Amsterdam, November 5th 2013* – Iskes Towage & Salvage today signed an agreement with VSTEP for the delivery of two NAUTIS Tug and Offshore Supply Vessel (OSV) simulators. These simulators are the first units purchased for the new Iskes / Damen Training Centre, set up in the new office building of Iskes at the port entrance to the ports of the Amsterdam Northsea canal area, close to Schiphol Airport.
VSTEP will initially provide a 360-degree NAUTIS Full Mission Tug Simulator and a 240-degree NAUTIS Desktop Trainer to the Iskes/Damen Training Centre. At a later stage, these Tug and OSV simulators will be expanded with another 360-degree Full Mission Tug Simulator so that a complete exercise scenario with the assisted vessel and two tugs (one at the stern and one at the bow) can be conducted. The centre will initially be used for internal training, with courses offered for external parties starting 2nd quarter 2014.
Jim Iskes, owner of Iskes Towage & Salvage: “For a number of reasons we wanted a tug simulator. First to train new crew: we are confident that the simulator will decrease the time needed to train new masters and chief officers. But also – and very important – the simulator will provide us a tool to train emergency situations and to sail under difficult circumstances such as heavy winds and dense fog. VSTEP provides us with simulators that are easy to operate and have the best quality interaction effects between tugs and towed vessels that we saw.”
Arie Jonas, Project Manager Training at Damen Services: “A full 360 degree simulator will provide Damen a sound capability to offer realistic crew training together with supplying a tug or OSV. The simulator will initially feature the specifics of a Damen 2810 and a Damen 3212 ASD tug, but also the popular Damen Fast Crew Supplier 2610 will be simulated.”
By combining the needs of both Damen and Iskes, but also of some other interested parties, it is believed the training centre will quickly become a centre of excellence for tug and offshore vessel simulation and training. For more information about NAUTIS Maritime Simulators, visit www.nautissim.com
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About Iskes
Iskes Towage & Salvage is a privately owned towage company with a long history in professional towage. During the years Iskes has always taken a special pride in its tugboats and people. Iskes values its customers and stand for professional Tug service since 1928.www.iskestugs.nl
About Damen
Damen is a ship builder, well known for building tugs and OSV’s, with more than 6, 000 employees working at 35 companies worldwide. Since the introduction of modular shipbuilding (The Damen Standard), Damen has built over 5, 000 vessels and annually up to 150 vessels are built. Damen Shipyards operates in many shipbuilding sectors and has become a prominent and recognised shipbuilder throughout the world. www.damen.com
About NAUTIS
The NAUTIS range of advanced maritime training simulators is developed by VSTEP and offers an affordable and effective alternative for training maritime professionals, officers and crews. With a full range of simulators, from desktop trainer to full mission bridge simulator, VSTEP has a cost-effective training solution fulfilling the training requirements of both the civilian and military maritime industry, including nautical colleges, naval academies, maritime training centres and individual ship owners. www.nautissim.com
About VSTEP
VSTEP is a leading International developer of simulators and virtual training software. VSTEP creates 3D virtual training applications and simulators that allow people to build their skills in a practical and cost effective way. VSTEP has several core product lines, focusing on virtual incident training for first responders (RescueSim), maritime training solutions for the civilian & military maritime industry (NAUTIS) and training simulators to prepare camera operators to identify suspect human behavior before a crime or terrorist attack takes place (EyeObserve).www.vstepsimulation.com
* received overnigh 5th to 6th of November 2013
