29-07-2024 – We are delighted to announce the successful installation of the NAUTIS simulator at Ecole de batellerie du CEFA de l’EP de Huy – Enseignement de la Province de Liège, enhancing their training capabilities for inland navigation.
This client partnered with us back in 2018 by investing in our software, NAUTIS. Recently, they have taken the leap to complete their simulator setup and purchased the hardware, and additional software from us as well, making the setup CESNI certification-ready.
In June 2024, we had the pleasure of welcoming their training ship, which docked right next to our office for the installation process. This inland simulator, now installed on their training vessel, represents a major advancement in their ability to train the next generation of inland waterway professionals.
“We are thrilled to support Ecole de batellerie du CEFA de l’EP de Huy in their mission to provide exceptional training. Congratulations to the CEFA Huy team on this milestone achievement!”
– Luuk ten Bergen, Business Developer at VSTEP
About VSTEP
VSTEP creates innovative simulation software for professional organizations worldwide. We are a team of 60 explorers who are always up for challenges. We are not constrained by standards and are flexible in our approach to fulfilling the mission: enable learning by simulation.
We are all dedicated to the same vision: ensure that at least one-third of the maritime industry has obtained their skills through our simulation technology. Hence, we strive to make a great contribution to creating a more sustainable world. We invest in continuous R&D of our software and work passionately as a team to get there.
Updated on 09-08-2026.
A simulator on the training vessel, not in a classroom
The unusual part of this installation is where it sits. The NAUTIS inland simulator is on board the school’s own training vessel rather than in a room ashore. That answers a scheduling problem familiar to every inland school: the qualification route set out in Directive (EU) 2017/2397, with technical standards developed by CESNI, combines simulator-based and on-board elements, and a school has to deliver both.
Keeping them in one place shortens the loop between them. A manoeuvre can be rehearsed in the simulator, attempted on the water and reviewed again in the simulator on the same day, which is difficult when the two sit at different addresses and in different timetable blocks.
| Project summary | |
|---|---|
| Customer | Ecole de batellerie du CEFA de Huy, Province de Liege, Belgium |
| Partner since | 2018 (NAUTIS software) |
| Delivery 2024 | Hardware and additional software, CESNI certification-ready |
| Special feature | Simulator installed on the school’s training vessel |
| Training type | Inland navigation, vocational education |
Frequently asked questions
What was installed at CEFA Huy?
The ecole de batellerie of CEFA in Huy, part of the education system of the Province of Liege, completed its NAUTIS setup with hardware and additional software from VSTEP. The inland simulator is installed on the school’s own training vessel and the configuration is CESNI certification-ready. Software had already been in use at the school since 2018.
Why install a simulator on a training vessel?
It removes the split between classroom and quay. Students work through simulation scenarios in the same setting where they learn practical seamanship, so an exercise can be run, discussed and then tested on the water within a single session rather than spread across separate weeks of the timetable.
How did the partnership with CEFA develop?
CEFA Huy first invested in NAUTIS software in 2018. After several years of use the school expanded to a complete simulator setup with VSTEP hardware in 2024. It is a pattern seen more often: institutes start with software, prove the training value internally, and then grow the installation.
What does CESNI certification-ready mean?
It means the configuration is built to the technical requirements a vessel-handling simulator has to meet before an administration can approve it under the European standards. Approval is granted by the competent authority rather than by the supplier, so a ready configuration shortens the route without replacing the procedure.
Simulation for inland education
Explore the NAUTIS inland simulator, see the certified installation at TMLG and our wider maritime training solutions, or book a demo for your school.
