Wärtsilä has successfully carried out remote control of a ship, using Dynamic Positioning and manual joystick control to operate a vessel in the North Sea from a California base.
Situated 5,000 miles away from the ship, Wärtsilä instructed the platform supply vessel, Highland Chieftain, to carry out different manoeuvres at high and low speeds over a 4 hour period.
The trial, which saw the vessel respond to all instructions given, was carried out in collaboration with Gulfmark Offshore, the U.S. based operator which provided the vessel for the project.
The vessel was installed with Wärtsilä Nacos Platinum package for Navigation, Automation and Dynamic Positioning systems, as well as a Wärtsilä drives package.
In addition, temporary software was added to the DP system in order to route data over the vessel’s satellite link to the onshore work station in California.
Reportedly, no land based technology was used to communicate between the vessel and the remote operation station. Standard bandwidth onboard satellite communication was used.
According to Wärtsilä, remote control and remote monitoring is the first step to achieving smart and intelligent shipping. Andrea Morgante, Head of Digital, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions, believes that this test proves that the industry is well on its way to achieving this.
Earlier this year, Svitzer and Rolls-Royce demonstrated remote control of a tug from a quay side in Copenhagen. The captain was situated at Svitzer’s headquarters and carried out berthing, undocking, 360° turns and piloting to the HQ before docking again.
Fleet Transformation: The Event
Remote control, autonomous operations and robotics are key players in the transformation of shipping. To understand more about the strategies and technologies that are being used to transform fleet and business efficiency, register for Fathom’s Fleet Transformation event 2017.
The two-day event, held 25-26 October, is free for shipowners and operators. Register here.
Fathom-News
editor@fathom-mi.com
