BMT awarded contract by MoD to provide combined admiralty pilot training

Under a multi-year pilot training programme agreement, BMT will support the transformation of future navigation training across the QECC platforms, that will see the company’s five, fully networked ship and tug bridge simulator suite being fully optimised by the pilotage and tugs teams to practice challenging manoeuvring and berthing strategies. The newest iteration of platform navigation software from BMT is supported by next generation hydrographic dynamic S-100 data, providing hydraulic and hydrodynamic synthetic environments that deliver the highest levels of precision e-navigation, situational awareness and realism. BMT’s innovative solution will enable the Admiralty Pilots at Portsmouth to accelerate training throughput and enhance delivery of sustainable distributed training, especially in highly complex tow-outs and ship manoeuvring situations.

Dr Phil Thompson, Maritime Products Director at BMT, said, “BMT is very proud by the trust and confidence displayed by the Ministry of Defence through the award of this contract to transform and deliver training to the Admiralty Pilots and Tug Masters of the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers in Portsmouth.

“In addition to this award, the Admiralty Pilots will be put through their paces this month during a stint of ‘high-octane training in Port’, and through the most challenging of waters at high speed, at our newly-launched and expanded south-east training facility in Fareham. This new education and training initiative from BMT will enable the Admiralty Pilots and Tug operators to test and exploit our proprietary-designed muti-bridge hardware and software platforms, allowing them to train within a totally immersive synthetic port environment that’s underpinned by hitherto unsurpassed dynamic and granular tidal and water level data and supported by precision ship hydrodynamic modelling,” added Thompson.

“Our talented software team’s fusion and stitching together of the company’s highest-standard hardware and ‘BMT REMBRANDT’ software platform is the very latest of its ‘navy mastery modelling’ that helps to shape the process of learning for current and future Admiralty Pilots, including operators of other specialist/capital ship classes such as aircraft carriers and assault ships, enabling them to achieve competency and to navigate securely and reliably in Port and in restricted/complex waterways,” concluded Thompson.

As the sole contractor leading this UK programme, BMT is leveraging its flagship navigational simulator technology ‘BMT REMBRANDT’ and its commercial field experience supporting ship, port and terminal operators and pilots worldwide. BMT’s pioneering S-100 synthetic modelling developments won recognition and recently captured the inaugural Admiralty Innovation Prize https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bmt-wins-the-first-admiralty-marine-innovation-programme-challenge

BMT currently also supports training in the expanding commercial maritime and naval pilotage markets. It also licences ‘BMT REMBRANDT’ to leading national statutory agencies such as The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), The Dutch Safety Board and The Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

BMT will leverage the proven expertise of its UK and international industry delivery partners, including its ports and coastal infrastructure stakeholders, to present a diverse, innovative, and enduring enhancement to the United Kingdom’s naval technical training. BMT’s training systems integration will fully exploit its flagship navigation technology ‘BMT REMBRANDT’, and its newest-iteration 5-bridge marine navigation simulators that is state-of the art, to ensure navigation and manoeuvring training of the Admiralty Pilots in Portsmouth are fully optimised and conducted to the highest of industry safety standards.

Thanking the UK MOD for their publication of the ‘QECC naval training’ press release on the Royal Navy website https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2023/may/11/20230511-hi-tech-tug-training-to-support-royal-navy-carriers-safe-movement “

Banner image 'Aircraft Carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (RO8) returns back to her homeport of Portsmouth' courtesy of MOD 'Crown Copyright'.

HMS Queen Elizabeth and
HMS Prince of Wales

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“This project offers an important training capability, which will be vital to developing and sustaining the skills of Admiralty Pilots and Serco tug masters in handling the nation’s flagships, the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. The King’s Harbour Master’s team and the Admiralty Pilots look forward to working with BMT on delivering this essential training over the next few years,”

Nick Randall at King’s Harbour Master Portsmouth