Boskalis
Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. is a leading global dredging and offshore contractor and maritime services provider.

The challenge
When the existing subsoil of the reclamation consists of very soft soil then it could be necessary to place the fill in thin layers to avoid instabilities and mud waves. This can be achieved by using a Spreader pontoon. A floating pipeline is connected to the pontoon and the sand-water mixture supplied by the floating pipeline flows over a chute and is dropped into the water. To realize a uniform thickness an operator controls the movement of the spreader pontoon by controlling the speed and tension of the five anchor winches. To improve the quality of the work Boskalis decided to train there operators to get more feeling and understanding of the dynamic behavior of the Spreader pontoon. Important items are the anchorwinches, the drag of the anchors and the influence of the floating pipeline on the pontoon

The result
In close cooperation with Boskalis, Batenburg JB Systems realized a compact and efficient training simulator for operator training. The system consists of a PC for the simulation software, a monitor for the 3D view and a touch screen for the virtual control desk. There is also a connection to the Boskalis Spreader pontoon control system. This compact solution is cost efficient and easy to transport all over the world.

Features within the simulator:

• Realistic dynamic behavior of cables and pipe lines
• Sea states
• Wind direction
• Adjustable water depths
• Tug control of floating pipeline
• Realistic behavior of pontoon based on the above items