New wave software has been tested which supports offshore wind operations in real time and provides accurate wave data information vital to determining vessel operational limits.
The Miros WaveFinder has been developed as an alternative to traditional methods of assessing personnel transfer safety from vessel to offshore wind structures, as these involve the visual assessment of wave conditions and can be inaccurate. WaveFinder feeds into BMO Offshore’s data management system, facilitating the monitoring of operational limits.
“We have carried out comparative studies and found poor correlation between the visually reported wave height and that measured by reference equipment,” explained Gijs Hulscher, managing director of BMO Offshore.
Bibby Marine Services tested the technology on its Bibby WaveMaster 1, a walk-to-work service operation vessel (SOV) that makes use of a motion-compensated gangway to transfer crew to and from assets. When using the gangway from Bibby WaveMaster 1 and making connections to an asset, a significant wave height limit is enforced, usually by the charterer.
WaveFinder provides detailed project reports delivered to the Cloud. This means stakeholders based onshore also gain full access to the relevant information.
The ability to analyse historical operational data provides the potential for technical and operational improvements in subsequent missions.
Rob Osborne, support & innovation engineer at Bibby Marine Services, said: “We are creating a transparent culture around what our vessels can achieve. This enables us to answer questions about our operational limits and abilities, replacing assumptions and guesswork with data and facts.”
By Rebecca Jeffrey
