Courses
Below I’ve listed my three types of training courses. If you’re new to navigation, please see basic pre-ECDIS training.
ECDIS
This 5-day STCW-compliant 40-hour course complies with USCG-required training for officers intending to stand navigation watches where ECDIS is installed; certificate results in removal of limitation on mariner’s credential.
Trainees will gain hands-on practice using real ENC data in ECDIS in simulated underway scenarios where all aspects of navigation are required – lookout, radar, AIS and maneuvering in coastal and confined waters. The training includes a review of ECDIS training standards, regulatory aspects, and case studies involving ECDIS, as well written and practical underway evaluations.
AIN
Advanced Integrative Navigation (AIN) is a unique and customizable 4-day course designed for mariners holding an ECDIS certificate but seeking more practice. AIN is not an STCW course and is not required by any authority. AIN picks up where the ECDIS course leaves off. Simulator practice focuses on blended skills of navigational decision making in a paperless environment. ECDIS is applied as an essential tool in support of concise communications, close-quarters maneuvering, confined waters, potential faults, and environmental challenges. The AIN course is built around pairs of watchstanders as mini-bridge teams; all teams and their vessles are placed in the same scenario. Bridge resource management works as a through line in each scenario to emphasize the importance of having skills in using the language of ECDIS.
Custom Courses
I provide simulator-based navigation training for professional mariners and train the sim trainer (TTST) for instructors and operators of the Wartsila-brand simulators; I also contract with other training sites to provide instructor familiarization on Wartsila-brand simulators; I also contract with shipping companies to conduct ship visits and ride-alongs to conduct onboard familiarization on Wartsila-brand ECDIS and Voyage Planning systems.
