Quebec City, Quebec, Canada – June 10, 2019 – The Maritime Simulation Resource Centre (MSRC), a world-class pilot simulation training and port feasibility studies facility, recently provided SEAiq training to the Pilotes de la Loire in Nantes, France. The two-day training was requested by Yannick David who is responsible for the Nantes simulator (Syndicat des Pilotes du Simulateur de l’Atlantique de Bretagne et d’Outre-mer).

Eight marine pilots received detailed training on the SEAiq Pilot software from MSRC’s Captain Bernard Cayer, a Class A pilot with the Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots with over 40 years of sea experience and an extensive background using PPUs and SEAiqPilot software, which he helped improve and adapt for use with Navicom Dynamics peripherals.

Portable Pilot Units (PPUs) are mobile devices (laptop or tablet) that can “plug in” to a ship’s navigation system and are used for navigation, information and decision making. The MSRC is actually recommended by SEAiq for the training of its applications.

“Situational awareness is key,” says Captain Cayer. “By downloading the most up-to-date local soundings onto the PPU, the pilot can access the latest shoal information that appears right in the channel where it is with the shoal depth. It’s a lot more convenient than listening to a Notice to Shipping broadcast over the VHF. We are finding that more and more pilots are recognizing the importance of this equipment.”

“Captain Cayer is a high-level expert and offers real insight regarding risks and potential errors,” commented Stéphane Pousset, Chair for the Pilotes de la Loire. “The pilots who attended the training were very pleased and would highly recommend this training to their colleagues.”