Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has today officially opened its new European Marine Technology and Training Centre in Ålesund, Norway in front of a crowd of 300 customers, partners and government officials.
The celebration, whose guest of honour was HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, marked the formal opening of this 3,000m² ultra-modern facility, in the heart of Norway’s maritime cluster.
The centre features the latest Rolls-Royce marine technology and equipment to support customer training and simulation requirements and is particularly focused on offshore deepwater oil and gas exploration and production activities.
Tony Wood, Rolls-Royce, President – Marine , said: “We are delighted to welcome HRH The Crown Prince to officially open our new Technology and Training Centre. This excellent new facility will provide our customers with access to a broader range of support and training. This includes direct, hands-on training for engineers, crew and service technicians.”
As the head office in a global network of marine training centres that includes facilities in Singapore and the USA, the Rolls-Royce Technology and Training Centre in Norway is well-equipped through a major investment in the latest simulator technology. The centre-piece is a full-scale offshore vessel bridge with a 360 degree field of vision where ship manoeuvring, anchor handling and other precise offshore operations can be simulated. A number of individual simulators allow trainers to operate winches, cranes and other equipment, while a separate and enlarged dynamic positioning (DP) simulator caters for this specialist area.
A fully-equipped workshop as well as classrooms and conference facilities allow crews to train with systems and equipment identical to those on board their vessel.
The Technology and Training Centre is located in the newly built Norwegian Maritime Competence Centre, on the campus of Ålesund University College. In addition to the training facilities, the centre will house more than 500 Rolls-Royce employees in purpose built office accommodation.
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Rolls-Royce, November 8, 2012