Offshore staff
ST. JOHN’S, Canada — Rutter and Ørsted have formed a partnership supporting safe transfer of personnel to offshore wind turbines using Rutter’s WaveSignal prediction technology.
Ørsted will deploy the sigma S6 WaveSignal to selected crew transfer vessels (CTVs) worldwide. This is a radar-based wave prediction tool said to provide real-time prediction of quiet period operational windows, with an intuitive mini-display co-developed with Ørsted. The data help personnel identify if it is safe to undertake a transfer.
Rutter made the technology available in early 2021 following over a decade of research. The system processes data from onboard navigation radars to predict incoming waves up to 180 seconds in advance of a vessel encounter.
In 2018, the two companies initiated a project investigating wave prediction applications for improving safety during transfers from CTVs to offshore wind turbines.
The system's primary function is wave prediction, indicating to the crew if there are swells that could exceed safe operating limits during a transfer. It has undergone trials with Ørsted since 2021, initially onboard a 27-m CTV in the Walney Extension wind farm in the East Irish Sea offshore Cumbria, UK, and later for five Ørsted CTVs for a 12-month trial.
09.26.2023
