Ørsted is investing in remote monitoring for its fleet of offshore windfarm support vessels, while Global Marine Group (GMG) is developing a new safety feature for bridge operations
Reygar has secured a long-term framework agreement with Ørsted to supply advanced remote monitoring systems on chartered-in crew transfer vessels (CTVs), installing the BareFleet remote monitoring and reporting platform to track and analyse the performance of its chartered vessels.
Ørsted has 9.9 GW of offshore wind capacity installed and under construction. It has ordered cloud-based BareFleet to log vessel motion, fuel consumption and passenger movements.
BareFleet will provide an accurate record of events – including transit, push on, transfer and crane lifts – allowing all operational activity to be assessed for improvement or enhancement. BareFleet will collate data from existing onboard sensors across Ørsted’s varied fleet. It augments this data with motion sensor measurements, observations added manually by vessel captains and from videos of transfers.
This vessel performance information will be accessed through Reygar’s cloud-based portal and daily reporting systems. Raw data will also be available for independent analysis by Ørsted’s team.
Reygar has also started working with GMG subsidiary CWind to introduce safety features on bridges of CTVs. Together they are implementing a software upgrade for BareFleet to streamline communications during CTV operations.
The BridgeWatch upgrade provides a distraction-free method for the master to check in with the shore team at regular intervals. CWind is testing this upgrade, which alerts the master to record their presence on the bridge at regular intervals.
BareFleet automatically monitors the health and performance of critical equipment across each vessel, inclusive of engine health, fuel consumption, motion, and impact onto the turbine.
CWind director of operations Joshua Brennan said the company was working with Reygar to establish several preventative measures that minimise risk across our vessels.
“BridgeWatch is a highly efficient means for the master to touch base with the operations team and confirm that everything is okay on board,” he said.
“We have found that the one button ‘check-in’ format of the upgrade streamlines our means of communicating and helps the master to concentrate fully on the job at hand,” Mr Brennan said.
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