NextOcean to Fit Motion Prediction Radar to SOV Esvagt Njord
The system will support turbine transfers at the Dudgeon offshore wind farm
NextOcean, the Netherlands-based provider of offshore vessel motion prediction technology, has been awarded a contract to supply its motion radar to the Esvagt Njord, a dedicated service operation vessel commissioned by Esvagt.
The system will support operations as the vessel continues to serve the operation and maintenance of the Dudgeon wind farm.
The WavePredictor system is designed to give crews advance insight into vessel motions in real time, with the aim of enabling safer transfers and improved decision-making in challenging sea states. Its deployment aboard the Esvagt Njord extends the company's footprint in the service operation vessel segment.
The operational case rests on the frequency of the decision rather than on any single transfer. "On an SOV, the crew makes dozens of go/no-go calls a day. Our system shows the officer on watch what the vessel is going to do in the coming minutes, so that call is backed by verified predictions and not by feel alone," said Karel Roozen, chief executive of NextOcean. "On a field like Dudgeon, where technicians need to get onto the turbine as often as the weather allows, that means both safer transfers and more workable days."
Workable days are the commercial measure in offshore wind operations and maintenance. A gangway transfer that is declined on a marginal forecast costs a technician day, and across a maintenance season those declined windows accumulate into turbine availability that the wind farm operator does not recover.
The motion radar and its accompanying software are scheduled to be installed aboard the vessel this month.
NextOcean is headquartered in Delft and originates from doctoral research at Delft University of Technology by Dr Peter Naaijen, later founded as a company in 2016 together with Roozen. Esvagt is a Danish shipping company operating in both the wind and oil and gas sectors, founded in 1981, with a fleet of more than 40 vessels and 1,400 employees offshore and onshore.
