PC Maritime (Plymouth, UK) has introduced v4.5 of its PC-based full mission simulator Virtual Engine Room (VER). According to the company it is the first ‘speaking’ engine room simulator in the world. virtual engine room has been substantially enhanced with the addition of synthesised speech. Checklist instructions and communications with the bridge are all spoken and fully integrated into the scenarios provided by the simulator. ‘Ask Chief’ - a unique artificial intelligence expert system, tells the user what should be done as a next step in engine room preparation or equipment malfunction.

VER 4.5 which is type approved and compliant with the STCW and ISM Codes, is used for ships’ engine room training. Based on a slow speed diesel engine, it is equipped with all controls and alarms found in a real engine room. Faults can be injected into the simulator, and student competence is measured accurately with built-in standardised assessment tests.

VER 4.5 is available in three different formats to suit training budgets. It can be supplied as software only, to run on a single PC with twin-screen support or on a network. For greater realism it can be supplied as part of a desktop console or now as a full-size engine room console. One of a series of eight engine room training products from pc maritime, VER is used by maritime training establishments worldwide, including recent installations in Japan, Brazil, Australia and India.