Amarcon to supply OCTOPUS-Onboard for Wagenborg’s ‘Walk to work vessel’

OCTOPUS-Onboard will help to increase workability and safety for offshore operations.

12 March, 2014 – Amarcon, part of the ABB group, has received an OCTOPUS-Onboard order from the Dutch company Wagenborg for its pioneering new-build ‘Walk to work vessel’. This new type of offshore maintenance support vessel is currently being built at the Royal Niestern Sander shipyard in the Netherlands.

The dynamically positioned, DP2 vessel, will be 79 m overall with a breadth of 16 m, draught of 5.4 m, service speed of 12.5 knots and 10,000hp. The vessel is expected to be delivered early 2015.

The vessel will be deployed in order to support the NAM (Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij) during its offshore operations in the coming ten years in a more efficient, safe and cost-effective manner. The vessel will be utilized in maintenance and service projects at the offshore locations of NAM and Shell UK in the Southern North Sea.

Amarcon will deliver an extensive OCTOPUS-Onboard installation including motion monitoring & forecasting and the DP Capability forecast function, in order to increase workability and safety during offshore supply operations. The master of the vessel will have access to a clear DP Capability operational window on the OCTOPUS-Onboard monitor. A forecast is shown if the vessel is capable of maintaining her DP position in changing environmental conditions, and under which heading the operation can be executed. The OCTOPUS system enables the master to have insight in safe and efficient operational windows when un- and offloading maintenance staff and loads to the offshore platforms.

In addition to the onboard decision support that OCTOPUS offers, Wagenborg will have access to OCTOPUS-Online. This way the onshore operations department is constantly informed about location and status of the vessel. All the collected data from the vessel, such as forecasted and measured motions can be viewed for further analysis and to set new operational criteria.

Amarcon, a fully owned subsidiary of ABB, provides monitoring and forecasting software solutions for performance and availability optimization of sea-going vessels, and is the leader in vessel motion prediction solutions. ABB acquired Amarcon in August 2012 in order to strengthen its long-term growth strategy in vessel information and control systems. Amarcon and ABB offer the widest portfolio of marine advisory and optimization systems in the maritime market.

For help with any technical terms in this release, please go to: www.abb.com/glossary