Southampton Solent University logo
Southampton Solent University logo

Built for the future

With the launch of the UK's largest ship and port simulation centre at our Southampton campus, we offer ship's officers, harbourmasters, pilots, port superintendents and other maritime professionals access to exceptional training using the very latest facilities.

We have invested £43 million in our maritime training and education facilities. Our new maritime simulation centre will sit alongside Timsbury Lake, one of the world's leading scale model ship handling centres, as well as our new training centre for officer cadet education.

For over 70 years, we have provided first-class education, training, consultancy and research services to the international maritime, superyacht and shipping industries - covering career qualification programmes, STCW safety courses, continuous professional development, and more.

Our new maritime simulation centre ensures we continue to deliver the very highest standards of professional ship and port training.

Exciting new courses

We're developing a number of new specialist training courses, including dynamic positioning, vessel traffic management and ice navigation.

Digital connections

Everything in the new centre will be networked for joint exercises between bridge and engine departments, or ship and shore.

Variety of ship models

The simulation centre will feature hundreds of different ship models, which can be used by cadets and maritime professionals.

The latest simulator technology

Our world-class simulation centre enables seafarers to train on the very latest specialist facilities using Wärtsilä technology:

  • 7 full-mission navigational bridges
  • Over 50 part task simulations
  • 2 full-mission Dynamic Positioning (DP) Class A simulators and 4 desktop DP stations
  • 4 multi-purpose desktop simulation classrooms
  • 2 ECDIS suites
  • On and offshore crane and tug simulators
  • Liquid cargo simulators
  • Full mission engine and hybrid ships simulators
  • HV simulators
  • GMDSS radio communications and VTS suites
  • Software for the creation of virtual simulated maritime and onshore environments
  • 4 debriefing classrooms

Virtual shipyard

The virtual shipyard uses the latest digital twin technology to test ships which are in the process of being designed, or to create a comprehensive 'digital twin' of an existing vessel. This allows officers to train in a virtual environment mirroring their own workplace.

The virtual shipyard is also available for our yacht design and production students to use, enabling them to test their designs in a virtual environment before testing them in our 60m towing tank.

Drawing of a digital twin model using the virtual shipyard in the new maritime simulation centre