A simulation framework for ships pilots training

The paper proposes an advanced simulator of a commercial containership within a virtual environment reproducing the port of Salerno. The motion of the ship at sea is based on a 6 Degree Of Freedom (DOF) model that includes the MMG model for surge, swayand yaw and closed form expression for pitch, roll and heave. The simulator is part of an on-going research project (HABITAT, Harbour Traffic Optimization System) and is intended for ship pilots training for manoeuvring inside the port area (i.e. while entering and/or exiting from the port, mooring operations, etc.) therefore it seeks to recreate the experience of a real ship manoeuvring with accuracy. To this end, the analytical model for the ship motion has been validated through a dedicated software tool that has been developed writing a C++ programming code. This tool allows testing the behaviour of the simulator according to the desired configuration of the ship.