Shipping and logistics firm Wilson Sons has opened new facilities at its Training Centre and Towage Operations Centre in Santos, São Paulo, including a tugboat manoeuvre simulator designed to improve operating safety, efficiency and sustainability.
This simulator will train the company’s captains and maritime workers on safety procedures and cutting-edge technology for its fleet of over 80 tugboats, which operate in more than 25 ports along the Brazilian coast, supporting domestic and international trade, as well as the offshore energy industry.
Simulator training enhances operating safety and efficiency, and supports the analysis and improvement of manoeuvres of large ships (up to 366 meters), which reduces operating restrictions at Brazilian ports.
Another special feature of this technology is scenario analysis, where different environments are simulated, and solutions are tested and developed for different port challenges faced in Brazil, with customized simulations for each port.
“The technology behind the new manoeuvre simulator supports our innovation strategy. It is a tool that increases the safety and efficiency of our operations, supporting the growth of the Brazilian port industry and the competitiveness of the global logistics chain,” said Rodrigo Bastos, Director of Towage Operations at Wilson Sons.
The manoeuvre simulator can also be used by clients and other stakeholders in project analysis and testing activities. Wilson Sons’ Towage Operations Centre (COR) had been set in the same location, and in 2011, it began real-time monitoring of the company’s tugboat fleet.
