Cooperative training for ships and tugboats pilots based on interoperable simulation

This paper presents an advanced training system for hip pilots and tug pilots involved in the last mile of navigation. Such training system relies on the interoperable simulation based approach and it is made up of a federation of simulators that have been integrated according to the High Level Architecture standard (HLA 1516). In particular, the federation includes, among others, the simulator of a container carrier and a tugboat simulator that can interoperate each other and share the same 3D virtual environment. The physical behaviour of the boats (both the containership and tugboat) and their interaction patterns have been recreated by using 6 Degree of Freedom (DOF) mathematical models encoded within the simulators. In addition, the 3D geometric models and the operational scenario (including the port area) have been carefully developed.