From navigating rough seas to initiating emergency protocols, Camosun College students will soon have a marine simulator to provide a risk-free glimpse of a career at sea.
The new Navi-Trainer Professional 5000 simulator, still under construction at the College’s Interurban campus, is made possible through a partnership of education and industry, with $700,000 provided by Atlantic Towing Limited (ATL).
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“It helps us in the marine community and helps the locals as well,” said Tim Brownlow, ATL’s director of industry relations. “People from the Island will be able to train on the Island and be able to work on vessels such as ours.”
Through immersive, sophisticated technology, the simulator will allow students to experience different weather conditions, various ports, manoeuvres, speeds, and tug and barge handling conditions.
And with the simulator, Camosun can offer more courses, including a cadet and bridgewatch program.
“There’s a Transport Canada mandate for us to have these simulators in order to train marine captains,” said Gilles Gagnon, vice president of ATL. “This is a fantastic opportunity for us.”
The simulator is expected to be complete by the end of December. When finished, it will be installed at the Camosun Coastal Centre, located on Songhees Nation territory. Funds will be allocated over three years by Irving Shipbuilding in an agreement brokered by ATL.
“Songhees Nation’s economy was intimately connected to the Salish Sea for millennia,” says a statement from Christina Clarke, corporate executive officer of Songhees Nation. “Forming Salish Sea Industrial Services with Ralmax and Esquimalt Nation is one of our strategies for returning to the marine economy.”
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