New drift prediction service adds additional value to ERS service

Drift Prediction is a newly implemented and integral part of DNV’s ERS™. An incident onboard a vessel can result in a disabled ship, oil spill, floating cargo or persons drifting in the water. Shipping companies and crew need to be able to determine the drift paths of ships, objects or spilled oil at an early stage after an incident to plan a prompt and efficient response when time is of the essence. In many cases, efficient handling of such incidents is significantly increased by having access to a prediction of the associated drift path.

Drawing on a software package OpenDrift – which is a generic and open-source software library for modelling trajectories of objects or substances drifting in the ocean – it predicts more accurately than any traditional methods where something is located or heading to. The simulations are executed through a web-based service hosted by MET Norway (The Norwegian Meteorological Institute). MET Norway pulls together sources of meteorological information from around the globe, that would be unreadable to the layman, and the data is combined with numerical models and repackaged to be useful.

When questioned about liferafts having Emergency Positioning-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs), Moe points out that sometimes EPIRBs become detached from a liferaft, vessel or person in the water and all have different drift patterns. DNV’s Drift Prediction can calculate these and it has already been proven in a man overboard (MOB) and a disabled ship incident.

ERS service comes with more and advanced tools and experience

Moe gives an overview of the benefits, explaining how, from the initial phone call, when the team is mobilised at the start of an incident, they know what information is required (the crew will already have the relevant forms to hand), know the important questions to ask to obtain the information required to perform the required calculations, assess the criticality of the situation on board and provide advice on handling and mitigation of the incident. “The technical manager benefits by outsourcing the handling of parts of the situation to us and being able to have peace of mind knowing we have more tools available, with capacity way beyond the onboard computers, to quantify the risk level in a situation and to advise on possible measures to improve it,” Moe explains.

During one superyacht incident, DNV ERS™ supported Fraser – one of the largerst superyacht firms – whose Safety and Crew Manager, DPA & CSO, Maxime Brégeon, summarizes the support: “DNV ERS™ was very professional, they worked days and nights over a period of a week to assist about the stability of a vessel and the best way forward to be able to move the boat. We had numerous meetings with ERS™ team via phone, camera, etc. This support and expertise was really needed and appreciated.”

Drills and exercises enable more targeted actions during incident

He adds that “Superyachts, like all vessels, follow the laws of nature. If you have an accident at sea, it is very important to quantify the physics as soon as possible, understand the level of risk, how it may change and what can be done to reduce risks.” Carrying out drills and exercises is recommended so crew get a better understanding of what their vessel can withstand and to get a better understanding of the capabilities provided by ERS™.

To know that DNV’s team of naval architects, marine engineers, master mariners, ship surveyors and approval engineers – with extensive expertise and long experience in providing ERS™ – is available 24/7 to lend support is reassuring for DPAs, captains, crew and owners of superyachts.

Benefits of ERS™

For every vessel enrolled in the service the crew and operator’s shore-based response organisation are able to:

• Quickly access damage control support 24/7

• Understand the criticality of vessel’s damage condition, even when the allowable safety margins of rules and regulations are exceeded

• Have uniform understanding of the damage situation between the crew and shore staff

• Verify their intentions and make confident decisions

• Take early, specific and effective actions

• Receive support on planning the entire time span “from incident to repair yard”

• Proactively handle the incident

• Train operational staff and test own incident response plan

• Comply with relevant and specific ERS™ requirements of rules, regulations, and requirements of authorities