The use of a shiphandling simulator to complement practical training at the Saudi Border Guard Naval Institute [SBGNI]

The dissertation introduces the use of a shiphandling simulator to complement the theoretical training of students at the Saudi Border Guard Naval Institute. A review of the requirements of the 1995 STCW Convention in regard to the use of simulators for training and assessment and the implementation of a quality standard system is undertaken. The training of students and also of experienced mariners is a task for which simulators have become an increasingly valuable tool. The use of simulators for training purposes is especially important for MET institutions in which the practical training of students on board training ships is decreasing and in those areas in which the use of real vessels for training shows a risk to the mariner, to the vessel, to property and to the environment. The background to the development and use of simulators is considered at length and the possibility of having simulators for both training and assessment of performance at the Institute is discussed. One of the conclusions is that trainees at the Institute can be trained in manoeuvring conditions that would take many years to encounter in real life, and that due to the modernisation of the fleet, the experienced mariner can benefit from this type of training when required to transfer to ships of different size, type, propulsion, manoeuvring systems and modem navigational equipment The dissertation concludes that a change is appropriate, if the SBGNI wants to modernise the programs and curriculum and that the actual theoretical training does not guarantee the ability to perform. This would be the role of simulation, to produce practical situations so that trainees could gain experience under controlled and repeatable conditions