Port Revel
World's first manned scale-model shiphandling training centre.
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Port Revel is a shiphandling training centre located in Saint-Pierre-de-Bressieux, Isère, near Grenoble, France. It is the first institution of its kind in the world, using 1/25-scale manned models on an artificial lake to simulate natural conditions including ports, canals, and open sea. The facility trains pilots, captains, and officers on large vessels such as supertankers, container ships, LNG carriers, and cruise ships.
Lore & Background
The centre dates back to the 1950s, when Sogreah used scale models to study erosion along the banks of the Suez Canal. In the late 1960s, observations on ship models were used by Esso to model maneuvers of larger vessels. The Centre was established in 1967 by Laboratoire Dauphinois d'Hydraulique (now Artelia). After three years under Esso’s control (1967–1970), it was taken over by Sogreah in 1970.
Courses are taught by former maritime pilots. During the 1970s most trainees were captains; in the 1990s the first marine pilots began visiting. The lake is sheltered by a forest to minimize wind effects.
Shallow water areas account for about 50% of the lake’s surface, and 40% of the lake is subject to currents. Wave and current generators, wind generators, and various harbor approach configurations are part of the equipment. All models are built to 1:25 scale and behave like real ships, providing the same sensations. Wind, currents, waves, water depths, channels, and mooring points are realistically reproduced.
Reader's Guide
Port Revel's significance lies in its unique role as a training facility that bridges the gap between real-ship experience and digital simulation. The centre has trained over 8,500 maritime personnel from around the world, with French, European, Australian, Brazilian, and North American pilots accounting for 70% of trainees. Its manned models allow seafarers to acquire or develop maneuvering skills through a better understanding of a ship’s reactions under real operating conditions. The models permit errors and exploration of extreme situations that would be unacceptable on actual ships.
Periodic training on scale models maintains shiphandling skills at their highest level and complements electronic simulators. While digital simulators are more realistic for the bridge environment, scale models more accurately reproduce maneuvers involving currents, waves, tugs, anchoring, and shore effects. The International Maritime Organization recommends this type of training pursuant to Resolution A 960 (23). The facility has continuously updated its fleet, adding a large container ship (8,500 TEU) in 2009, a Q-Max LNG carrier in 2010, a controllable pitch propeller in 2013, a cruise ship with pods in 2014, and a very large container ship (22,000 TEU) in 2020.
Did You Know?
- A large 185,000-ton LNG carrier, the Q-Max, was added to the fleet in 2010.
- Steerable pod propulsion has been available since 2006.
- Tugs have been incorporated into training since 2000, including mooring, docking, and escort maneuvers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Port Revel?
Port Revel is a shiphandling training facility situated in Saint-Pierre-de-Bressieux, a small commune in the Isère department just outside Grenoble, France. It uses full-size crewed model vessels on a purpose-built lake to let mariners rehearse real-world manoeuvring before they ever take the helm of a full-sized ship.
What scale are the ships at Port Revel?
Every model vessel at Port Revel is built to a 1:25 scale, meaning a 250-metre supertanker becomes roughly a 10-metre craft that a real crew can board and steer. This ratio is large enough to replicate the feel of handling a genuine ocean-going ship while still fitting within the training lake.
Who trains at Port Revel?
The centre hosts pilots, ship captains, and deck officers who must demonstrate competence before handling very large vessels such as supertankers, LNG carriers, container ships, and cruise liners. Since it opened in 1967, more than 8,500 seafarers have completed their training there.
How big is the Port Revel lake and what fleet does it hold?
The artificial lake covers five hectares after a winter expansion in 2008–2009 added one hectare to the original four. The on-site fleet consists of twelve model ships and five tugboats, all crewed by real trainees during exercises that mimic ports, canals, and open-sea conditions.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Port Revel (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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