Out of the glare
The huge, 9,500 tonne seismic survey vessel Ramform Viking has worked in climates as diverse as West and South Africa, India, the Middle East and the Gulf of Mexico as well as Brazil’s Campos Basin – with, of course, forays into Europe.
However, given the huge variations in sunlight and temperature in these places and the sophisticated equipment that’s tied into the bridge, it’s not surprising that an antiglare solution was sought that made the visual displays easier to read, also giving a clearer view out of the windows, a necessity given the vast working areas of the deck and the broad swathe of 18 streamers being towed behind.
However, on such a big ship it’s no light investment and the fittings for the whole vessel amounted to £12,000 in all, stumped up by operator Wilhelmsen.
The SolarSafe cassette sunscreens from Solarsolv effectively reject up to 87% of heat and up to 93% of glare from the sun to significantly reduce eye-strain. A more comfortable working environment means the ships’ crew are less prone to fatigue which can cause human error.
By Stevie Knight
