Protecting the health and safety of our beaches and coastal waterways – treasured sources of recreation and natural beauty – is a top priority for the oil and natural gas industry. To reduce the risk of accidental groundings and spills, prospective tanker pilots are using virtual reality technology to get extensive hands-on training before they ever take the wheel of a ship.
A state of the art simulator at the Alaska Vocational Technical Center puts students on the bridge of an imaginary ship and projects a computer animation of the Prince William Sound through the windows, which are actual huge, flat-screen televisions.
- A bank of 43 computers generates potential hazards, such as fishing boats, yachts, helicopters and tugboats. Instructors in a nearby control room can add to the complexity of a training session by adding wind, forg, icebergs, or floating logs.
- Quadrophonic sound creates a realistic environment, including the hum of the engines, flocks of seafulls and passing helicopters.
- The simulator includes four separate bridge platforms, which can run distinct training programs or be linked as different ships within a single scenario. Students can use the simulator to train on everything from a 60 foot boat to a supertanker.
- The cost of the simulator was $2.5 million.
To get a more in-depth look at tanker training, see the video . Go to the Transportation section and select "Tanker Training Video."