, and Inmarsat’s Fleet Broadband has had the capacity to transmit data since its launch 11 years ago allowing vessels to update circulars that officers may need to be aware of.

To suggest that digitalisation has the potential to transform training and education is the same answer in general society. It may change how youngsters learn, but not what they need to learn. The question is more about the maturity of the tools that are becoming available, and this is where seafarer training comes in.

There’s the education of a cadet, who, from an initial ignorance of a vessel must become rapidly competent in the technology on board and how to use it safely (to a regulatory level). There is a certified goal to this education and maritime colleges may have their curriculum tied by the regulations. Some certainly have limited budgets.

Then there is training of (already certified) crew to achieve greater abilities and levels of (technology) awareness, bridge team management.

There is an important key societal fact to bear in mind with any education of young men and women wishing to start a career in this industry – they will all be growing up in a connected world.

We have to be aware that after a general education that is increasingly connected, will they be excited to find themselves in a training environment that their parents had 20 years ago? Will they opt to go to schools that do not have digital education tools? There is the risk they will choose other careers where the approach to education is more modern.

After an education to a certified level the advanced training may come in, and this is where there may be more funds and therefore more interest in revolutionising how staff have their competence refreshed and updated.

For seafarers, the clear advance is in connectivity, which creates interactive onboard e-learning. We see this approach already from some ship managers, engine makers and the technology firms with critical and sophisticated onboard systems; they offer bespoke training packages to shipboard staff that can help keep their safety awareness levels up, keep them aware of updates to equipment, and keep them engaged and aware that their employees care about them.”

Chawla: “Digitalisation is certainly the buzzword of this decade. It means very different things to different people. Maritime industry is generally not an early adopter of technology. Education industry is somewhat similar. Transfer of knowledge has traditionally been a bonding process between teacher and student and it did not change until Google disrupted the process and made knowledge available to everyone across the world. Mobile phones made it more accessible.

The transformation has already begun and will not stop. However, the pace of transformation may not be as fast as educationists would like it to be.

The reason is that the millennials are audio visual learners and often have lower span of focus as they are brought up on short text messaging, emojis and little video clips. This transformation of the learner’s habits requires that learning material in all industries has to be converted into audio, visual and augmented reality mediums.

Like most fields the old and new methods will exist for the next 10 to 20 years, before the training and education scene is completely transformed.”

Join Capt. Pradeep Chawla at our upcoming free CrewConnect Digital Week!

In your opinion, which technologies will be the most adaptable to accelerate seafarer education? What would they be used for and why?

Szymanski: “Computer-based training and virtual reality, plus gaming as explained above. Currently the majority of shore-based courses are expensive and rather old fashioned. Young people expect faster and more interesting sessions. ‘Baby Boomers’ are more demanding and are less likely to settle on old techniques. Internet is slowly (very slowly) becoming available on board ships, and more and more resources are now available for the seafarers while at sea. This is slowly creeping in too.”

Theodosiou: “The short answer is to make any training or education engaging and interactive. So the answer will likely be with what is being called gamification.

The ability to test something out without it being a real risk to anyone’s safety is an important element. There are a growing number of gamification tools available in different industries and these are beginning to emerge in the shipping and maritime sector. It’s a new level of simulation. One would never give an apprentice the sole responsibility of taking a fully laden VLCC through the Singapore straits. One can simulate a realistic environment, where other vessels are being operated by other cadets, in a real-time game-like scenario. This is an exciting opportunity to keep the next generation school leaver interested in a maritime career.

The gaming industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry because so many youngsters sit in front of their computers and enjoy the real time virtual environment it offers them. The same can be true when taking this into a maritime context. It is taking the shore-based training simulator to the next level.

Being able to test out scenarios to see how they will pan-out is a useful tool.”

Chawla: “Simulators and augmented reality are my choices of technology that seem to fit the needs of the maritime industry. Seafaring is a profession that has a large component of skill based tasks and hence these technologies offer the most potential.

Animations are also useful for some learning outcomes such as re-creating incidents or to explain concepts like inner workings of a machinery.

The usual battle is availability of resources as modern technology is more expensive than the chalk and board or slides presentation methods.”

Can you give us an example where the introduction of technology has accelerated learning by far in the maritime industry?

Szymanski: “We have not yet had a serious breakthrough. We are a very reliable industry and therefore try to make sure that new methods are doing what they are supposed to do. Bridge Team Management courses are now possible in the classroom using simulators. More and more ship handling is being performed using better simulators. Having said that the best simulators are still manned model courses and we only have four centres around the world providing these top quality courses. More and more simulators are used in teaching engine procedures and machinery maintenance. Radio procedures are now also taught using computers and simulators.”

Theodosiou: “Bridge simulators have come a long way since their invention and use in cadetship training. I think one of the best examples of this is in the cruise industry where bridge teams have been able to test out stressful situations. Being able to link a bridge simulator, with the engine room simulator, to a tug and a VTS is a great opportunity to put an officer through a stressful scenario knowing there is no risk.”

Chawla: “The best example is ship handling and cargo handling simulators. Ship handling was a skill learnt patiently from mentors and it took years of learning. Experience was considered critical.

Simulators have revolutionised learning of such skills. Over the years, technology has progressed to such a point that the simulators are extremely realistic due to the advanced graphic representation of the conditions at sea.”

How could training institutions prepare seafarers for on board experiences using technology?

Szymanski: “First of all, more realistic simulators, better scenarios and higher quality teachers / lecturers. By the word ‘better’ I mean by being more hands on and experienced in new and modern shipping. Currently, the majority of our lecturers are not very familiar with new ships and their operations. Today we have a very dangerous situation where new technology is being used by ‘old’ teachers.”

Theodosiou: “Training institutions that train cadets, seafarers etc. have a range of different regulatory requirements and standards that fall under STCW. The question has often been asked whether STCW should be broadly overhauled to reflect the advances in both shipboard requirements of seafarers and the ways in which training and education can be delivered.

But, and this goes perhaps against this point of view a little, one must bear in mind that the standard for a seafarer must reflect all ships at sea, not just the most advanced.

The answer perhaps is to have endorsements for vessels that are more advanced. This is of course a difficult step to achieve, but it has been achieved with DP certification, dangerous cargo endorsements and other specific crew requirements that are ship specific, but are in addition to basic training.”

Chawla: “In this area, we have found great success with virtual reality technology. Our students walk through shipboard spaces wearing VR glasses.

Training institutions are already using different technologies for preparing the seafarers, for example, VHF recordings are used in English labs to make seafarers familiar with accents and port control procedures.”

How does training via technology compare to traditional hands-on experience? Why?

Szymanski: “I am old fashioned I am afraid, and although I see a lot of good coming from the technology, such as simulation, I can also see how the new generation of seafarers brought up on technology equipment lacks real-life awareness. Having the ocean in front of them instead of a small screen can actually scare some people.

For example, the simple question of: ‘What is this ship doing there’ almost always sends a young officer to ECDIS or ARPA systems to search for the answer instead of just looking through the window. Technology enslaves youngsters who are less likely to use their own knowledge to compute information and they often do not trust the knowledge they do have. This can lead to dangerous situations where the new generation of seafarers are left feeling lost when technology fails.

Theodosiou: “Training by technology and training hands-on whilst at sea can be the same thing. Ships are a floating bed of technology, a lot of which is software based these days and the crew are expected to be able to use it when they are on the ship.

Training a cadet during their sea time is important but having real life simulators ashore could also assist. There are training facilities that are connected to a ship, or at least can download data from the ship to be used in a simulation. Therefore, a near miss could be revisited to teach how things could be done better, or even vice versa.”

Chawla: “Both methods have their pros and cons and have to be used according to the desired learning outcome. For example, one cannot learn to climb up a pilot ladder using virtual reality.

Both methods will continue to exist and a good teacher appreciates the value of both methodologies.

There are many advantages of interaction between students and using debates and discussions as a teaching methodology. However, there is nothing comparable to allowing a student to navigate a ship in restricted visibility on a ship handling simulator.”

What is the value and potential role of technology in seafarers’ education in the future?

Szymanski: “Obviously, the answer can only be one – huge. But it is important to note that technology needs to supplement and support teaching processes and not to become a goal on its own. There are plenty of great examples where simulation, virtual reality and other technological advances could enable great learning experiences, but we should not forget about the people who are going to use them.”

Theodosiou: “Let’s differentiate first between education and training. When a youngster enters the industry for the first time their education must be thorough, to a certain standard (i.e examinations) and for the sake of the industry’s future, valid.

Whether one thinks that the standards (such as STCW) are robust enough, the way that education is delivered to a school leaver of tomorrow has to meet the way they are used to being educated (books v screen for example).

Training can be a private affair, such as a shipowner or manager offering further training to staff to create a more engaged team capable of working together and not taking risks. As I mentioned before, the ability to train with simulation or gamification, without actually putting the vessel at risk is where the value comes in.

And highly trained staff, ones taking fewer risks, will create less incidents, which of course keeps regulators (i.e. port state inspections, etc.) insurance (lower premiums) and clients (less reputational risk) happy.”

Chawla: “Technologies will continue to evolve and good teachers will find innovative ways to use the technology for teaching. Even skills like welding are now being taught using simulators.

Class room interaction is already reducing or changing to virtual classrooms with students across the world discussing topics in virtual web based classrooms.

Technology will make humans smarter. Inventions like Alexa are already making knowledge available in our homes allowing us to learn continuously and while WhatsApp groups may be overwhelming, there is no doubt that the annoying snippets of videos often contain knowledge that we would not have looked for on our own.”