The berthing of an ultra large ship is always a difficult issue and becomes yet more complex when vessels must be handled in restricted manoeuvring areas of limited depth, exposed to a forceful crosswind, or manoeuvring in a strong current, or all three. The final approaching manoeuvre and precise positioning is particularly demanding at container terminals where many STS cranes are located along the quay, seriously limiting margin for error in the process of mooring a ship, especially when the cranes are located nearby a bridge wing or at the very edge of the pier. In order to avoid collisions, the final manoeuvre (side-push) must be fully controlled; the ship’s orientation must be parallel with the quay while maintaining the minimum lateral approaching velocity without significantly shifting the vessel longitudinally. The mooring of a Ro-Ro vessel is occasionally even more challenging: a precise docking manoeuvre is normally executed without any towing assistance. In this paper low cost laser-based berthing and docking systems developed for the ports of Koper and Swinousce are presented and several berthing manoeuvres are analysed and compared with the most commonly used GNSS-based navigational aid system portable pilot units (PPU).

This study advances understanding of the impact of flat-screen and virtual reality (VR) remote exercise environments in a home setting on affective attitudes towards physical exertion, with either a human or an avatar trainer. Employing a two-by-two factorial design, we manipulated both the medium (flat screen vs. VR) and the type of trainer (human vs. avatar). A total of 108 participants engaged in the study using a custom VR application for the Oculus Quest 2 headset or training videos, both prepared specifically for this study. The participants underwent a 15-min high-intensity interval training (HIIT) regimen, completing six workouts in their homes within fourteen days. Data on their exercise experiences and their affective attitudes towards exercise were collected using the CAWI technique. These were next analysed using a model that presumes that exercise experiences can increase motivation to exercise. We also studied the roles of spatial presence and trainer relatedness. Our results show that VR physical training shifted affective attitudes towards exercise positively, in contrast to the flat-screen groups. Moreover, using a digital avatar as a trainer had no negative effect on this favourable change in attitude. The change in affective attitude was influenced primarily by baseline levels and the wellbeing experienced during training. The factors we added to the original model-relatedness to the trainer and spatial presence-also contributed significantly to wellbeing. Perception of competence was a critical determinant of wellbeing, while perceived exertion was largely irrelevant. The HIIT protocol in the study was suitable for VR exercise.

Maritime training increasingly employs conventional full-mission bridge simulators (FMBS) and virtual reality (VR). This study aims to compare the incidence and severity of simulator sickness induced by a conventional FMBS and an equivalent VR system during a maritime navigation task. Thirty-two final-year maritime students with no prior VR experience participated in two 30 min sessions (conventional FMBS first, then VR after a minimum two-day break), performing an identical navigational watch scenario as observers. Pre- and post-session SSQ scores were collected using a standardized questionnaire, supplemented by post-study qualitative interviews. The results indicated no significant change in SSQ scores following the conventional simulator session. In the VR session, a slight increase in Total SSQ and in Oculomotor and Disorientation subscales was observed (uncorrected p-values < 0.05), but none of these remained significant after applying a Holm–Bonferroni correction. The Nausea subscale did not increase in either condition. Notably, participants’ baseline SSQ scores were lower before the VR trial than before the conventional trial, suggesting a possible novelty effect. Qualitative feedback reflected VR’s high immersion yet also some physical discomfort (e.g., headset weight and visual resolution), with most participants preferring the conventional simulator for longer training. Overall, while VR’s current hardware had comfort limitations, using a standard calm-weather training scenario in VR produced only a minimal, statistically non-significant increase in simulator sickness compared to the conventional simulator.

The paper presents the results of a study on improving the safety of navigation, during maneuvers in restricted areas, with the use of an augmented virtuality navigation information display. The augmented virtuality solution has been developed by one of the authors and has been described in a previous paper. A set of simulation scenarios has been proposed to study various maneuvers with different types of ships. Models of existing areas and existing ships have been used so the study can be recreated and reevaluated with different types of interfaces. The study is focused on comparing safe maneuvering areas with different information sources used. The results showed that augmented virtuality solution can indeed decrease the safe maneuvering areas and thus increase the safety of navigation for maneuvers in restricted areas.

It is becoming increasingly important to provide a solution for managing the present mission and status of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles operating on site in large and complex port locations. More ports are implementing digital twin systems, which provide a complete 3D reconstruction of the port as well as real-time data on all objects and actions in progress. It is challenging to provide all relevant data in a way that improves situational awareness and decision-making, resulting in improved management and a faster, more effective response during an emergency. This is due to greater port areas and drones operating in the air, on the water's surface, and underneath. To solve this issue, the PASSport initiative, a project financed by the European Space Agency (EUSPA), is developing an innovative solution based on Mixed Reality (MR) technology. The solution combines real-time geo-tagged and Earth Observation data to provide end users with enhanced 3D representation of the port area via a dedicated Head Mounted Display (HMD) that records user location and movement.