Blue Orange Wave brings digital training closer to real life onboard with Edumersive
How do you prepare thousands of team members from around the world for their work onboard a cruise ship? For Andre van Schoonhoven, Captain and Master Mariner at Holland America Line and Seabourn, it is about making training reflect the reality onboard as closely as possible, from preparing new team members for their first day to supporting safety and skills training.
Andre started his maritime career in 1988 as a Cadet Officer and worked his way up to Captain. For the past ten years, he has been based in Asia, where his responsibilities have included STCW training, skills training, and the selection and preparation of new team members.
His experience has also shown him the limitations of traditional computer-based training. “A lot of computer-based training still feels like a presentation at school. You are given information, but you do not really experience what is happening.”
When Blue Orange Wave introduced Andre to Edumersive, he immediately saw opportunities to bring digital learning closer to the practical reality onboard. “When I saw Edumersive, I thought this could help us bring practical training into a digital environment in a much more realistic way.”
Getting to know the ship before departure
The collaboration with Blue Orange Wave started in 2024, with the new hire orientation as one of the first applications of Edumersive. This interactive digital environment is built around the ship that a new team member will be joining. Using 360-degree imagery and other interactive content, team members can virtually navigate the ship before departure and become familiar with important locations, procedures and practical information.
“They start at the gangway and see what happens when they come onboard. Where are they welcomed? Where are the cabins? Where can they collect their uniform? Where is the laundry? But also: where are their muster station and life rafts?”
Joining a cruise ship for the first time can be overwhelming, with so much new information to take in at once. “The feedback I receive is very good. New team members arrive onboard better prepared. The culture shock is smaller because they already have an idea of what to expect and where to find things.”
This preparation also supports the existing buddy system onboard, as new team members already have some basic knowledge and can ask more specific questions. With fourteen ships and approximately 15,000 to 16,000 team members in total, the potential scale is significant.
Digital preparation for practical training
Edumersive is now also being used for other areas of training, including training involving watertight doors.
“Previously, you would watch a slideshow, and then the Safety Officer would demonstrate how the door works. With Edumersive, you can actually see the door opening and closing. Of course, you still have to practise it afterwards, but you have already seen it with your own eyes. You are much more involved than when you are just looking at slides.”
The same principle applies to lifeboat training. Practical exercises remain essential, but some elements can be covered beforehand. “If people start a boat drill better prepared, you can practise much more efficiently. Being able to repeat certain elements and learn at your own pace can be very useful before the practical training starts. That can save a lot of time.”
Following the recent completion of the lifeboat module, role-specific applications for deck and technical team members are also being developed. Technical team members, for example, can virtually explore the engine room and become familiar with exits, alarms and safety procedures.
Developing content with industry knowledge
Although organisations can develop their own content in Edumersive, Holland America Line decided to work with Blue Orange Wave on this specific content development.
“Our original idea was to develop it ourselves. Our team in Manila also received in-depth instructions on how to do that. But in the end, it takes an enormous amount of time. Someone who does this professionally can develop it much faster.”
Content development expertise is not the only factor. Blue Orange Wave also has extensive knowledge of the cruise industry. Several team members have worked in the industry themselves and know life and work onboard from their own experience. This knowledge is also reflected in how the content development process is managed and helps translate the input from Holland America Line into recognisable and realistic situations.
Andre provides the subject matter input himself and reviews the content at different stages. “I share my ideas and first receive a storyboard that I can comment on. The content is then developed, and I get to review the module again and provide feedback. The collaboration works very well. I am extremely satisfied with it.”
Building further
For Andre, the next step is to continue building on what has been developed so far, while keeping the focus firmly on the people who will use it.
“We are very happy with this collaboration and given innovation. But even more important, the onboard teams are happy with it. It has to work for them. If we can continue along this path, I am confident that we will receive even more positive feedback.”
