The human factor and simulator training for offshore anchor handling operators

At the Offshore Simulator Centre, Aalesund, Norway, anchor handling simulators have been built and simulator training courses have been developed over the last years. These courses have been offered to companies operating anchor handling vessels. The learning objectives of the course are improving teambuilding, leadership and communication. A total of 369 seafarers who attended the course participated in the study. With few exceptions, the participants in the sample were male. Their mean age was 36 years, and 48% were officers. Fully 90% of the sample had more than one year of experience with anchor handling operations. Results indicate that 64% of the variation in practical change intended behaviour (outcome variable) was explained by increased skills, increased knowledge and understanding, and content of the course. Furthermore, overall satisfaction with the course was analysed using ANOVA, with age, occupation and anchor handling experience as independent variables. The implications are addressed, and it is concluded that the methods show great promise for practical applications, particularly in the development and improvement of content and pedagogical approaches.