Training simulators for marine ammonia fuel

Seafarer training has come sharply into focus in 2025, with the first-ever training guidelines for ammonia-fueled vessels drafted at the IMO. After Anglo-Eastern launched its first ammonia/LNG bunker training setup in Mumbai earlier this year, we look at two new simulator announcements.

Wärtsilä system opened in Malaysia for MISC

Click to learn more. The bridge of the new Wärtsilä advanced simulator setup opened for the Akademi Laut Malaysia (ALAM) last month, which includes training for ammonia fuel across different engine types. Source: Wärtsilä.

Wärtsilä has supplied a new advanced simulation suite for the Akademi Laut Malaysia (ALAM) maritime training institute in Malacca on Malaysia’s southern coast. ALAM is the training arm of MISC (Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Berhad), a subsidiary of Petronas group. The setup features dual-fuel simulator technology, including training for methanol and ammonia fuels across different engine types, and the adoption of virtual reality elements to “immerse seafarers in realistic training scenarios”. The technical simulators allow for full-mission and multi-functional network classroom set-ups, both for engine-room and liquid cargo handling training.

The inauguration of these simulators allows ALAM students to achieve a new higher level of competence that they need for today’s highly automated and digital vessels. They can now replicate real-world operational scenarios, enabling students to hone their skills in a controlled, safe setting. A broad range of training needs can now be addressed, from basic navigation and engine room operations to complex procedures, research studies, and integrated emergency response drills.

Neil Bennett, General Manager, Simulation & Training, Wärtsilä Marine, in his organisation’s official press release, 22 July 2025

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement to launch ammonia bunkering simulator in early 2026

Click to learn more. BSM opens its first methanol bunker training simulator in Kochi, India, with an ammonia version to follow early next year. Source: Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement.

Having just launched its first methanol bunker simulator in India, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) announced that an ammonia version will follow in early 2026. The simulator platform training platform equips seafarers with essential knowledge and hands-on skills to safely handle methanol as fuel. As well as the new unit in Kochi, India, two additional methanol bunkering simulators will be commissioned at BSM’s Maritime Training Centres in Poland and the Philippines. Once the first ammonia unit is opened in Kochi early next year, the BSM Training Centre there will provide facilities for training on LNG, methanol and ammonia – “the three primary alternative fuels driving maritime decarbonisation”.

We must be prepared for a multi-fuel future. The new Wärtsilä simulator will allow our seafarers to train in a realistic, risk-free environment, preparing them for the complexities of methanol, and soon ammonia, bunkering operations with precision. It’s not just technology investment – it’s a commitment to competence and safety.

Capt. Gurpreet Singh, Group General Manager, Training and Development at BSM, in his organisation’s official press release, 31 July 2025

BSM is investing in “Train-the-Trainer” programs as well, ensuring that its in-house experts are “skilled to equip ship crews with the knowledge and practical skills required to safely and efficiently handle methanol and ammonia as marine fuels in line with the IMO’s IGF Code”. BSM participated in the first-ever “Train-the-Trainer programme” for alternative fuels, led by Lloyd’s Register in Shanhgai earlier this year.