TransitAnalyst: the latest OMC product to help with pilotage

TransitAnalyst is an exciting new product designed to help ports and pilots improve safety and efficiency in the world of “Big Data”. It does this by automatically compiling a database of past pilotage jobs (or “transits”) and providing a powerful set of tools to filter, visualize, and analyse these transits. This is work that OMC has frequently been asked to perform for clients, however TransitAnalyst is designed to be so simple to use that pilots and pilotage managers will be able to perform these types of investigations themselves, with just a few clicks of a mouse.

TransitAnalyst records AIS and PPU log file data for each transit, along with environmental conditions and pilot comments. Automated logic running in the cloud performs analysis and tagging of transits, allowing very specific sets of transits to be retrieved, such as “Container vessels greater than 280m LOA inbound to berth 5 when wind is stronger than 25 knots from the SW”. Resulting vessel tracks can then be overlaid and trends and outliers easily identified.

Application of TransitAnalyst includes training junior pilots, self-review, peer review, development and monitoring of Standard Operating Procedures, planning for upcoming jobs under marginal conditions, and proactive identification of pilotage risks and potential efficiency improvements.

Perhaps most important of all, introduction of TransitAnalyst will help promote and support a positive safety culture in pilotage organisations through encouraging open discussion of safety related issues, based on a shared clear view of objective facts.

If your pilotage organisation aims to make better-informed, evidence based, pilotage decisions then contact OMC to enquire about joining our group of early adopters of this exciting new product.

TransitAnalyst: Helping ports and pilots navigate the age of Big Data.

Full scale validations undertaken in the Columbia River Bar with iHeave2

by omc-admin

The new iHeave2 prototypes have proven to combine the accurate vessel motion measurement capabilities of the original devices at a fraction of the size and weight, plus reduced setup complexity. The “production” version of the devices will improve on size and weight still further.

The iHeave2 devices are much lighter and smaller in size than the original.

From December 2020 – March 2021, the Columbia River Bar Pilots conducted transit measurements on vessels transiting the Columbia River Bar, using an OMC International iHeave device. In total 30 vessel transits were successfully measured; 4 inbound and 26 outbound. Sailing Drafts of the vessels ranged between 5.28m and 10.21m for Inbound vessels, 8.7m and 13.1m for Outbound vessels.

This is the fifth vessel measurement campaign for the CRB Pilots in which OMC has been involved, marking a decade of collaboration.

The latest generation iHeave also provides real-time motion capabilities and device status displays through a touch screen interface. Data is sent to OMC wirelessly via a Wi-Fi link, enabling live in-situ UKC displays and real-time stability data validation.

The iHeave2 display showing roll, pitch and heave in real-time.

With more than 700 full scale validations conducted across 45 locations proving the accuracy of its vessel motion response calculations, DUKC® is the most comprehensively validated UKC management system available.

DUKC record-breaking client, Port of Melbourne

DUKC® Client Records

by omc-admin

A big congratulations to our clients who have broken records so far in 2021! If you would like to share your port’s achievements, please get in touch with us.

JUN

Saqr

Draft Record

On July 23rd, bulk carrier Zagori sets a new record for Saqr Port, with a draft of 13.18m.

JUN

St Lawrence

Tonnage Record

With a capacity of 6,730 TEU, the MSC Melissa becomes the largest container ship to sail St. Lawrence River, measuring 303m long and 40m wide.

JUN

Pilbara Region

Tonnage Record

Pilbara Ports Authority achieves a record-breaking annual throughput of 724.7MT, exceeding 700MT for the first time.

APR

Melbourne

Ship Record

The Soroe Maersk at 347 metres long and a capacity of 9640 TEU is the largest ship ever to enter the Port of Melbourne.

FEB

Melbourne

Ship Record

At 9200 TEU, the CMA CGM Loire becomes the heaviest vessel to berth at West Swanson Dock.

FEB

Melbourne

Ship Record

The OOCL Canada, measuring at 335m long, 42.9m wide, with a displacement of 120,000 tonnes and 8.888 TEU, becomes the largest and heaviest container vessel to berth at West Swanson Terminal.

Successful PortWeather collaboration with Lyttelton

by omc-admin

Neil McLennan

Engineering Adviser | Lyttelton Port Company

My first experience of weather measurement in Lyttelton was in 1975 when we had 2 Munro clockwork instruments in the port. This involved a weekly visit to a mounting platform, changing the paper roll, replenishing the ink and winding the clockwork drive. These were progressively upgraded to electrical then electronic instruments.

Following damage to our one instrument site as a result of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes we took a fresh look at how we used and could use meteorological data, and as a result we increased our instrumentation sites to 7, 4 of which were in Lyttelton. This number now stands at 9 land based sites, plus 3 marine wave and tide measurement sites.

A wide range of real time and forecast alerts are generated for our different operational areas. These are used to manage risks such as coal dust, container roll, plant operational limits, safe marine pilotage, vessel mooring, infra-gravity wave vessel surging, dust from dry bulk unloading, and dry dock painting and abrasive blasting. Wave inputs also assist our understanding of sediment transport processes, of benefit to management of our annual maintenance dredging programme.

Following an earlier engagement of OMC to provide their DUKC® under-keel clearance management system, we have worked with New Zealand’s MetService in partnership with OMC to deliver their Portweather platform.

This has achieved for all our users a significant improvement in clarity of presentation, ability to configure screens and devices to suit different operational needs and to analyse historical and near real time data.

OMC, MetService and LPC have collaborated to deliver a very successful project for the Port.

World Engineering Day 2021

by omc-admin

05/03/2021

On World Engineering Day, we take a look at the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and the contribution digital technologies and innovation are making in the maritime industry as it transitions towards the SDGs.

Click here to read the full story.

2020 Year in Review

by omc-admin

JAN

DUKC® Installation

Saqr (UAE) DUKC^® commissioned for RAK Ports.

Study

UKC study conducted for Gisborne, NZ.

FEB

Miros Installation

Installation of Miros at Hay Point, QLD.

MAR

DUKC® Upgrade

DUKC^® system upgrade for Port Taranaki, NZ.

APR

Depth Analysis

Depth optimisation analysis for Mistaken Island, WA.

Dredge Analysis

Dredge optimisation analysis for the deep draft tanker route at Geelong, VIC.

Study

Passing vessel interaction study for RG Tanna berths, QLD.

MAY

Study

UKC & accessibility study for Lucky Bay, WA.

JUN

UKCM Upgrade

AMSA UKCM upgrade for Torres Strait.

BerthAlert Installation

Alcoa (Kwinana, WA) BerthAlert commissioned.

Study

UKC assessment for ULCC at TangerMed, Morocco.

JUL

Study

Dynamic mooring analysis for Port Adelaide Outer Harbour berths, SA.

AUG

DUKC® Upgrade

DUKC^® upgrade for Marsden Point / Whangerai, NZ.

Study

Mooring and passing vessel interaction study for Port Hedland, WA.

SEPT

Study

Bluff UKC Study.

Dredge Analysis

Dredge optimisation analysis for Saqr Port, UAE.

OCT

Mooring Analysis

Dynamic mooring analysis for the Smith Bay Floating Wharf study at Kangaroo Island, SA.

NOV

BerthAlert Upgrade

BerthAlert upgrade for Hay Point, QLD.

Mooring Analysis

Assessment of alternative mooring arrangements for the Dampier Cargo Wharf, WA.

DEC

Miros Installation

Installation of Miros at Abbot Point, QLD.

PortWeather Installation

PortWeather commissioned for Lyttelton, NZ.

PortWeather Installation

PortWeather commissioned for Wellington, NZ.

2020 Client Records

JAN

Saqr

Draft Record

The first ship sailing under the new DUKC® system at Saqr Port had a draft of 12.76m, 56cm deeper than the previous maximum draft.

Saqr

Draft Record

The Ganga K sails from Saqr port with a new record draft of 12.83m.

Saqr

Draft Record

At a draft of 12.85m, Elbabe becomes the deepest draft vessel to sail out of Saqr port, 65cm deeper than the static draft.

MAR

Melbourne

Ship Record

MSC Pamela calls to Melbourne, at a length of 336.7m and beam of 45.7m, it makes her the largest container ship to successfully berth at Swanson Dock.

APR

Fremantle

Draft Record

At a draft of 14.7m and displacement of 138,820 tonnes, the MSC Sindy set a new record for the deepest vessel ever to depart Fremantle Inner Harbour.

JUN

Port Hedland

Tonnage Record

The Port of Port Hedland reported a record-breaking monthly throughput of 51.7Mt for iron ore; the first time the port exceeded 50Mt throughput for the month.

Port Hedland

Tonnage Record

Annual iron ore exports at the Port of Port Hedland totalled 531.5Mt, an increase of 24.9Mt or five per cent from the previous year.

AUG

Saqr

Draft Record

On August 10th, the MV Soho Mandate loaded a cargo of Clinker at Berth 12 in the Inner Harbour of Saqr Port with a final draft of 13.02m, allowing the vessel to load approximately 7000t of additional cargo.

OCT

Saqr

Draft Record

On October 15th, the ASIA RUBY sets a record draft of 13.1m for Saqr Port.

NOV

Melbourne

Ship Record

The MSC Rachele arrived with a displacement of 123,900 mt, the heaviest vessel ever for East Swanson dock.

2020 Testimonials

“[OMC’s] professional approach and high level of technical knowledge has made the whole project a pleasure to work on. The impact on the berth is now well understood and early warning processes allow for timely decision making and ultimately much safer outcomes.“

Peter Hughes, Operations Area Manager

Alcoa, October 2020

"We would like to emphasize that the invaluable DUKC® system has assisted vessel owners & operators to load more cargo and earn extra freight to stay competitive in today's demanding market."

Matthew K George,

National Shipping Services (UAE), September 2020

"The loading plan under DUKC® has always been smoothly coordinated by RAK ports with no safety challenges or risks to the ships keel touching bottom at any point of time, whilst loading the maximum possible cargo. This system has proven to benefit various stakeholders intending to maximize their cargo intake per call, resulting in freight benefits for vessel operators and savings for charterers in terms of more cargo received per shipment."

Errol Seaman, General Manager Southern Gulf

Inchcape Shipping Services, September 2020

“While efficient, Pilbara Ports Authority has also sought to be innovative, and has invested in world-leading projects and maritime technologies to maximise port efficiency and safety. These have allowed for the management of larger vessels, increasing vessel draft and increasing loaded capacity on vessels, while reducing risk.”

Roger Johnston, CEO

Pilbara Ports Authority, September 2020

“My involvement with the PortWeather data presentation website began at the first stage - what do we as pilots want to see and how do we want to see it. The end product is a fantastic aid to decision making and planning of passages where wind, weather, tidal height and currents play a role - in Melbourne and Geelong that is every piloted ship!"

Captain Toby Shelton

Port Phillip Sea Pilots, July 2020

"PPSP is proud to have collaborated with OMC International for the implementation of a DUKC® program in order to expand our ports’ capabilities. We now bring tankers drawing up to 14.7 metres through the notorious Port Phillip Heads, and pilot 100,000 DWT containerships up to 337 metres in length and 48-metres in width up the Yarra River to the container terminals at Swanson Dock, a facility originally built to handle vessels of just 227 metres."

Port Phillip Sea Pilots

June 2020 (DCN Magazine)

“It’s great to see innovative Australian technology delivering world class safety and huge economic value for our resources sector.”
"“Resource and energy exports are vital to Australia’s economy and it’s essential to ensure safety of shipping whilst optimising throughput. DUKC® is facilitating ports to achieve this.”

Hon Keith Pitt MP

Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, April 2020

"MSC Sindy set a new record being the deepest-draft ship ever to depart Fremantle Inner Harbour. The 336.7m Sindy has a draft of 14.6m. While the harbour is dredged to 14.7m...our DUKC system made it possible for the ship to transit safety out of the Inner Harbour. Fremantle can handle the largest container ships visiting Australia."

David Heppingstone, Acting Harbour Master

Fremantle Ports, March 2020

Conferences of 2020

by omc-admin

Conferences in 2020 were like never before with virtual the new reality. Although disappointed it couldn’t be held face to face in Tasmania, OMC was proud to support the IHMA Congress, in addition to presenting two papers. Peter O’Brien presented with Lyle Banks from the Pilbara Ports Authority on the Dynamic Port Capacity Model, and how it is utilised to understand the port’s operations and evaluate growth strategies. Laurence Benn presented OMC’s work for TasPorts on the risk assessment for bringing larger vessels under the Tasman Bridge.

Dr. Reza Javanmardi and the OMC R&D team had several papers published, including an examination into scale effect in self-propelled container ship squat, the application of AI for equation of motion parameter identification, and an investigation into the influence of sway and yaw on the modelling of roll, which was presented at PIANC APAC 2020.

Dr. Reza Javanmardi presenting virtually for PIANC APAC.

Dr. Giles Lesser presented at the NZ Maritime Pilots Association conference in Otago on OMC’s latest developments which will deliver new insights into transits. More to come on this in 2021.

Peter O’Brien (left) and Laurence Benn (center left) both presented at the IHMA Congress. Dr. Reza Javanmardi (center right) presented at PIANC APAC, and Dr. Giles Lesser presented at the NZ Maritime Pilots Association conference.

To view previous technical papers by OMC International, click here.

eMPX Collaboration

by omc-admin

The team at eMPX are gaining a lot of traction with their innovative electronic Master Pilot Exchange application. OMC are pleased to be collaborating with eMPX to deliver integration with DUKC^®.

The integration allows display of critical under keel clearance information directly within the eMPX app. For example, DUKC^® passage plans and reports can be retrieved, making accessing and sharing key transit information with masters and those that require it simple and seamless.

25 Years in the Pilbara

by omc-admin

At OMC, we’re incredibly proud of our history of partnering long term with many of our clients, and highly value these close working relationships.

2020 marks 25 years of DUKC® in the Pilbara with both the Dampier and Port Hedland systems being commissioned in 1995. Notably, in 2020 iron ore became the first Australian commodity to crack $100 billion in annual export value. Whilst COVID19 travel restrictions ruled out on-site celebrations, it’s an opportune time to reflect on the incredible growth of the Pilbara iron ore industry.

In 1995 Port Hedland had just achieved a record annual throughput of 57.6m tonnes, and with DUKC^® sailed 3 vessels on a tide with a combined cargo of almost 500,000. This year, iron ore exports from the Pilbara exceeded 850m tonnes, and more than 8b tonnes of iron ore has sailed under DUKC^® advice since 1995.

Port of Port Hedland’s increased export tonnages three years after DUKC® had been installed.

The Port Hedland and Dampier DUKC® systems were released in the same year as these mobile phones.

Notably, in 2020 iron ore became the first Australian commodity to crack $100 billion in annual export value.

Since those early versions of DUKC^®, the system has since evolved into with a full suite of port optimisation and risk management solutions. So whilst the technology has changed, the goals haven’t: safer, more efficient shipping and port operations.

“While efficient, Pilbara Ports Authority has also sought to be innovative, and has invested in world-leading projects and maritime technologies to maximise port efficiency and safety.
These have allowed for the management of larger vessels, increasing vessel draft and increasing loaded capacity on vessels, while reducing risk.”
Roger Johnston, CEO, Pilbara Ports Authority, September 2020

BerthAlert

by omc-admin