Pilot's cyber-bridge practice for naming ceremony

River pilot James Smart will join Queen Anne in Belfast on Sunday, before the ship docks in Liverpool at sunrise on Monday

River pilots are using a state-of-the art computer simulator to rehearse the arrival in Liverpool of Cunard's new cruise ship, the Queen Anne.

The ship, the second-largest to be built by Cunard, is due to be named in a ceremony on the Mersey on Monday.

The simulator, which is operated from an office in Birkenhead via a cyber-bridge, can recreate tide and wind conditions on the river.

"It's a huge team effort bringing in a ship of this size into the Port of Liverpool," said river pilot James Smart.

Spectacular

River pilots can predict the tide times on Monday, but forecasting the speed and direction of the wind on the day is much trickier.

All of which can be a challenge on a ship that is more than 1,000ft (304m) long and has 14 decks.

Being able to rehearse a variety of conditions from an office in Birkenhead has proved invaluable.

Standing at the cyber-bridge deck, Mr Smart is able to control a simulated ship via a series of big screens showing computer-generated images of the Liverpool waterfront, the River Mersey and the prow and stern of the Queen Anne.

The controls, which replicate those you would find on the bridge of a real ship, enable Mr Smart to change the speed and direction of the simulated vessel.

It provides essential preparation for when Mr Smart will have to bring the ship down the river to the cruise-liner terminal, and then take her back out to the middle of the river for the naming ceremony.

"The ceremonial position is in front of the Three Graces [on Liverpool's waterfront]." he explained.

"The ship will be heading in a north-south position right in front of the Three Graces, so it's going to look spectacular."

'Huge ship'

The simulation allows Mr Smart to change the tide and wind conditions that he may have to deal with on the day.

"She's a huge ship, and there's a lot of of ship out of the water as well. It's always the wind, really, that we have to be careful of," he said.

He added: "Although she's a very powerful ship you have to be careful. And of course the River Mersey has an extremely powerful tidal range."

Canadian national Samuel Cunard began his shipping line in Liverpool 184 years ago.

The Queen Anne is the ninth Cunard ship to be named on the Mersey, and the first of its 'Queens' to be named at a ceremony in the city.

Mr Smart will join the Queen Anne and crew in Belfast on Sunday, to help bring her into the Mersey at sunrise the following day.

When he brings her down the river into Liverpool on Monday, he will be working on the bridge alongside the captain, Inger Thorhauge, but stressed he is "certainly not the boss".

"Without the captain and her team on board, we just wouldn't be able to operate."