Rotterdam, 03-04-2023 – In September 2022, VSTEP has equipped the first training center of Brabo Group in Belgium with cutting-edge NAUTIS simulators. VSTEP’s mission to enable learning through simulation technology is at the forefront of this collaboration, allowing Brabo to train their crew and skippers from other organizations for safe and precise ship piloting and mooring.
Brabo and VSTEP’s Collaboration
In collaboration with VSTEP, Brabo Group – Belgium-based company that specializes in the safe piloting, mooring and unmooring of ships – has become the first Belgian customer to purchase a complete suite of turnkey solutions from VSTEP. The company required its own training center to educate not only its mooring boat skippers, but also skippers and crew from other organizations. By doing so, Brabo Group aims to pioneer inland education in the Port of Antwerp area, where no course currently exists to educate inland skippers. VSTEP is proud to have facilitated this milestone for the Brabo Group with the use of VSTEP’s NAUTIS simulators.
Herman Van Driessche, Brabo Group’s CEO, says:
“VSTEP helped us find the most feasible solution for the training needs we have, offering us a lot of flexibility in their approach. Upon signing the agreement, VSTEP produced the renders that answer our exact needs and enable us to receive a clearer picture of what we will have installed in the end. We look forward to becoming users of VSTEP’s solutions and experiencing firsthand the true-to-life graphics that NAUTIS is known for.“
“At VSTEP, we are proud that we can contribute further to the inland waterways education and training challenges in Belgium. The inland waterways are facing – like other industries – challenging objectives, such as shortage in personnel and more complex operations, due to, for instance, changing water levels in the inland waterways. VSTEP is ready to assist the industry with their challenges. Therefore, it is an accomplishment for VSTEP, as innovator in the maritime simulation domain, to welcome Brabo Group to our customer family and being chosen by this institution for our customer-orientation and quality of our solutions.“
– comments Fabian van den Berg, CEO at VSTEP Simulation.
VSTEP will supply Brabo Group the right set of solutions. To reach their goals, Brabo invests in constructing dedicated spaces with each a different purpose. To train Brabo’s crew on the complex situation on Antwerp’s inland waterways, the company invests in a Vessel Handling Simulator, which is assisted by a Radar Simulator. This allows the professionals to be more focused on certain aspects of the train, which could vessel handling and radar training. Debriefing is key for learning. By having a dedicated debriefing space, the professionals are able to understand what they could have done better.
The real set-up might differ from the image.
VSTEP is thrilled that the purchase of NAUTIS simulators will help Brabo Group lead the way in inland education in Belgium. Another milestone since VSTEP was recognized in 2018 as the first supplier of CESNI compliant simulators for the inland waterway domain. The company has delivered since this recognition over 30 simulator solutions for inland waterway education in mainly the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Paraguay.
About Brabo Group
Brabo Group is a Belgium-based, privately owned company that specializes in the safe piloting, mooring, and unmooring of ships, particularly in the Port of Antwerp but also has activities in the Port of Zeebrugge, the Port of Ostend and the channel to Brussels. In order to enhance the navigation and maneuvering skills of their pilots and boatmen, it is crucial for the customer to provide training that emphasizes accuracy and true-to-life experience.
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.
