DOCKINGMONITOR

"DockingMonitor - development of automated combined berthing aid and drift monitoring system for large ships, particularly oil and LNG gas tankers"

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'There are today great risks associated with the process of berthing large ships, especially so with oil and LNG tankers. Excess speed upon approach to jetty may cause damage to jetty structure, fenders and ship hull. Even more serious is the consequences of oil spills during loading/unloading of oil and LNG, in most cases caused by excess movement of the ship while moored. These spills constitute a great part of small and medium-size oil spills and incur great expenses for the oil and gas industry. With a great number of oil jetties in existence and a significant expected increase of LNG jetties, there is definitely a need for improved safety for harbour operations.

The project idea is to develop a combined berthing aid and drift monitoring system. Based on both high-end laser distance measurement and image processing, the system will significantly increase the state of the art in port safety automation. Data from the system will be transmitted to displays, PCs and handheld devices. An alarm system will alert jetty and ship crew if there is potential danger.

It is the intention of the project to: - Improve present state of the art in berthing aid systems by developing a distance measurement system that will not require distributed distance sensors as systems available today do - Introduce an opportunity to efficiently and accurately measure drift along the jetty during cargo transfer, a feature not directly available today

The project will involve extensive development work in several research areas, including machine vision programming, laser technology, control electronics, mechanical design and automation. A large market has been identified for the introduction of the DockingMonitor system. It is anticipated that the participating SMEs will gain valuable experience and great economical benefits through the completion of this project. Close cooperation with jetty owners will ensure that the project results are commercially viable.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An EU project is advancing safer methods for docking ships. The work combines a berthing aid with a drift monitoring system, both employing laser distance measurements and image processing techniques for position monitoring.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Substantial risk accompanies the berthing of large ships, especially those laden with oil or natural gas. Collisions or excessive ship movement while moored may damage jetties, or release harmful substances into harbour environments.

Thus, a need exists for improved harbour safety systems. The EU-funded http://www.dockingmonitorproject.eu (DOCKINGMONITOR) project has developed one involving a combined berthing aid and drift monitoring system. Drift monitoring means to measure the movement of a ship along a jetty during cargo transfer. The berthing aid includes a distance measuring system not requiring distributed sensors. High-end laser distance measurement and image processing are used in both.

The system is intended to improve port safety automation, sounding an alarm in the event of collision danger. The eight-member consortium runs for two years to August 2015.

Work began with defining the concept and specifying the requirements for a camera-based system able to measure drift. The project similarly collected information about and defined specifications for a docking monitor enclosure, and for the proposed monitoring and control techniques. Further specifications were defined for various other subsystems.

The team analysed various motion measuring algorithms and selected the most suitable. Related evaluations were performed on candidate concepts for providing focused and evenly illuminated images of a ship's hull regardless of ship movement. The group established camera-hardware communication and developed image processing algorithms. After acquiring necessary lighting and optical equipment, researchers conducted performance tests with a robot system and dummy hull.

Consortium members elaborated their concept for the transverse movement monitor, which included development of a custom 2D laser scanner and off-the-shelf laser pointer for testing. More realistic trials were also conducted at the Port of Oslo using a 3D scanner. Lastly, the team gathered information affecting validation of the complete system at Nyhamna, Norway.

The DOCKINGMONITOR project has developed a tool for safe berthing of large ships and for monitoring their movement during cargo transfer. Apart from improving safety and reducing the risk of environmental hazards, the system also offers considerable profit potential for European businesses.