Project on maritime jobs and education of the future

Maritime research can cover a wide range of areas – technology, society, economy and humans. Just ask Gesa Praetorius, who is leading projects in both maritime occupations and AI systems for training maritime officers.

Growing up on the North Sea coast of Germany and watching gigantic container ships passing in the distance, maybe Gesa Praetorius was somehow destined to work in shipping one day. She is now one of VTI’s most dedicated researchers in the field thanks with more than a decade of research experience in the maritime domain.

Entering Gesa’s office in Stockholm, there are two computer on the desk. On one screen, we see a summary of the COST network “Rethinking the Blue Economy: Socio-ecological impact and opportunities”. And on the other, a recently edited film about the I-Master research project, which aims to use AI and machine learning to improve training for maritime officers. We’ll start with COST.

The COST stands for European Cooperation in Science and Technology, which is a European funding sceme for research networks (COST Actions) in various fields. ReThinkBlue (CA22122) has 500 members working together to enhance understanding for “blue economy” (economy linked to the sea and coasts). This network is arranged into five working groups, of which one, WG 1 maritime occupations, is led by Gesa Praetorius.

The role involves both conducting research on her own and organising the work of the group, which currently has 93 members from over 20 countries. This means chairing meetings, arranging seminars and planning and following up activities.

“Most importantly, we meet and learn from one another. This provides new perspectives and paves the way for new collaborations. COST allows us to meet researchers we’d never have met and worked with otherwise,” says Gesa Praetorius, senior researcher.

At a general level, the research focuses on the impact of technological and societal developments on maritime occupations, both at sea and onshore. For instance, some sub-projects in WG1 focus on why young people choose maritime careers, what digital skills are needed for these professions, and how accidents on board ships are reported and what can be learned from them.

The range of maritime occupations addressed in the work is broad, from captains and crew members to port workers and commercial fishermen, as well as jobs in the tourist industry on the Algarve in Portugal.

“Results are important, but the way we work is what matters most. Narrow-minded isn’t exactly the word I’m looking for, but as a researcher it’s easy to get mentally stuck in your own discipline and networks. It’s good to broaden your horizons and relate your own research to what’s happening in other fields,” says Gesa Praetorius.

Compared to COST, I-Master is a more traditional research project. As part of this project, led by the University of the Arctic (UiT), VTI is working with seven European partners to develop an Intelligent Learning System (ILS) for simulator-based training of maritime officers.

Specifically, the researchers are aiming to use machine learning and AI to enhance navigational students’assessment and feedback in simulator-based training, both in exercises in full mission bridge simulation and in desktop simulation.

“It is not just about giving feedback, but gradual feedback that helps students to learn. That's why pedagogical researchers are also involved in the project, besides the technicians who are building the actual system,” says Gesa Praetorius.

The idea for the project was born during the 2020–21 pandemic, when many nautical science students were unable to complete their education as it requires both as simulator training and practical work periods onboard merchant ships, At the same time, maritime degree programs have developed into formal university education, substituting more traditional apprentice systems, which requires objective assessments and reliable grading systems.

All this created a need to both increase accessibility and create new forms of evaluation and feedback.

“We believe that ILS systems offer a lot of advantages. Students are given the tools to help them understand the outcome of various exercises, and their education can be made more flexible and personalised. Instructors also have more time for debriefing and other tasks.

You are more than halfway through the project. How is it going?

“When an EU project commences, you might think you’re going to revolutionise the world. Then you start working. . . But I think the partnership is working well, and we’ve made as much progress as can be expected. We reckon this could make a big difference for students going forward.”

The RethinkBlue COST programme began in October 2023 and will be completed in 2027. I-Master began in mid-2022 and will continue for four years.

Text: Mikael Sönne

Translation: CBG