Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Introduces 360-Degree Bridge Simulator at Training Center in India

(japancorp.net)

Tokyo and Mumbai, India, Feb 4, 2008 – (ACN Newswire) – Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (TSE: 9104) today announced that the company has installed a 360-degree bridge simulator at MOL Training Center (MANET-India). This is the world’s most advanced simulator, featuring a first bridge with India’s first 360-degree large-screen, and a second bridge with a 120-degree field of view.

The new simulator allows practical training under realistic conditions with first bridge and second bridge, such as simultaneous operations of two vessels, port calls and departures, and training related to vessel stability. MOL will open this simulator to students of its partner maritime university (see MANET*1), helping to promote their skills.

Outline of Transas[1] NAVI-TRAINER PROFESSIONAL 4000

Continuous images of the first bridge’s 360-degree (13.1m in diameter) view can be projected by 12 PCs (30-degree per unit), and the second bridge’s 120-degree view can be shown by three PCs (40-degree per unit). Full mission type.

Outline of training center

Name: MOL Training Center (MANET-India)- Established by tie-up with Maharashtra Academy of Naval Education & Training (MANET[2]) Location: On MANET campus (Pune, Maharashtra, India) Main training facilities: 360-degree Bridge Simulator, Operational Diesel Engine, Refrigeration Equipment, Compressor, Ark Welding Equipment, Lathe Machine, etc. Training : Bridge Resource Management (BRM), Ship Handling Simulator (SHS) Vessel Operation, Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), Diesel Engine Maintenance Workshop, Welding and Machining Workshop, Practical Electrical Knowledge, Management Skills Development, Risk Management & Safety Officer etc.

[1] Transas offers a range of simulators for the ocean shipping and airline industries. Based in Ireland, it was founded in 1990.
[2] Outline of Maharashtra Academy of Naval Education & Training (MANET) Established as maritime university in 2001. Located in Pune, Maharashtra (about 200km southeast from Mumbai), the site area is about 100 acres (about 400,000m2). Currently it has only a Marine Engineering (four years, 120 students per year), but a Nautical Course (three years, 120 students per year) will open in 2008.

About Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (TSE: 9104) is one of the world’s largest shipping companies, with a strategically balanced portfolio of services including containerships, dry bulkers, car carriers, tankers and LNG carriers. It was formed by mergers of Mitsui Steamship Company with O.S.K. Line in 1964 and with Navix Line in 1999 and as such can claim a pedigree stretching back more than a century to the origins of Japanese shipping. Bulkships accounted for 50% of fiscal 2005 revenues; containerships, 36%; logistics, 5%; ferry and domestic transport, 3%; associated businesses, 6% and others. Four consecutive years of record net income, including net income of EUR 796 million in FY2005 under adverse conditions, prove that the company’s strategy and model for sustainable growth work. For further information, please visit the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. home page at www.mol.co.jp.