By
Laura Hyde |
Carnival Corporation’s Center for Simulator Maritime Training (CSMART) has completed bridge simulator tests to evaluate navigational data from S-100, a new digital framework developed by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) to deliver real-time maritime data for “more precise and efficient navigation in complex port environments”.
The tests were completed in collaboration with international hydrographic offices and industry partners under the IHO’s S-100 Test Bed and Sea Trial in Confined Waters. They brought together ports, marine pilots, shipboard captains and deck officers, shore-based marine managers, maritime technology providers and national hydrographic offices from the UK, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand to evaluate S-100 navigational data in confined water environments.
S-100 integrates multiple types of safety critical maritime information – including electronic charts, port data and real time marine conditions such as water levels, tides and currents – into a unified navigational environment displayed on a ship’s Electronic Chart Display Information System (ECDIS). This gives crews a “complete and dynamic picture” of their surroundings as they operate in real time.
“S-100 has the potential to change how ships are navigated, and its full value comes to life when mariners feel confident using it,” said Mark Jackson, managing director of CSMART. “A world-class training environment like ours is the ideal proving ground. By testing S-100 in the simulator first, we can explore how crews interact with the new data to understand what feels intuitive and where training will help support a smooth, practical transition to real-world adoption.”
The tests replicated navigation scenarios from four ports: Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands; Port of Napier in New Zealand; Port of Melbourne in Australia and Port of Southampton in the UK. Participants repeated port approaches, transits and departures while using bridge simulators equipped with two S-100 capable ECDIS systems (provided by Teledyne and OSI Maritime Systems) and two portable pilot units (provided by QPS and SEAiq Pilot). All four systems were connected to two Wartsila Full Mission Bridge simulators.
“S-100 brings us closer than ever to real-world situational awareness through electronic charts,” said Nikita Kadrov, head of product at Wärtsilä Simulation. “It improves safety and efficiency, but it also requires strong collaboration across data, tools and training to fully realise its potential.”
The simulator environment facilitated collaboration between end users, data producers and system developers resulting in immediate feedback on data resolution, accuracy, coverage and usability. This enabled the team to identify how S-100 products can be optimised for specific port operations without overwhelming the navigator.
The tests revealed S-100 data significantly improves situational awareness, leading to more informed decision-making, which is essential when operating in confined waters, where operational margins are small.
“The strength of this test bed and sea trial was the collaboration between CSMART, national hydrographic offices, ports, pilots and technology providers,” said Antonio Di Lieto, senior manager of simulation studies at CSMART. “Having pilots, ship officers, ship managers, hydrographic offices, port authorities and technology providers working together in the simulator made it possible to look at S-100 from multiple perspectives and feed that insight directly back into IHO standards development, ECDIS design and future training needs.”
The test outcomes will be consolidated into a technical report which will support ongoing standards development and future training considerations.
“What makes this testbed unique is that the entire chain is here – ports, hydrographic offices, pilots and end users,” said Ben van Scherpenzeel, director of nautical development policy and plans at Port of Rotterdam. “That interaction is priceless, because you only see what really works when you test it operationally together.”
Paolo Ravera, captain at Princess Cruises, which took part in the tests, said: “What S-100 gives us is confidence. The visual representation of safe water and hazards makes it much clearer where the ship can operate, which improves planning, execution and decision-making in confined waters.”