Green ship handling course

General Objective:

To acquire and/or strengthen maneuvering skills through a better understanding of ship behavior in shallow waters, with a focus on eco-responsible maneuvering.

Learning Method:

Classroom theory is minimized to 1 hour per day to review key concepts. Trainees then spend 3.5 hours in the morning and 3.5 hours in the afternoon navigating on the lake, totaling 7 hours per day or 35 hours per week.

Teaching Tools Available

In the classroom: Whiteboards, Nautical charts, Diagrams, Ship and propeller models

On the lake:Docks, Training ships, Portable Pilot Units (PPUs), Wave generators, Wind and current generators, VHF radios

Program:

Trainees first engage in the eco-design of their maneuver, focusing on a controlled and environmentally respectful execution. The environmental protection imperative forms the foundation of eco-design, requiring the reduction of port assistance, downplaying the importance of speed, and maximizing the use of natural controllable forces such as wind and current.

Port Revel has equipped two of its eleven ships with sensors to measure the total energy consumption during ship maneuvers.
Trainees are then tasked with performing the operation while aiming to stay below a predefined energy consumption target (and therefore emission level), set by instructors who have previously completed the same challenge.

Energy consumption is measured in kWh—the product of power (kW) and time (hours). This means the measurement is independent of ship speed:

"High power over a short time" yields a similar result to "low power over a longer time."

The total energy used for a given scenario will therefore depend on the pilot's ability to control the vessel’s space and optimize the use of environmental forces under control.

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One of the tracks is shown here. It is 7 miles long and includes one undocking and one docking stern first.
It was sailed with the Otello in about 90 minutes at an average speed of nearly 5 knots (all values are full scale).

The total energy consumption measured was around 22 MWh, ranging from 18 MWh to 28 MWh ... showing significant variations depending on the pilot's way of manoeuvering.

The tests carried out with these models have shown that Port Revel masters the modelling techniques involved, and that similitude scales are maintained.

The program therefore enables the trainee to receive training in the design and execution of a safe maneuver, with a primary focus on environmental aspects and the control of production resources.

Detailed Program of Maneuver Principles