The maritime industry is buzzing with news that could reshape how we think about dynamic positioning (DP) systems. These systems are the unsung heroes keeping vessels steady in treacherous waters, but what happens when they fail? Picture this: an offshore supply vessel collides with an oil rig, a dive support vessel puts divers in harm’s way, or a drilling rig experiences a catastrophic blowout. It’s a nightmare scenario, but built-in redundancy is the key to avoiding such disasters. This redundancy dictates the thruster, electrical, and engine configurations designed to keep DP systems humming.
Lauri Tiainen, Director of Thrusters and Propulsion Control Systems at Wärtsilä Marine, drives the point home: “There is no single, universal solution.” Each vessel has its own operational quirks and design considerations. Vessels in shallow waters, especially those supporting walk-to-work operations, need different solutions compared to traditional oil and gas vessels operating in deeper waters. Wärtsilä’s approach starts with examining the hydrodynamic and aerodynamic forces acting on a vessel and figuring out how to counteract them with thrusters. This includes placing and integrating steerable and tunnel thrusters within the hull to optimize propulsion efficiency. Electrical systems, gensets, and DP control systems are then chosen to support the required redundancy and performance needs.
DP systems are becoming increasingly crucial in offshore wind projects. Wärtsilä has rolled out new technologies, like the WST-E thruster family, designed specifically for specialized shallow-water applications. They’ve also been pushing for 8°-tilted thruster designs, which reduce thruster-hull interactions, lower energy consumption, and improve positional accuracy. But Wärtsilä isn’t stopping there. They’ve developed the OPTI-DP simulation tool and thruster allocation logic, which provides detailed insights into thruster-to-thrusters and thruster-to-hull interactions. This tool allows for the simulation of environmental operating conditions, with independent wind, wave, and current directions, and the ability to simulate multiple failures. It’s a game-changer for ensuring safe and efficient DP operations.
Meanwhile, ABB Marine & Ports is making waves with its ABB Ability Marine Pilot Control. This system uses speed-dependent hydrodynamic models of the ship and its thrusters to increase the energy efficiency of DP operations. Kalevi Tervo, Corporate Executive Engineer and Global Program Manager at ABB Marine & Ports, explains that these models encode the behavior of the ship and the thrusters into a format which the control system can use to proactively “understand, plan and decide” the most efficient control strategies. This is especially beneficial in dynamic situations, but it’s also useful for steady situations due to the ability to use the most efficient thruster angles.
Miros has also jumped into the fray with its new wave and vessel motion prediction technology, PredictifAI. This technology anticipates the future to improve the energy efficiency of DP operations by providing accurate and real-time wave, wind, and current predictions. It’s a monitoring solution that automatically adapts to varying sea and weather conditions, leveraging machine learning and advanced data analytics to continuously improve its forecasting accuracy.
Kongsberg Maritime is taking a big-picture approach to DP optimization, focusing on offshore wind operations. They’ve developed functionality that enables vessels to maneuver within a wind farm more efficiently, saving fuel and time and increasing safety. Birger Teien Evensen, Sales Director – Offshore at Kongsberg Maritime, highlights that this functionality allows vessels to move into a safety zone and reach an optimal position for gangway operations automatically, even for floating wind farms. In another big move, Kongsberg Maritime has addressed the challenges of transporting and installing giant floating wind turbines with Tow Assist, a DP system that enables unpowered floating structures to become DP-enabled. This system was successfully trialed in the North Sea in summer 2024 and is set to be commercially available in 2025.
So, what’s the takeaway? The maritime industry is on the cusp of a DP revolution. As offshore wind projects gain traction, the demand for efficient and reliable DP systems will only increase. Companies like Wärtsilä, ABB, Miros, and Kongsberg Maritime are leading the charge, developing innovative solutions that push the boundaries of what’s possible. But this is just the beginning. As we look to the future, we can expect to see even more advancements in DP technology, driven by the need for greater efficiency, safety, and sustainability. The question is, who will be the first to bring the next big innovation to the table? The race is on, and it’s going to be one heck of a ride.
