Held under the title "Shaping the Future of Simulation Technology", the day-long event was organised by ARI Simulation - the naval and maritime simulation arm of Zen Technologies, a global leader in simulation and training solutions for the defence, maritime, and offshore sectors.

India and Estonia: shared values, growing cooperation

The conference was opened with greetings from Ashish Kumar Sinha, Ambassador of India to Estonia, who underlined the shared values of both countries as democratic, maritime nations with strong private-sector traditions. He spoke of India's broader maritime vision and growing cooperation with international partners, and noted that recent developments in India–EU relations offered a further basis for closer ties in the technology sector.

Sinha also brought a personal dimension to the occasion, recounting how he had previously witnessed Zen Technologies' simulators deployed at a maritime training institute in Kenya during his earlier diplomatic posting there. "It is the absolute gold standard in this field," he said. "I am confident that this day will be remembered when we look back and see how far we have come."

A century of maritime education meets modern technology

The Director of the Estonian Maritime Academy noted that the conference reflected exactly the direction the Academy is pursuing. With over 100 years of maritime education behind it and nearly 500 students enrolled today as part of TalTech, the Academy has long combined tradition with innovation.

"Maritime today is not only about ships and ports. It is also about digital technologies, autonomous systems, the green transition, cybersecurity, energy efficiency, and international cooperation and the Estonian Maritime Academy is active in all of these areas," the Director said. "The sea connects countries, people, and cultures. In the same way, the Estonian Maritime Academy wants to connect knowledge, innovation, and cooperation."

Navigation, engine room, and VR solutions on show

ARI Simulation representatives gave an overview of the company's global footprint: more than 1,500 simulator installations across over 50 countries, and the world's largest portfolio of cloud-based simulation solutions. Clients include some of the largest shipping companies and naval organisations in the world.

Participants experienced a live demonstration of ARI's 360-degree navigation simulator, an engine room simulator covering conventional, LNG, and alternative fuel systems, and an immersive VR maintenance module showcasing how virtual environments replicate complex or hazardous tasks. A dedicated session addressed cybersecurity - GPS spoofing, AIS signal manipulation, and related threats that presenters described as immediate and real-world concerns for the maritime sector.

The afternoon featured an integrated simulation demonstration showing how navigation, engineering, and VR systems operate together in cross-functional scenarios that mirror real vessel operations. The day concluded with an open Q&A session where participants engaged directly with ARI experts.

ARI Simulation is the international naval and maritime simulation arm of Zen Technologies, headquartered in India.