Showcasing Azimuthing Ship Handling Training at Cruise Conference in Norway

I had the opportunity to attend the Cruising in Norwegian waters year-round Cruise Conference in Ålesund, Norway, on 30-31 January 2024. The conference contributed to the collaboration between the cruise industry and authorities dealing with maritime safety, security, emergency preparedness and rescue. It was intended for cruise lines operating in Norway, cruise agents collaborating with these lines, and anyone interested in discussing and staying updated on maritime safety, security, emergency preparedness, and rescue issues associated with cruise traffic in Norwegian waters.

During the conference, I presented the activities at Aboa Mare concerning training in azimuthing ship handling. I used our portable simulator for demonstrations, and the attendees also tried it out. Additionally, I demonstrated our Remote Learning simulation system.

DNV presentation at the Norwegian Cruise Conference 2024 in Ålesund, Norway.

Demonstration of Aboa Mare’s portable simulator (Photo: Kibsgaard-Petersen, Gro | The Norwegian Coastal Administration).

Ålesund is a very beautiful city in western Norway. On the first conference day, the weather was the best possible, sunshine and light westerly winds. But as typical for western Norway, the next day is something completely else.

Ideal weather conditions on the first conference day.

As I am writing this on Wednesday morning, the second conference day, an intensive low named “Ingunn” is approaching and is expected to arrive during the afternoon. Southerly storm to hurricane with gusts up to 35-50 meters per second is forecast.

Charts of the “Inngun” approaching.

This is the reality sometimes, and seafarers should always be prepared for extreme conditions.

Most importantly, stay away from storms like these!