# Ghana Navy Inducts Wärtsilä Simulator for Naval Training

- Link: https://www.military.africa/2025/11/ghana-navy-inducts-wartsila-simulator-for-naval-training/
- Published: 2025-11-10T23:30:22+01:00
- Author: Ekene Lionel

The Ghana Navy has commissioned a new, high-fidelity bridge simulation centre, a
move that institutionalises advanced training for its sailors and supports a broader
strategic push to secure the nation’s maritime domain. The facility, named the Lill-
May Didriksen Simulation Centre, is located at the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC)
in Nutekpor and was developed in a joint partnership with Denmark.

The centre is designed to prepare crews for the complex, high-risk scenarios they
face in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG). This region is a critical artery for global shipping
but remains a hotspot for piracy, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing,
and smuggling. The new simulator provides Ghana’s sailors with a tool to rehearse
their response to these threats in a controlled, high-stakes environment.

### The Wärtsilä Voyage System

The facility’s $370,000 technology core, supplied by the Finnish company Wärtsilä
Voyage and funded by Denmark, represents a substantial leap in training capability
for the Ghana Navy. The centre is not a simple desktop trainer; it is a fully integrated
training ecosystem.

Its main component is a 270-degree Full Mission Bridge Simulator (FMBS). This system
provides a high-immersion environment that replicates the bridge of a modern vessel,
designed to train the _entire_ bridge team—including the Officer of the Watch, navigator,
and helmsman—in collaborative decision-making.

The FMBS is supported by three smaller 120-degree part-task simulators. These are
used for developing individual skills, such as radar operation, electronic chart
display, or ship handling, before the sailor is integrated into the full-team scenarios.
The complex also includes two instructor stations for controlling and monitoring
exercises, a briefing room for “hotwash” debriefs, and the necessary server infrastructure.

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The project was a joint investment. Ghana’s government provided $322,000 for the
construction of the building, while Denmark provided the funding for the technology
and sourced instructor training from the Svendborg International Maritime Academy.

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### The Training Trade-Off

For the Ghana Navy, the simulator’s value is in its ability to replicate “worst-
case” scenarios that are too dangerous or expensive to conduct live. Commodore Solomon
Asiedu-Larbi, the Flag Officer Commanding NAVTRAC, noted that naval operations are“
inherently complex and demand unwavering competence.”

The simulation centre allows instructors to program a wide range of emergencies.
Crews can practice responding to engine failures, steering casualties, or bridge
fires while simultaneously managing a high-speed interdiction of a non-compliant
vessel. These high-stress, low-frequency events are nearly impossible to drill in
the real world.

There is also a clear economic and operational trade-off. Running a live maritime
patrol exercise with a _Snake_-class patrol vessel or a _Balsam_-class ship consumes
thousands of litres of fuel, adds wear to engines and systems, and, most importantly,
takes an active patrol asset off the front line. The simulator allows for endless,
high-tempo repetitions at a fraction of the cost, keeping the operational fleet 
at sea where it is needed.

Commodore Asiedu-Larbi stated the centre would offer his sailors the practical skills,
confidence, and experience to “operate calmly and effectively at sea, even during
emergencies.”

### A Strategic Partnership

The Danish support for this centre is a key part of Denmark’s multifaceted security
strategy in the Gulf of Guinea. As a major global shipping nation, Denmark has a
direct economic interest in stabilising the region and ensuring freedom of navigation.

This strategy includes “hard power” commitments, such as the 2021 deployment of 
the frigate HDMS _Esbern Snare_ for anti-piracy operations. The simulator represents
the long-term, “soft power” component of that strategy: investing in the institutional
capacity of regional partners. By funding the Wärtsilä system and training its instructors,
Denmark is helping the [Ghana Navy professionalise its force](https://www.military.africa/2025/07/modernising-the-ghanaian-naval-capabilities-will-require-willpower-and-funding/)
and take sustainable, independent ownership of its own maritime security.

This aligns with the Ghanaian government’s broader economic goals. Marietta Agyeiwaa
Brew, Legal Counsel to the President of Ghana, linked the facility directly to the
nation’s “blue economy.”

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“In our digitised era, simulation training has emerged as an indispensable tool 
for developing the skills needed to navigate modern maritime challenges,” Brew said.
She added that secured maritime spaces lead to “thriving fisheries, increased maritime
trade and sustainable offshore energy projects,” all of which this new training 
capability is designed to protect.

In 2023, at the invitation of the Commander of the Danish Special Operations Command(
SOCOM) – Major General Michael Hyldgaard, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of 
the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) – Rear Admiral (R/Adm) Issah Adam Yakubu [visited ](https://www.military.africa/2023/11/denmark-and-ghana-navy-deepen-bilateral-engagement/)
the Kingdom of Denmark, to discuss ongoing Danish efforts in Ghana, and explore 
other areas for future collaboration.

The visit, from 8 to 13 October 2023, also allowed the Ghanaian Navy Chief to understand
how the Danish Armed Forces functions, to ensure synergy in current and future cooperation
between the two countries, on the Defence front.

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