Wintershall uses vessel monitoring to prevent ship and offshore platform collisions

Wintershall Noordzee is using the vessel traffic monitoring system for its installations in the Netherlands to mitigate hazards and improve safety.

Wärtsilä Voyage said it commissioned this system, the first commercial installation of its Navi-Harbour vessel traffic service (VTS) application.

Wärtsilä expects the Navi-Harbour WebVTS 5.0 software application will provide greater safety using an early warning system to avoid collisions between the offshore platforms and vessels in their vicinity. It provides remote access to automatic identification system (AIS) and VTS data sources to maintain constant and full situational awareness, using a standard internet browser. Its application also supports navigational charts and traffic management tools.

Wintershall Noordzee central control room supervisor Manué Gerrits said WebVTS was important for preventing vessels colliding with North Sea offshore facilities operating in challenging sea and weather conditions.

“A high number of ships, such as ferries, fishing vessels, offshore suppliers and guard vessels operate in the southern part of the North Sea and transit to the major North European ports,” said Mr Gerrits. “We therefore require the highest levels of safety for both the installations and the crews manning them,” he said.

“For this reason, we selected Wärtsilä’s Navi-Harbour WebVTS 5.0 software solution to enable analysis of alerts based on AIS information. This provides us with a sophisticated and reliable means of maintaining situational awareness,” Mr Gerrits added.

Wintershall Noordzee’s early warning system has been significantly upgraded through this installation. “The system makes it possible for vessels in the vicinity of the platforms to be visible, not only locally but also in Wintershall Noordzee’s central control room located in Den Helder, [the Netherlands],” said Wärtsilä Voyage north Europe sales manager Charles Wyng.

“In addition, the historical record generated by the system can be used later for playback and analysis, helping to drive continuous improvement of future operational efficiency,” he said.

Wintershall Noordzee is owned by a joint venture between Wintershall Dea and PJSC Gazprom. It is one of the larger producers of natural gas in the Dutch sector of the southern North Sea, operating more than 20 offshore production installations and six subsea wells.

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