Custom Simulation & Research

Our maritime navigation simulator training centers in Maryland and Washington are capable of developing custom simulation training programs, as well as hosting research projects. In our more than 40-year history, we’ve assisted ExxonMobil and Maersk Lines, as well as the Port of Savannah, Georgia and Port of New York and New Jersey in conducting studies on a variety of topics.

As engineers and navigation channel designers, we have found MITAGS to be exceptional in providing near real world ship simulation data to evaluate and make safe, sound and economical management decisions for vessel navigation, channel geometries, docking, undocking, wave/swell forces, wind, tides and currents and other environmental factors and operational procedures.

Read Mr. Urso’s full letter of recommendation by clicking here.

Dennis C. Urso, PE

Vice President, Gahagan & Bryant Associates, Inc.

Simulation Capabilities and Facilities

MITAGS has simulation research capabilities at both of our campuses in Baltimore, Maryland and in Seattle, Washington.

We utilize the latest Wärtsilä (Transas) operating system to drive all of our simulators.  Wärtsilä is renowned for its exceptional visual graphics acuity and in-house hydrodynamic teams, and their simulation software offers many unique features that cannot be found in similar products offered by other simulation providers.

Combined, our team of experts, strategic partners and simulation facilities are unequaled.

For a comprehensive review of MITAGS Simulation Facilities and Capabilities in Baltimore and Seattle, please review our Simulation Facilities and Capabilities Guide.

Want to see our facilities before you visit? View virtual tours and videos of our simulators below.

East Coast Campus Facility Features

Located less than five miles from the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), our maritime navigation simulator training center in Maryland offers:

  • Two 360-degree Wärtsilä (Transas) Full-Mission Ship Handling Simulators
  • One 120-degree Bridge Tug Simulator
  • Three 300-degree Bridge Full-Mission Tug Simulators

To provide you with an immersive learning experience, all the equipment of our Full-Mission Bridge Simulator is responsive and includes:

  • VHF Radios
  • NaviSailor 3000 / 4000 ECDIS
  • Trimble and JRC GPS’
  • Autopilot with Track Control
  • Dynamic Positioning
  • And more

Additional simulators at our maritime simulation and virtual training complex in Maryland include:

  • Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS)
  • All-Weather Navigation (AWN)
  • Vessel Traffic Services (VTS)
  • Automatic Radar Plotting Aids (ARPA)
West Coast Campus Facility Features

Located less than 20 minutes from the Seattle Tacoma (SEA-TAC) International Airport, our maritime navigation simulator training center in Washington offers the following:

  • 240-degree DNV Class A, Full-Mission Bridge Simulator
  • 300-degree Full-Mission Tug Simulator
  • Automatic Radar Plotting Aids (ARPA)
  • Simulation Debriefing Rooms
  • Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS)

As with our east coast campus, to provide you with an immersive learning experience, all the equipment of our DNV Class A, Full-Mission Bridge Simulator is responsive and includes:

  • VHF Radios
  • NaviSailor 3000 / 4000 ECDIS
  • Trimble and JRC GPS’
  • Autopilot with Track Control
  • And more

Our 300-degree tugboat simulators also include interactive equipment to provide a firsthand, real-world learning experience.

Virtual Tours

East Coast Campus Interior Shiphandling Simulator #2

East Coast Campus 300 Degree Tug Simulator

West Coast Campus Shiphandling Simulator

East Coast Campus Exterior Shiphandling Simulator #2

East Coast Campus Simulator Control Room

CAPABILITIES OF MITAGS MARITIME SIMULATION

To deliver a maritime simulation training or operational research experience that is accurate, our maritime simulation and virtual training programs offer the following capabilities:

Reporting: Through equipping our simulators with audio and video recording systems, we provide in-depth documentation of your training and testing. Additional features logged by our reporting system include interactive forces, vessel position, underkeel clearance and squat, speed and more. With our chart and camera view playback tools, you can view your recording alongside this information at any angle or distance.

Vessel modeling: To provide a precise, real-life simulation, our maritime simulation and virtual training courses in Maryland and Washington utilize Wärtsilä (Transas) Virtual Shipyard II® Software to develop accurate ship models, which our ship handling consultants test before use in the classroom. We maintain more than 100 models, consisting of tugboats, tankers, ferries, cruise ships, naval vessels and more.

Environmental forces: By means of our Wärtsilä Full-Mission Bridge Simulator, we recreate realistic forces, including tides: currents, ship collisions, bottom effect forces and more. Additional environmental factors, such as fog banks and local wind, are also available for our maritime simulation and virtual training courses. When developing and testing new vessel models, we analyze these forces in coordination with them.