- ALAM unveils state-of-the-art Wartsila simulation suite, boosting maritime training with dual-fuel, VR, and XR-enabled simulators.
- ALAM becomes first Asia-Pacific centre in Wartsila's MASTERS program, focused on advancing digitalisation, decarbonisation, and safety in maritime education.
- The centre supports training in sustainable fuels, engine-room ops, cargo handling, and emergency response drills, enhancing future-fit seafarer development.
A new state-of-the-art simulation suite provided by technology group Wartsila to Akademi Laut Malaysia (ALAM) maritime training centre was opened. ALAM is the training subsidiary of MISC (Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Berhad), a member of Petronas group. The merging of Wartsila's most advanced simulator technology substantially increases the standard of maritime education in the region, producing a new breed of highly skilled and experienced seafaring professionals.
ALAM's new simulation facility has the latest Wartsila advanced dual-fuel simulator technology, including the use of virtual reality features to simulate realistic training scenarios to seafarers. Training is also provided to instruct seafarers in how to operate with future sustainable fuels for instance, methanol or ammonia and varying types of engines, which are critical to the transformation of the industry to decarbonised operations.
At the inauguration, the company said that ALAM has been added to Wartsila's 'Maritime Advancement in Simulation, Technology and R&D Services' (MASTERS) program, the first of its kind in the Asia Pacific region. The initiative is committed to identification, identification and formalisation of Wartsila's relationship with top global Maritime Training and R&D providers who are not only large consumers of Wartsila's simulation and training solutions and services but with whom Wartsila works in close partnership to drive improvements in Maritime training.
The opening of the Maritime Experiential Learning Centre and its certification as Wartsila's first MASTER centre in Asia, is a testament to ALAM's strong belief in upgrading Maritime Education and Training (MET) standards in Malaysia and the Asia Pacific region. As the trade advances, we need to have our students empowered not only with technical capacities, but also with the capacity to manage, transform, and succeed in a global maritime scene.
"This new building complements our long-term vision to be the Maritime University of Choice in Asia by developing future-fit seafarers through experiential, immersion-style, and globally standardized training programmes, such as those on New Energy, Decarbonisation and Digitalisation", added Ts. Dr. Captain Manivannan Subramaniam, ALAM Chief Executive.
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The technical simulators offered are of full-mission and multi-functional network classroom configurations, both engine-room and liquid cargo handling training. The navigation simulators feature a full-mission bridge with 270-degree visualisation, three part task bridges, with dynamic positioning and extended reality (XR) training capabilities. The suite further features GMDSS & ECDIS classroom simulators, and Wartsila cloud-based simulation for blended learning.
"For starters, I would like to congratulate ALAM for their dedication to delivering the world-class maritime education and training. The launching of these simulators makes it possible for ALAM graduates to achieve a new level of competence required for the present highly automated and digital vessels. In this regard, they can replicate real operational scenarios by which students can achieve mastery in a totally controlled and safe environment. A wide variety of training requirements are now covered, from routine navigation and engine room operations through to intricate procedures, research studies, and combined emergency response drills, in addition, I would like to extend my congratulations to ALAM for being the first organisation from this region to join our MASTERS program", says Neil Bennett, General Manager, Simulation & Training, Wartsila Marine.
Members embody and share our objective of improving safety, whilst advancing optimisation, digitalisation and decarbonisation learning in maritime. Established since 1976, ALAM has trained over 15,000 maritime professionals for onshore and offshore operations. Its training centre is situated in Melaka overlooking the hectic Straits of Malacca. Wartsila started its collaboration with ALAM in 2006 when it opened the Maritime Simulation and Communication Centre.
