The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the maritime supply chain and called for accelerated adoption of digital technologies in various aspects of maritime operations, including the area of maritime education and training (MET). This paper aims to discuss the current maritime simulator-based training and educational practices that forms an integral part in seafarer training and competency development. The study provides a review of the existing simulators in use in MET, and discusses upon the technological and pedagogical advancement of maritime simulator-based training interventions with predictions regarding the future MET practices with use of virtual reality and cloud-based simulators. This study—by focusing on ship’s bridge operations—highlights the characteristics of various types of simulators and also discusses the role of instructors, challenges, and opportunities involving future simulator-based MET due to accelerated adoption of digital technologies and the need to comply with pandemic-related restrictions for MET institutes. The analysis generated in the paper may contribute to the ongoing discussion regarding the future of simulator-based MET and the fulfillment of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 in the maritime sector.

The education and training for the maritime industry require renewed focus in the face of technological changes and increasing digitalization. Artificial intelligence presents an avenue for further research that can positively impact efficiency and competence development. Among many applications of artificial intelligence in education, conversational agents or chatbots have gained increased interest in recent years. This paper describes the design and implementation process of “FLOKI”—a chatbot aimed at assisting maritime trainees in learning Collision Avoidance Regulations (COLREGs). For the design of the chatbot, IBM Watson Assistant®—a cognitive computing service—was utilized, which enables the use of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in its cloud server. A selected number (n = 18) of 2nd year B.Sc. in Nautical Science students in a Norwegian maritime university interacted with the chatbot for reflecting on their knowledge about COLREGs. In addition to demographic data, the maritime trainees were asked to answer questions related to user experience utilizing the System Usability Scale (SUS). The findings are discussed along with their implications and future research directions involving AI in maritime education and training.

Developing countries, despite being the major suppliers of maritime manpower, lag in their future-proof competence development. This study explores whether the current maritime education and training (MET) practices for marine engineering education in a developing nation are perceived as sufficient by the early-stage marine engineers. The current competence requirements set by the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW’74 as amended) are compared and contrasted against the current MET practices as well as the future needs for remotely controlled autonomous ship operations. Bangladesh, a maritime nation in the Southeast Asia region was selected as a developing nation for this study. An online survey was conducted among early-stage professional marine engineers. The analysis of 62 valid responses revealed that current MET practices are significantly perceived to be satisfactory for acquiring non-technical competencies, such as being proficient in the English language, but are less satisfactory for instilling technical competencies such as of electrical and electronics, knowledge regarding seaworthiness of ships, as well as medical first aid. In addition, the findings highlight the perceived gaps in existing marine engineering education as well as the need for future studies focused on re-training the future maritime workforce that could potentially improve MET strategies and practices in the developing nations.

Information about the paper titled "EVALUATION OF DIGITAL SKILLS FOR MARITIME STUDENTS" at IATED Digital Library

This chapter presents findings from using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) to identify potential sources of functional resonance in a novel shore-based navigational assistance service, that is, a way to provide remote pilotage to merchant ships. As the new service is still under development, many questions remain, such as what complexities arise when a marine pilot is moved to shore and what could be the potential sources of risks in such an instance. To identify an initial set of functions for the novel service, a hierarchical task analysis (HTA) was conducted based on expert input, procedures, and process documentation. Subsequently, a task diagram and knowledge audit of an Applied Cognitive Task Analysis (ACTA) were conducted with four marine pilots. This aimed to uncover functions not identified in the procedures and to obtain information on potential sources of variability. The results from the analysis highlight the change of roles between a ship’s crew and the pilot when navigational assistance is provided from shore. The preliminary results also indicate that the novel service requires means to monitor and identify potential functional resonance quickly, as the ability of the shore-based pilot to manage and control variability during the pilotage is limited. <!----> <!----> <!----> <!---->