On 11 February 2026, the University of Craiova achieved a European first in vocational training for inland navigation: two Wärtsilä NT Pro 5000 navigation simulators were linked remotely and operated as a single training environment. One simulator is installed at the Department of Engineering and Management of Technological Systems in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, part of the Faculty of Mechanics; the other is at Schiffer-Berufskolleg RHEIN in Duisburg, Germany.
The two sites are roughly 1,400 kilometres apart, one on the Danube and one on the Rhine. With the link in place, students in Romania now train and are assessed under the same conditions as candidates in Germany preparing for the boatmaster certificate for inland waterways.
Shared simulation allows complex scenarios to run in real time across both locations. Crews sitting in different countries coordinate with one another as they would on the water, critical situations can be rehearsed safely in a controlled environment, and examination and competence standards are brought into line at European level.
The technical connection was made possible by specialists from the University of Craiova, Schiffer-Berufskolleg RHEIN, Wärtsilä and the Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services. Alongside the Erasmus+ funding, the German Federal Ministry of Transport allocated a further 100,000 euro specifically for the connection between the two simulators.
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