Kongsberg Vessel Motion Monitoring Solution
The VMM 200, a sophisticated new vessel motion monitoring solution from Kongsberg Seatex, Kongsberg Maritime‘s specialist position reference and satellite positioning division, is set to improve the safety and efficiency of operations where accurate vessel motion data is critical. This unique new attitude determination solution is the first of its kind and is made possible through decades of position and motion reference experience and deliveries.Until the release of the VMM 200, actively monitoring the vessel motions in 6-degrees-of-freedom in any point has not been possible. The VMM 200 is a decision support tool for marine operations such as light well intervention, offshore crane operations, module handling on deck and over moonpool, and launch & recovery of ROVs. The VMM 200 takes input from Kongsberg Seatex’s own Motion Reference Units (MRU). It also integrates data from existing navigation and weather sensors and can also be delivered with an interface to wave radar. Many vessels already have the majority of these sensors onboard and the VMM is able to combine their data to ensure that an accurate representation of a vessel’s motion at various points can be presented within its user-friendly interface.
“By combining the MRU, navigation and meteorological sensor input, the VMM 200 enables the user to monitor the motion of any user defined point of interest on the vessel. The system will give alarms and warnings when the motion level exceeds user-defined limits,” comments the Product Manager, Finn Otto Sanne, Kongsberg Seatex. “The vessel motion data supplied by the VMM 200 has never been available before in such a dedicated and accurate format.”
The VMM 200 presents real time vessel motion data in addition to real time statistical analysis. The presentation of trends in vessel motion helps operators to define limits at certain points of a vessel with alarms and warnings to ensure operations do not take place when it is unsafe to do so. These decisions are based on the statistical analysis of prior vessel motion, which is made possible through the VMM 200’s extensive recording functionality, with the amount and duration of data stored only limited by hard-disk capacity.
The VMM 200 is a two module solution with a Processing and an Operator Unit connected via Ethernet (sensors can be connected via Ethernet or serial). The Processing Unit runs all critical computations independent from the user interface on the Operator Unit to ensure continuous and reliable operation. Multiple Operator Units can be connected to the same Processing Unit in a networked architecture. The Operator Units present the vessel motion data in a clear and easy to understand format to ensure decision making based on the available data is as efficient as possible.