Harren & Partner orders OCTOPUS-Onboard with DP-Forecast functionality

The German shipping group Harren & Partner / Offshore Installation Group (OIG) placed an order for the installation of three OCTOPUS-Onboard systems. Harren & Partner was founded in 1989 and has been expanding ever since. Today H & P operates a fleet of about 60 vessels consisting of tankers, container feeders, bulk ships, heavy lift, as well as dock ships. The Offshore Installation Group is a full-fledged EPCI provider with a fleet of 3 specialized offshore construction vessels with 2 new buildings to be delivered in 2012 / 2013. The OIG GIANT type vessels are in-house designed, state-of-the-art vessels and are equipped with the best technologies.

Amarcon is pleased with the order of three OCTOPUS-Onboard systems for the multipurpose heavy lift vessels OIG Giant I (former Blue Giant), the OIG Giant II (former Combidock IV) and the new build OIG Giant III. Part of the OCTOPUS-Onboard installations shall be Amarcon’s DP-Forecast functionality. Amarcon’s Jaap Jan Stoker, explains how to this functionality relates to the actual DP sytem onboard the H&P vessels: “The OCTOPUS-DP capability forecast actually hasn’t got a direct link with the onboard DP system. Our DP Forecast software basically calculates an onboard forecast of the mean and slowly varying forces acting on the vessel due to currents, wind and waves. The calculations are based on measured environmental conditions and on weather forecasts, which are an integrated part of OCTOPUS-Onboard. The thruster properties are used as input. With the information a captain can easily see if the actual onboard DP configuration is resistant against expected forces or that it is better to stop and start the operation at a different time. Safe heading sectors are presented in Polar Plots and the workable conditions and the vessels DP capability for various headings are shown in a clearly understandable time window, hours and days ahead. This way Harren & Partner will be able to plan offshore operations very accurately, using the valuable time windows as efficient as possible.

Another specialized feature within the OCTOPUS functionality for the three H&P vessels is the TMS motion measurement system with a three sensor set-up. With a three-sensor setup OCTOPUS-TMS can monitor motions, velocities and accelerations in real-time in any virtual sensor location. With the additional crane-tip monitoring, an interface will be established between OCTOPUS and the crane system. Here the OCTOPUS-TMS-3 is capable of delivering the motions and accelerations of the crane tip.

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