The shipping industry is one of the most exposed to exceptionally challenging conditions such as operating in dangerous environments and coming across with high economic and ecological risks. Safety is one of the most crucial factors and as the great majority of onboard accidents involve human errors, the industry invests a lot in the training of seafarers. So far, this training is mostly applied onboard, however, seafarers, as well as the industry itself, are seeking training alternatives that would be more interactive and illustrative and could also be accessible ashore.
SQLearn, already being particularly active within the maritime industry as a provider of e-learning solutions and services, decided by taking a closer look into all the exciting new technologies, to harness the multiple benefits of virtual reality technology and provide an innovative educational tool for the shipping industry. It will do so, through the implementation of the “Brave Dolphin” project, supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014 – 2021 in the frame of the Programme “Business Innovation Greece”.
The main objective of this project is the development of a VR application that will include a series of training modules on maritime emergencies that might occur onboard. Since particular safety risk cases are difficult to be simulated in a real environment, the VR application to be developed will include interactive scenarios and give the user a sense of presence in the simulated environment in which they will be encouraged to interact, offering an exciting and safe learning experience.
Among the most dangerous incidents that occur on board are those of fire-explosion-related accidents. These emergencies were also indicated by SQLearn’s maritime clientele as particularly crucial. Taking this fact into consideration, the VR training solution to be developed in the framework of this project will mainly include simulations of real-case scenarios of this context. It is estimated that the “Brave Dolphin” VR training tool, will engage seafarers with the necessary training by allowing them to immerse in a virtual world that simulates all those active factors during a corresponding emergency.
SQLearn is the first to use e-learning for the advancement of maritime training with flexible, interactive and reflective learning techniques. Through this new venture, the company aims to expand its services addressed to the maritime industry and develop a training solution that places interaction in the foreground. Upon the project’s completion, the “Brave Dolphin” will be included in the umbrella of services branded as “Dolphin Platforms”, designed by SQLearn especially for maritime companies and certified by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) according to ABS Standards for Certification of Maritime Education Facilities & Training Courses.
