Panama Canal Authority Opens Simulator Center

In commemoration of the Panama Canal’s 88th Anniversary on August 15th, Panama President Mireya Moscoso inaugurated a modern Simulator Center with three state-of-the-art simulators that will be used for training Canal maritime personnel. President Moscoso was joined by Canal Administrator Alberto Alemán Zubieta, members of the Cabinet Council members, local and international guests of the maritime sector, and Panama Canal Authority (ACP) officials. The new Center includes the latest technological advances in maritime training and is valued at $1.8 million. The equipment for the center includes a 360- degree visual simulator; a 150-degree simulator and a third auxiliary tugboat simulator that reproduces the systems installed in the floating units of the Transit Resources Division. Simulators are one of the most important tools used for training the Canal maritime personnel. The Human Resources Training and Maritime Development Section of the Canal administration will be training the personnel in the maritime operations of the waterway. The Center is one of the various initiatives of the ACP to provide its personnel with the highest training standards and guarantee transit safety. The simulator training includes programs for pilots, tugboat captains, seamen and launch operators. The ship simulators consist of computer equipment that recreates the environment in which vessels transit through the Canal. To accomplish this, simulators also include devices on board the ship’s bridge of command: engine controls, steering wheel, alarms, radars, compass, and doppler unit.