Wärtsilä helps Wintershall Noordzee mitigate offshore hazards with next-gen marine traffic monitoring system

Wärtsilä Corporation, Trade press release 22 December 2020 at 10:00 UTC+2
  • Full access to vital VTS information is provided by the Wärtsilä Navi-Harbour WebVTS 5.0 software application, thereby enhancing the operational safety of Wintershall Noordzee’s offshore installations. © Wintershall Noordzee

Wärtsilä Voyage has successfully completed its first commercial installation of the state-of-the-art Wärtsilä Navi-Harbour WebVTS 5.0 software application. The system was ordered by Netherlands-based Wintershall Noordzee B.V. to provide greater safety for their offshore installations in the North Sea. The order was placed in Q1 2020 and the project was finalised with full customer acceptance in November.

The Wärtsilä Navi-Harbour WebVTS features an early warning system to avoid collisions between the offshore platforms and vessels in their vicinity. It works by providing remote access to Automatic Identification System (AIS) or Vessel traffic Service (VTS) data sources to maintain constant and full situational awareness, utilising a standard Internet browser. The WebVTS decision support tools effectively mitigate potential marine hazards and risks. The application also supports navigational maps, traffic management tools, ship history, and works in various languages.

"Wintershall Noordzee’s North Sea offshore facilities operate in challenging sea and weather conditions. A high number of ships, such as ferries, fishing vessels, offshore suppliers and guard vessels, are operating in the southern part of the North Sea and transiting to the major North European ports. We therefore require the highest levels of safety for both the installations and the crews manning them. For this reason, we selected Wärtsilä’s Navi-Harbour WebVTS 5.0 software solution, the very latest available solution of its type, to enable analysis of alerts based on AIS information. This provides us with a sophisticated and reliable means of maintaining situational awareness," says Manué Gerrits, Central Control Room Supervisor with Wintershall Noordzee B.V.  

“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 (CCR) located in Den Helder. 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,” says Charles Wyng, North Europe Sales, Wärtsilä Voyage.

Following the successful completion of this project, Wintershall Noordzee’s early warning system has been significantly upgraded. The Wärtsilä solution features the latest technology for providing an integrated overview of the traffic situation in any area covered by existing Wärtsilä VTS or AIS monitoring systems. The delivery scope included deployment of the AIS-Monitor Redundant Basic software, Navi-Harbour WebVTS, a VTS Information System, an AIS Network Server, an AIS Network Viewer, plus training and three years of maintenance services.

Media contacts for more information on this release: 

Mr Andreas Bodmann 
Head of Marketing 
Wärtsilä Voyage 
Tel: +49 1721649990 
andreas.bodmann@wartsila.com  

Ms Laura Quinton 
Head of External Communications  
Wärtsilä Voyage 
Tel: +358 456163133

laura.quinton@wartsila.com

 

Image caption: Full access to vital VTS information is provided by the Wärtsilä Navi-Harbour WebVTS 5.0 software application, thereby enhancing the operational safety of Wintershall Noordzee’s offshore installations. Copyright: Wintershall Noordzee

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Wärtsilä Voyage in brief  
Wärtsilä Voyage transforms how vessels perform their voyage by leveraging the latest digital technologies to deliver a step-change in safety, efficiency, reliability, and emissions. We are committed to creating a Smart Marine Ecosystem, whereby every vessel can connect to digital services that make voyaging safer and greener. With the broadest Smart Marine portfolio in the market, we are well positioned to lead the industry towards becoming digitally connected across the entire value chain and to be the first partner of choice when leveraging the latest digital technologies.  
www.wartsila.com/voyage  

 
Wärtsilä in brief  
Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2019, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 5.2 billion with approximately 19,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.  
www.wartsila.com