IRVINE Sea Cadets steered massive cargo ships in and out of international harbours and through some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

But the youngsters were calm as they took the helms of their vessels - they were sitting at virtual controls on a simulated ship’s bridge at Glasgow Maritime Academy.

The cadets learned about navigation principles from one of the Merchant Navy’s most experienced training captains before skippering their computerised freighters in and out of famous ports such as San Francisco and Hong Kong.

Chief Petty Officer (SCC) Martyn Clarke, commanding officer of Irvine Sea Cadets, said: “Our cadets were put through their paces in the same way they would have been on the bridge of a large cargo or passenger vessel.

“It was fun but also allowed them to consolidate some of the theory they have learned while progressing through their training modules at Irvine Sea Cadets.

“I would like to thank Captain Vinil Gupta and his staff at Glasgow Maritime Academy for giving the cadets such a unique experience on state of the art digital equipment.”