VSTEP launched Ship Simulator Professional, an interactive training tool for maritime professional. Ship Simulator Professional connects standard navigation equipment and software to the Ship Simulator game.
Ship Simulator Professional builds on the success of Ship Simulator 2006, a game which allows users to navigate various vessel types through major global ports and waterways. Through Ship Simulator Professional players can follow the vessel’s position, direction and speed on an electronic chart. Ship Simulator Professional outputs NMEA signals, which can be picked up by any NMEA compliant device, like ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems).
Professional users, such as nautical colleges, can use Ship Simulator Professional to teach students the principles of electronic navigation. Handling ECDIS is becoming a standard component of modern navigation and can now be trained in a low-cost classroom environment. Other ships in the game are seen as AIS objects, allowing Ship Simulator Professional to also be used for AIS training.