The use of simulation tools is a proven method for many applications in the domain of ship manoeuvring. It has been found highly useful in the form of huge full mission ship handling simulators for training, as well as for port and fairway investigation.
These simulators, however, are designed based on real time simulations to mimic real processes as closely as possible and are therefore very time consuming to use. Tests using portable simulators on board ships, to try out manoeuvring concepts before they are undertaken in real life, have not been successful as they have not been manageable to use.
Although the IMOΖs e-Navigation concept requires voyage planning from berth-toberth, there are no electronic tools available to design an effective manoeuvring plan for port arrival or departure yet, or to efficiently demonstrate the use of manoeuvring characteristics.
With this in mind, the ‘Fast Time Simulation’ (FTS) method has been developed at the Institute for Innovative Ship Simulation Maritime Systems (ISSIMS Institute) at Wismar University in Germany. It has now been tested at the Maritime Simulation Centre Warnemuende (MSCW), the World Maritime University MalmƂ, and the CSMART Training Centre, Almere.