Ship dynamics

The core of any serious nautical simulation is calculations on how the ship will react under the influence of the control forces and the ship’s environment. SSPA uses its decades of experience in this area to ensure that the accuracy of the simulation is up to our client’s standards. Ongoing participation in several research programmes ensures that our knowledge of ship dynamics stays at the forefront of the industry.

Modelling

Even though the laws governing the behaviour of ships in water are the same, every ship is unique. That is why SSPA has tried and true methods of identifying which factors are relevant in the behaviour of a specific ship, and ways that these factors are accurately affecting the simulation of the ship.

Instrumentation

To ensure that the ship can be manoeuvred in a way that reflects reality, good instrumentation is fundamental. SSPA ensures that the right type of instrumentation for a specific simulation is used. What is right for a specific simulation can range from a full mission bridge with instrumentation authentic to that of a real bridge, to a simple desktop mouse control.

Visualisation

Visually displaying the state of a simulation at any given moment is important. The purpose of this is to give the person controlling the ship the same situational awareness that they would have in a real situation, and also to give other stakeholders in a simulation an intuitive grasp of situations. SSPA delivers several types of visualisations to ensure that the customer gets the option that is right for them in a specific simulation, considering both accuracy of the simulation and the economics of it.

Analysis

While the preparation and execution of the simulations are critical, they are wasted if the right conclusion cannot be drawn from their results. Over the years SSPA has created several tools and methodologies to ensure that both quantitative and qualitative results of the simulation can be reported to the customer in a concise manner. The commitment of SSPA to the customer doesn’t stop with the performed simulation, but continues until the correct conclusion has been reached.