Navigating rough seas

ISSUE: Making navigational changes without adversely affecting energy performance

Volatile and unpredictable weather patterns can greatly affect the voyage of vessels sailing medium-to long-haul voyages, particularly for tanker and container vessels, car carriers and others sailing on intercontinental routes. Despite efficient voyage planning, navigational adjustments need to be taken in order to respond to sea state, weather patterns and other factors. These adjustments change the voyage and can greatly affect fuel consumption. The vessel's navigators have a demanding task of making control changes while maintaining energy efficiency.

SOLUTION: Marorka's Navigation Module

Marorka's Navigation Module is aimed specifically at the operator on the bridge. Its purpose is to make navigation as easy and efficient as possible. It gives a complete overview of the navigational data and important fuel indexes.
The Module gathers, analyzes and displays GPS, weather and sea-state information, generates recommendations on operational improvements, and allows the operator to quickly observe how to improve the vessel's energy efficiency with respect to navigation. The Module display is commonly split into four monitoring sections: Bridge, Sea Passage, Weather, and Voyage Information.
The Decision Support for the Module relies partly on the Voyages Unit and also communicates with the Propulsion Module. It uses measured data, along with its own mathematical models and optimization algorithms, to analyze performance and find the optimal navigational profile. Optimal values and recommendations regarding parameter adjustments are shown in the module display. Recommendations contain information about the current operation and settings, and inform the operator of what could be gained by changing the parameters to certain values.