SmartPredict: Ship position prediction instrument unveiled by Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä Corp officially launched its SmartPredict technology for safer ship manoeuvring in Florida, USA after explaining its importance at a Riviera Maritime Media conference in London in February.
Wärtsilä said SmartPredict would provide safer and more efficient vessel operations by lowering the risks associated with manoeuvring.
Prediction of future position:
Captains using the system can visualise a prediction of a vessel’s future position and heading. Smartpredict uses proven dynamic positioning (DP) analysis algorithms to evaluate the forces affecting the vessel. It can then forecast the vessel’s motion over a short period of time, helping bridge teams handle the ship more effectively.
Wärtsilä general manager of commercial operations and marine solutions Michael Ford unveiled SmartPredict at Riviera’s Annual European Dynamic Positioning Conference in London in February. He said the system would reduce the risk of ships striking quaysides and other vessels in harbours.
Automated control:
Wärtsilä’s SmartPredict software module uses the parameters utilised for automated control by a DP system and adjusts them for the motion characteristics of the specific vessel. It considers inputs such as the vessel’s current position and heading, velocity, the rate of turn and all associated accelerations. SmartPredict also considers manual commands from the coordinated control joystick, and environmental input from the onboard wind sensors.
SmartPredict has a graphical display that shows the predicted positions over time steps that the user can configure. There is also a function that overlays the position on ECDIS. SmartPredict provides clear indications of potential dangers during ship manoeuvring, which improves safety and efficiency of operations.
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Source: Wärtsilä
