Strainstall's VMMS™ product is undergoing trails on board Tidal Transit's Eden Rose during normal operations serving wind farms off the UK east coast

Strainstall’s VMMS™ product significantly improves safety levels during personnel and equipment transfer operations involving offshore installations such as wind turbines. When transporting personnel from shore to the work site (or between work sites) the motion trend displays can be used by the vessel’s master to monitor and quantify its motions, enabling more effective changes in course and speed to be made. During docking operations and the offloading of personnel, the displays can be used to monitor heave levels and provide warning to the master when pre-set danger limits are about to be reached. All transfers can then be halted until conditions improve in order to safeguard personnel and avoid damage to vessels or equipment. Crucially, however, VMMS™ enables transfers to take place safely during a significantly increased operational window, as support vessel masters can monitor all motion parameters rather than relying on significant wave height as the main limiting factor.

In addition to its role in transfer operations, VMMS™ can also be used as a dedicated health and safety tool, enabling the collection and logging of data for statistical purposes as well as in accident investigations.

“This trial announced today is a significant step forward in the development of the VMMS™ product,” said Scott Cruttenden, Strainstall business development manager. “It will allow us to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of this important safety technology in real operational conditions. We’ve already seen impressive results during trials conducted by STL Research, but will now be able to see those results translated into an actual working environment. The system will be trialled on board the ‘Eden Rose’ for one month, after which time all the data collected will be available for analysis and evaluation.”

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