Spill detecting radar processor at Seawork

Also of interest to many at Seawork will be the Sigma S6 radar processor from Rutter Technologies which has only recently completed a successful independent sea trial in Norway confirming its viability as a processing system for oil spill detection. The trial in April proved that in sea states ranging between 2 and 4, the Sigma S6 could detect oil on the surface from a moving vessel under conventional marine X-band and S-band radars.

The exercise was sanctioned by the Norwegian government and carried out under the supervision of the Norwegian Clean seas Association for Operating Companies (NOFO), Norconsult, Norway’s largest consulting engineering group, and the Norwegian Coast Guard.

NOFO is an oil spill response organisation established by the 18 operating companies (largely oil and gas). Its mandate is to protect the environment and ensure that the regional authority’s oil spill recovery guidelines are followed. The ‘KV Harstad’, a multi-purpose Norwegian Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel, was used to deploy the oil and test the radar technology. Coordinated, time stamped, aerial and satellite images provided detection comparisons using different sensors.

The trial was consucted in an area north of Andoya Island, Norway, in April. Weather during the tests was fair, with sunny periods and some clouds, ENE wind of from 7 to 9 m/s and sea state 4. Later in the second test the wind had calmed to 4 to 5 m/s and sea state 2 to 3.

The trial involved three tests. The first test involved a 400 litre oil spill and the Sigma S6 was able to etect the slick on short pulse with Furuno radar at a distance of 1 nautical mile. The second spill of 800 litres was etected at 1 nautical mile using both the X and S-band radars. In a third test involving a 200 litre spill the slick was detectd at one half a nautical mile using the x-band radar.

The trial proved that a Rutter Sigma S6 radar processor connected to conventional marine radar can detect oil on the sea surface. The trial is significant because it allows vessels tasked with oil spill recovery to detect and track the oil spill while moving.