The first offshore exhibition at the Maritime Museum Rotterdam

Rotterdam, 22 December 2016 – The Maritime Museum Rotterdam presented its first Offshore Experience exhibition. At the Offshore Experience, visitors go on a challenging search venture to experience what it is like at sea and 3km below the surface. 

More than fifty companies in the offshore and shipping sector and foundations took part in this project and contributed knowledge and items. VSTEP, in collaboration withRH Marine Netherlands BV, donated a DP Simulator, and the ocean of VSTEP’s upcoming NAUTIS version 3 simulator platform was used for the projection of the sea all around the exhibition space. Produced by Shosho Studio, this is the largest projection system for an outside view with NAUTIS: a square space of 19x20 meter, using in total 16 high-resolution projectors for a seamless 360-degree view of the ocean around the exhibition’s replica oil platform. Four different weather situations are shown, from calm waters to a massive storm, with waves almost reaching the oil platform’s deck.

On the oil platform replica, visitors can go on a challenging search at sea for energy from oil, gas and wind.  There are simulations with which visitors can experience for themselves how drillers, crane drivers, wind turbine specialists and helicopter pilots manage to do their spectacular jobs on the open sea, in a constant battle with the elements.

The offshore sector is a key player in the Netherlands’ economy and the Maritime Museum’s Offshore Experience is the first ever exhibition to feature the offshore sector. By adding the offshore experience to its collection, the Maritime Museum expands the limits of the Dutch maritime heritage, demonstrating a spectacular overview of the search for oil, gas and wind energy at sea and also set an innovative course in research, collection policy, education and funding. 

Says Museum Director, Frits Loomeijer: “VSTEP’s sea surface allowed us to lift the Offshore Experience to an even higher level than we originally planned. Using the computer-generated sea from VSTEP’s new NAUTIS 3 simulator instead of video recordings taken on an actual offshore oil platform allowed us to take full control over the weather and sea state. Instead of just one weather type, we now managed to show 5 different weather situations  in a loop, contributing to the variety and sense of realism people experience offshore. VSTEP’s simulated ocean is so realistic that some of our visitors clamp onto the railing of the oil platform to keep themselves standing!“

Pjotr van Schothorst, VSTEP’s CEO: “We are proud that our new NAUTIS 3 ocean system could be used for this prestigious exhibition, even before the official launch of NAUTIS 3. We have worked on this new system for several years, and it sets a new mark in graphics realism for ocean waves. The 360-degree surround projection with 16 projectors is a truly impressive experience, highly recommended for a visit.”

The Offshore Experience will be shown in the Maritime Museum Rotterdam for seven years and will be updated yearly.