NOT FOR REPRODUCTION
Validating Marine Simulator
Performance –
What Lies Beneath the Surface
T
he use of marine ship handling and navigation
simulators for research purposes is by no means
new, although the number of cases of applied
research being directly adapted by industry, until quite
recently, have been rare. The increased power and
capability of marine simulators in recent years, along with
the expansion in the number of vendors providing
simulator equipment, and the number of organisations
using them, has spawned a growing interest in the use of
simulators to assist in port development projects, as well
as non-curriculum based procedural development,
analysis and training.
The scope of these activities is rather broad, ranging from
testing the angle of a proposed new dock, in relation to
prevailing winds, tidal stream, or current, to determine if it
supports reasonable ease of docking/undocking for a
specific vessel design, to fully interactive sessions using
Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2007
GARLAND HARDY
by Garland Hardy
pilots and tug masters aimed at developing new and
effective tug escort and assist tug rules and procedures
for a particular port. As simulator instructors, and training
and research institutes undertaking these endeavours,
how do we exercise due diligence in ensuring that any
conclusions, policies, or procedures derived from these
simulation sessions are in fact valid, and indeed serve to
enhance the overall safety and effectiveness of maritime
operations?
Questions like these are more relevant today than ever
before. Now in its third decade of development, marine
simulation is clearly playing a key role in improving both
safety and efficiency of world maritime trade. Advances
in our understanding of ship dynamics, numerical
modelling and full-scale validation processes, and the
application of ever-increasing computing power have
fused with the collective knowledge of master mariners
Virtually a Reality, Vol. 2, No. 4, 2007 1
 NOT FOR REPRODUCTION
from around the world to create realistic simulated
environments and experiential training scenarios. And
while the realism and fidelity of marine simulation
continue to increase, so too do the many challenges
added to the mix by the constant introduction of special
purpose vessels, new types of vessel propulsion systems
and innovative hull designs.
As we look forward to where the industry is going, two
things are abundantly clear: we have a solid foundation of
systems, customers and users who believe in the
technology, and an ever-increasing wish list for new
applications coupled with the desire to simulate
increasingly complex vessels and
operations. The marine simulator
has become the instructional tool
of choice for many institutes and
educators, characterizing this
point in time as the rise of
marine simulation. Like any tool,
however, the marine simulator’s
full potential will only be realised
if we continue to use it in a
prudent and professional manner.
In simplistic terms, the simulation
medium provides us with a
mechanism to create a virtual marine environment where
we can navigate and manoeuvre our virtual ship, dealing
with all the challenges and complications that may be
presented to the pilot, ship’s officer or bridge team
navigating an actual vessel on any given day in the real
world. In absolute terms, if the simulator is able to
perfectly model real world conditions, and the myriad of
variables (both physical and human) that contribute to
any outcome, then information derived from the simulations
and the lessons learned, should be directly transferable to
daily practices in our ports and on our waterways.
Unfortunately, the world in which we work, and the tools
of our profession do not provide us with this measure of
unequivocal certainty. The virtual world that we mould is
not completely dependant on the laws of physics,
hydrodynamics or naturally occurring phenomena, but
2 THE JOURNAL OF OCEAN TECHNOLOGY • Essays
rather relies on human creativity to group together
models of these elements in a manner in which the
creator believes to represent reality. As a community, if
we intend to promote the use of simulators as a medium
to develop policy, refine procedures, rehearse the mission,
and enhance emergency preparedness, then we must
assume some measure of responsibility in validating the
performance of the systems that we use and the practices
that we employ in creating our virtual maritime world.
The very topic of validity of performance is one that is
riddled with ambiguity and interpretation. In comparative
terms, the “Hockey Mom” may consider that her minivan
GARLAND HARDY
performs exceptionally well, while the driver of a 500
horsepower German sports car might feel that the
minivan is not even worthy of measurement on the
performance scale. In the context of maritime simulation,
the focus of this discussion is on the level of performance
that is critical to advanced ship handling and navigation
procedures (at the pilotage level). Accurate modelling of
these ship-handling elements is essential to procedural
development, and forms the framework to support
meaningful industry-designed training with an emphasis
on mission rehearsal rather than generic, standard
curriculum based training.
Having defined at least conceptually our basic
simulation performance requirement, it is therefore
logical to conclude that the factors and variables that
are instrumental in determining how a real ship performs
Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2007
 NOT FOR REPRODUCTION
are equally important in the simulation world. Without
creating an exhaustive list, suffice to say that as
mariners, whenever we consider any ship handling
problem (real or simulated), we always have to account
for factors such as ship design limitations (physical
dimensions, displacement, hull form, propulsion
arrangements, etc.), the current condition of the ship
(load condition; engineering and machinery state;
equipment failures, etc.), environmental factors and
physical constraints of the body of water the ship is in
(open deep water, river/canal, shallow water, etc.) and
external factors and devices (wind, current, tidal stream,
sea state, hawsers, tugs, anchors, etc.).
Simulated Tug Operations Benchmarked Against Real Performance Data – Atlantic Towing.
Knowing the elements of the environment that are critical interaction, and the speeds of both vessels. These forces
to real world ship handling, we need to ensure that our
virtual environment encompasses these attributes in an
applied manner. Although many of us are using systems
provided by a number of vendors, it is important to
ensure that any system used for high performance ship
handling encompasses certain key environmental and
physical parameters and that these parameters are fully
integrated into cause/ effect relationships as they are in
real life.
First and foremost, the relationship between the vessel
and the environment that it interacts with (wet and dry
surface interactions) has to be accurate. The simulator
must model the entire underwater profile (wet surface) of induced current, and current due to “piston effect” in
the ship, as well as a fully contoured seabed. All aspects
Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2007
of this three-dimensional model must be incorporated in
the computation of under bottom and lateral side
clearances, as well as all hydrodynamic effects. In the
case of sinkage and squat, physical constriction in either
the horizontal or vertical axis along any point of the hull
form must affect trim, squat and total sinkage. This
implies that these values must change considerably
dependent upon whether or not the bottom is of
homogenous depth, and/or the channel is of
homogenous width along the entire underwater form. As
in real life, speed through the water must have a
significant impact on the overall resultant. Bank effect
must take into account the length and slope of the bank,
the ownship speed, and angle of
convergence/divergence. As with
squat effect, the degree of channel
constriction in both the horizontal
and vertical axis, and the ability of
water to flow around the ship must
directly affect the magnitude of bank
effect.
When a ship meets another vessel,
the strength of the hydrodynamic
interaction must be calculated based
GARLAND HARDY
on channel width and depth, distance
between ships, approach angle,
amount of hull overlap, period of
should act on the entire wetted surface of the ownship to
produce very realistic pressure and suction effects and
the corresponding sheer, rotation and speed loss.
Coupled with these requirements, the simulator must
then allow for the horizontal and vertical movement of
water (tidal streams and current) to be accurately
superimposed on any environmental scenario in a fully
realistic manner. Current and tidal stream forces must act
on the entire wetted surface and not just on one or two
“action” points. Sheer, and rotation must be produced
accordingly. Current should be distributed in the vertical
direction (layered) and comprise current itself, wave-
locks or narrow canals; the net result being highly
Virtually a Reality, Vol. 2, No. 4, 2007 3
 NOT FOR REPRODUCTION
realistic sheer, rotation, and drift as the ship transitions
from one area of tidal or water flow influence to another.
Further, there must be mechanisms to model the
variations in the height of tide throughout a database
area and to model complex horizontal water flow in order
to create conditions with a variety of tidal stream or
current directions and velocities to include effects such
as tidal races, back eddies, lee effects in sheltered areas, To support interactive tug training and research, the
and sheer as a vessel transits through an area with
varied current effects. Additionally, the horizontal and
vertical water flow and
their associated values
must be synchronised to
change automatically over
the course of the exercise
run-time. It has been
found in recent port
development studies that
even in relatively small
geographic areas (1.5
square miles) over a short
transit distance/period Simulation tools are being used extensively in the Panama Canal Expansion. working a moving large
(1.8 miles in 20 minutes)
that if the tidal stream is quite non-homogenous, then as
many as 7,000 fully integrated water-flow nodes (tidal
diamond/vectors) in multiple depth layers have been
required to accurately replicate real-world tidal effects.
Equally important is the simulator’s ability to model the
entire freeboard profile (dry surface) of the ship, and
much like with current, there is a requirement for the
wind to act on the entire dry surface, rather than on one
or two action points. Sheer, rotation, drift effect, etc.,
must be produced accordingly. Wind gusts need to
directly impact on the magnitude of these effects,
producing a net result of highly realistic sheer, rotation,
and drift as the ship transitions from one area of wind
influence to another. Correspondingly, there have to be
mechanisms to model physical and geographic effects
such that the resultant wind speed and direction vary
automatically as a ship transits from an exposed area into simulators to calculate massive amounts of data, and the
a lee area. Closely associated with this, the simulator
must produce wind-driven waves and swell (both in
4 THE JOURNAL OF OCEAN TECHNOLOGY • Essays
direction, height, and wave length) that are modelled
independently of one another to permit the creation of a
full range of Sea States. The three-dimensional model of
the ship must then be fully synchronised to wave motion
and the resultant motion in six-degrees of freedom will
be a function of combined sea state, vessel speed, any
turn or acceleration rate, and wave angle of attack.
performance demands on the tug models are also
increased. Tug models must incorporate highly detailed
fendering arrangements
to support realistic
friction and to “stick to” a
moving ship when
pushing without a line
attached. These models
also require detailed
small vessel to large
vessel hydrodynamics to
create realistic
MARELISA GELABERT interactions when
ship around the bow,
beam and stern. Winch particulars must be accurately
modelled, as well as a variety of available line types.
The entire assist tug industry in North America is in a
transitional phase with multiple new designs and
capabilities being introduced annually. To support this
diverse fleet, the performance differential associated with
the underwater profile and skeg of the tugs is as
important in the simulator as in real life. This will ensure
that the tug can produce very realistic line forces and
handling characteristics when working in the indirect and
powered indirect modes for ship escort operations as well
as more conventional modes of employment.
To the experienced mariner, none of what has been
discussed so far should come as a great surprise.
Modern computer processing power allows present day
best systems have dynamic model update rates as fast as
100 hertz. What is of concern, however, is the somewhat
Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2007
 NOT FOR REPRODUCTION
apparent bias amongst a certain segment of our
community to promote what can be modelled, versus how
well it is actually being modelled. Perhaps of even more
concern is the fact that some simulators have “tool kits”
which allow the operator to turn on and off hydrodynamic
effects at will. Additionally, these tools support linear
adjustments “on the fly” to a selection of specific
parameters, such as ship-to-ship interaction, in isolation
of all the other cause and effect relationships, which
should be incorporated into the overall simulation model.
When this methodology is used, the operator, or the pilot
on the bridge of the simulator now relies on personal
judgement and perception to determine what is correct or
realistic, as opposed to relying on science, math, or
benchmarked data. One overriding fact with computers is
that the quality of the data derived from them as outputs
is directly linked to the quality of the inputs that they
receive. If we are to stand up and profess that the
information and training extracted from our simulators is
as good as real life, then our systems and the results
attained from them must surely have to be benchmarked
and validated against something tangible.
There was an interesting article by Lee Hedd in the
previous edition of this Journal (Vol. 2, No. 3) that
highlighted the history and the many assumption
inaccuracies in the design of America’s Cup boats. In
virtually all areas of development, be it traditional tank
testing, numeric modelling, or even scaled modelling, the
real world results are never completely known until the
vessel is in the water and has shown its true
performance over the entire race series. If indeed our
goal is to refine the performance of our simulators to the
highest possible degree, then the models we use must
be validated against real world performance data. Given
that most research applications of ship handling
simulators are favouring the light side of applied research
versus pure scientific research, there are several areas
where we can quantify performance by correlating
simulator results to live trial data. This process allows us
to ensure there is some measure of validity in the
conclusions we draw from advanced ship handling
simulations.
Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2007
As simulator operators, the first and easiest step in
ensuing that the results obtained from the simulator are
meaningful is to limit our advanced training and studies
to the use of what many manufactures refer to as
“Named Ship Models”. These ship models, rather than
relying exclusively on theoretical modelling methods, have
been specifically developed to mirror actual vessels’
physical characteristics, mooring/tug line attach points
and deck layouts, and their recorded sea trial data. The
most basic form of named model would at the very least
replicate the results that were achieved with the actual
ship when it conducted the manoeuvres stipulated in the
IMO Standards for Ship Manoeuvrability MSC.137 (76).
Additionally, models can be further improved through the
collection of non-standard manoeuvring data, particularly
low speed manoeuvring with the use of thrusters, mixed
engine arrangements and tugs.
In addition to open water manoeuvring, the simulation of
narrow/shallow channel hydrodynamics is another area
where specific data collection can greatly assist in
enhancing the accuracy of simulation results by
benchmarking the magnitude of squat, bank and sheer
effects against those observed with a real vessel in the
actual location being simulated. This process quite often
requires a cooperative effort between pilotage and canal
authorities, the simulator staff, and the simulator
manufacturer in order to acquire data and to accurately
incorporate it within the simulation model. Again in this
situation, theoretical model performance is enhanced
based on real life performance, as is our degree of
confidence in any subsequent simulator results that are
obtained. This type of approach also allows us to make
small and sequential extrapolations from the real world
data in order to develop reasonably accurate predictions
on how new classes of ships will perform under the same
conditions, or on how vessel performance may change
with modifications to a canal or waterway.
The simulation of the interactive relationship between
tugs and large ships is another area where the fidelity of
the simulation has benefited tremendously through the
incorporation of real world performance data into our
simulation models. Given the vast number of possible
Virtually a Reality, Vol. 2, No. 4, 2007 5
 NOT FOR REPRODUCTION
manoeuvring combinations, and the different modes of environment. While there is arguably no methodology that
tugboat employment, standard IMO manoeuvres speak can ever guarantee results that are 100% accurate, this
very little about a tugboat’s true manoeuvring and one step goes a long way in ensuring that simulation-
performance capabilities. In this area in particular, the training sessions contribute to the overall safety and
importance of a cooperative venture between all industry efficiency of maritime operations.

players in acquiring and incorporating data into the
simulation models cannot be overstressed. In the last Garland Hardy is the president of
couple of years, I have personally been involved with a LANTEC Marine Inc., a Dartmouth
number of projects where the contribution and Nova Scotia based company
cooperation of pilotage organisations, port authorities, specialising in the development
engineering firms, tug companies, tug designers, and the and delivery of advanced
simulator manufacturer have greatly improved simulator simulation training to naval and
performance capabilities, and in so doing, have allowed commercial customers utilising
us to achieve very tangible benefits from simulation Kongsberg Ship’s Bridge
training and mission rehearsal sessions. Simulators. He has a Bachelor’s degree in business
administration from College Militaire Royal de St-Jean, and
It is important that our relatively small community of holds both a Canadian Navy Maritime Advanced Navigating
simulator operators recognise the value of using models Officer qualification and a Master Foreign Going Certificate.
that have been validated against live trial data, especially Garland may be contacted by email at lantec@ns.sympatico.ca.
in more advanced ship handling operations involving the
safety of personnel, equipment, cargo, and the

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6 THE JOURNAL OF OCEAN TECHNOLOGY • Essays Copyright Journal of Ocean Technology 2007