Offshore wind developer Ørsted is deploying Rutter’s wave prediction technology on board selected crew transfer vessels (CTV) worldwide within its contracted fleet to improve the safe transfer of personnel to offshore wind turbines.
Roots of the initiative stretch back to 2018, when the two companies launched a project to investigate wave prediction applications for improving safety during transfers from CTVs to offshore wind turbines, resulting in the development of wave prediction capability and operational processes to make transfers safer offshore.
Rutter’s sigma S6 WaveSignal became available commercially in 2021 and has been used in trials with Ørsted, beginning on board a 27-meter CTV in the Walney Extension Windfarm and later a total of five Ørsted CTVs for a 12 month trial.
The system processes data from onboard navigation radars to predict incoming waves up to 180 seconds in advance of vessel encounter. Its primary function is wave prediction, which indicates to the crew if there are swells that will develop above safe operating limits during a transfer. Allowing crews to know in advance how waves will impact their transfer enabling them to make informed and safe decisions.
“After a long co-development of the WaveSignal with Rutter we have decided to roll the system out on the majority of our fleet,” said Mikkel Windolf, Product Line Manager at Ørsted. “Safety is of key importance for us at Ørsted, and this initiative address one of the more critical situations offshore—namely the transfer to and from small CTV vessels. We are always on the lookout for solutions that can help us improve the safety in our operations.”
Deployment aboard Ørsted's contracted fleet will commence throughout 2023.
As part of their agreement, Canada-based Rutter and Denmark-based Ørsted will continue to advance the research of radar wave prediction in offshore wind park construction and operations to further enhance safety.
Rutter's president, Fraser Edison, said, “Our unwavering commitment to enhancing offshore worker safety and pioneering innovative technologies drives our constant pursuit of being a leader in innovative radar technologies. We eagerly anticipate the continuing deployment of our systems on Ørsted’s CTV fleet, marking another stride towards safer and more efficient offshore wind park operations.”