Wilson Sons launches new facilities at its Training Centre, featuring a manoeuvre simulator, and at its Towage Operations Centre
SANTOS: With over 187 years of experience, Wilson Sons opened new facilities on Thursday (September 25th) at its Training Centre, now located at Edifício Palazzo, on Avenida Ana Costa in Santos (São Paulo), featuring an upgraded tugboat manoeuvre simulator. This simulator will train the company’s captains and maritime workers on safety procedures and cutting-edge technology for its fleet of over 80 tugboats, which operate in more than 25 ports along the Brazilian coast, supporting domestic and international trade, as well as the offshore energy industry.
Simulator training enhances operating safety and efficiency, and supports the analysis and improvement of manoeuvres of large ships (up to 366 meters), which reduces operating restrictions at Brazilian ports.
Another special feature of this technology is scenario analysis, where different environments are simulated, and solutions are tested and developed for different port challenges faced in Brazil, with customized simulations for each port.
“The technology behind the new manoeuvre simulator supports our innovation strategy. It is a tool that increases the safety and efficiency of our operations, supporting the growth of the Brazilian port industry and the competitiveness of the global logistics chain,” says Rodrigo Bastos, Director of Towage Operations at Wilson Sons.
The manoeuvre simulator can also be used, at the new address, by clients and other stakeholders in project analysis and testing activities. Wilson Sons’ Towage Operations Centre (COR) had been set in the same location, and in 2011, it began real-time monitoring of the company’s tugboat fleet.
Through a network of antennas distributed along the Brazilian coast, which capture AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals emitted by tugboats and ships, the COR is responsible for allocating tugboats to manoeuvre clients’ vessels by continuously tracking the fleet on a 24/7 basis.
“Continual tracking ensures maximum efficiency of our assets and adds an important layer of safety to the manoeuvres. Besides, by allocating the most suitable tugboat to meet client demands, at the right time and at the right speed, operations become more sustainable and with lower emissions,” says Pedro Lima, Fleet and Operations Manager at Wilson Sons.
In 2023, in collaboration with the startup Argonáutica, Wilson Sons implemented a new operating system, Artemis, in its Towage Operation Centre (COR). An advantage of the new system is the integration of vessel information collected by AIS antennas, external data sources, and meteoceanographic data, such as port weather conditions, tides, currents, and wind. All this can be viewed from any location.
With this, the COR develops operating strategies that increase operational safety and reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
“Safe WS-Standard Manoeuvre” Project trains captains
Since April 2024, more than 150 company captains have been trained to improve operational safety. This is the “Safe WS-Standard Manoeuvre” project, which presents its foundations and aligns manoeuvring practices according to Wilson Sons’ quality standards. The topics covered include electronic navigation, use of equipment such as radars and GPS, and actual cases of manoeuvres, to prevent misbehaviour and unsafe conditions, avoiding incidents and accidents.
In the company admission training and evaluation process, workers complete simulated emergency drills on wire rope breakage, extreme sea and wind conditions, and low visibility. Additionally, the company offers ongoing training for professionals studying to become captains, which includes decision-making, use of navigation equipment, maritime and port legislation, documentation, levels of responsibility, and International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
The latest workplace safety figures reported by the Wilson Sons Group in August on its income statement for the second quarter of 2025 attest to the company’s safety priority. In the 12 months ended June 30th, the rate of lost-time accidents was 0.47 incidents per million hours of work, consistently outperforming the global benchmark of 0.50.