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Performance differences in lifeboat launching procedures between IVR training and traditional practical lessons in maritime safety education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2025

Inez Houben Open the ORCID record for Inez Houben [Opens in a new window] ,
Deirdre Luyckx ,
Geert Potters  and
Andy De Meyer
Inez Houben*
Affiliation:
Department of Nautical Sciences, Antwerp Maritime Academy, Antwerp, Belgium
Deirdre Luyckx
Affiliation:
Department of Nautical Sciences, Antwerp Maritime Academy, Antwerp, Belgium
Geert Potters
Affiliation:
Department of Nautical Sciences, Antwerp Maritime Academy, Antwerp, Belgium
Andy De Meyer
Affiliation:
Delaware Consulting
*
Corresponding author: Inez Houben; Email: inez.houben@hzs.be
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Abstract

This research investigated the potential improvement of IVR on procedural practical knowledge in maritime safety education in a lifeboat case study. Participants were divided into three groups: a VR, control and VR+ group. A practical test exam with a real lifeboat was conducted to evaluate the differences in number of students passed/failed and overall performances in the execution of lifeboat launching procedures between groups. There was no evidence that the VR students had a higher success rate than students in the control group in correctly and safely performing a lifeboat drill. However, VR students’ overall performances on procedural correctness were significantly better than those of the control group, despite that the VR students never practiced with a physical lifeboat. Given the importance of safety in the maritime industry, it is worthwhile to further investigate to what extent IVR can provide a solution to the current limitations in maritime safety education.

Keywords

nauticalsafetytraining

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Type
Research Article
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The Journal of Navigation , First View , pp. 1 - 16
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Royal Institute of Navigation

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