ARIELL in Germany: SANDRA II Connected to the Simulator in Craiova

16
Sep

Excerpt

Schiffer-Berufskolleg RHEIN has reported the first international coupling of its SANDRA II simulator with the simulator of the University of Craiova.

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On 18 February 2026, Schiffer-Berufskolleg RHEIN (SBKR) published an account of the connection established a week earlier between its own simulator, SANDRA II, and the Wärtsilä NT Pro 5000 simulator at the University of Craiova. The report describes 11 February 2026 as a landmark in inland navigation training: the first time two modern simulators of this type, installed at two institutions, have been coupled internationally.

The account sets out what the link changes for teaching. Apprentices and students now train across locations in shared simulations. Complex operational scenarios run in real time, crews at different sites are coordinated with one another, and demanding situations are practised under realistic conditions in line with European standards. At the same time, training and examination conditions in boatmaster education are brought further into alignment.

SANDRA II — Simulator for Advanced Navigation Duisburg, Research and Application — is the shallow-water navigation simulator operated at SBKR in Duisburg. It is the first simulator in Germany to be approved by the Generaldirektion Wasserstraßen und Schifffahrt for both practical boatmaster examinations and radar examinations under Directive (EU) 2017/2397, the same European competence standard that ARIELL is built around.

The report places the initiative within the Erasmus+ project ARIELL, noting that e-learning materials and teaching units tailored to the simulators are being developed alongside the technical connection. The stated aim is the further harmonisation of inland navigation training between Eastern and Western Europe.

SBKR concludes that the successful coupling underlines the innovative capacity of both institutions and marks a clear step in the ongoing digitalisation of maritime education, while placing the cooperation between the school and the University of Craiova on a lasting footing.

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