Since February 2003, the Institut maritime du Québec (IMQ) has trained Canadian Navy submariners in emergency submarine evacuation using a simulator found nowhere else in the world. The simulator was developed by Maritime Innovation, IMQ’s center for applied research in maritime technologies, in cooperation with its Professional Diving Department, and built by businesses in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region in Canada.

The simulator allows crews to safely practice emergency evacuation procedures for a submerged submarine in the indoor pool of IMQ’s professional diving training center. A reservoir serves as a diving bell and compartment for the crew and instructor during the exercises, which take place at a depth of eight meters. An evacuation tower similar to that on Victoria-class subs is integrated into the bell. The Institute’s indoor pool allowing dives up to 20 meters, high capacity hyperbaric chamber, and experienced medical team made it easy for the Department of National Defence to entrust it with the training of its submarine crews. Over the next five years, some 800 Canadian submariners will come to Rimouski for training, which lasts two days and is provided in cooperation with the Canadian Forces Naval Operation School (CFNOS) in Halifax.