In collaboration with engineering firm AMOG Consulting, remote monitoring specialist Omniflex has developed WharfWise. This is a holistic structural monitoring system that, for the first time, provides wharf operators and asset managers with real-time oversight of mooring operations and structural integrity. WharfWise can be used to monitor everything from movement of dolphins, to impacts on the fenders and tension in the mooring lines.
Driven by industry-wide carbon reduction strategies, cargo ships are becoming larger because a single ship carrying much more cargo than multiple smaller ones both lowers carbon emissions per ton, and also shipping costs per ton. However, port infrastructure designed decades ago was not built with these larger ships in mind, meaning stresses and strains on the infrastructure are much greater than anticipated.
Furthermore, as there is increasing pressure on port operations to maximise existing infrastructure, port infrastructure is occasionally operated beyond its capacity or asset life. This can impact asset performance as errors in operation or adverse weather conditions can cause additional and unexpected movement in berthed ships, which can then excessively load mooring lines and cause impacts on berth infrastructure.
Liam Hewitt, principal engineer at AMOG said, “There is almost no existing real-time feedback loop about whether operating with larger ships, often in adverse weather windows, fits the wider asset management strategy. WharfWise can correlate a wide range of data to within a millisecond, so cause and effect can be determined. For example, if a ship collides with a fender and causes a wharf pile to move excessively as a result, it can easily map the chain of events to provide immediate insights to operational and engineering personnel.”
The traditional approach to port asset management has seen operators rely on visual inspections, often on an annual basis, to identify damage and conduct patch repairs. However, in the case of concrete structures, by the time the damage is visually identifiable with cracks in the structure, it is likely approaching the end of its service life, and the maintenance cost drastically increases.
David Celine, managing director at Omniflex, explained, “WharfWise helps detect stress that could lead to damage and proactively maintain the asset by managing the main loads into the berth and the berth’s response. For example, too much movement is indicative of deeper structural issues.
“WharfWise also allows real-time adjustments of mooring lines to respond to unexpected ship movement caused by weather conditions or changing tides. This helps maintain even load distribution across all lines at all times and minimises damage. It also has safety benefits, as a snapped mooring line can result in a serious incident that endangers port personnel.”
As WharfWise provides port asset managers with detailed, time-stamped data on port infrastructure performance, it can also help them recoup capital costs for damage from ship operators. This was previously much harder to do as it was difficult to identify the exact events responsible for any damages.
Keeping an eye on invisible radiation Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
At its peak in 1994, the energy generation capacity of the UK’s nuclear power stations was 12,7 GW across 16 plants. In 2024, the capacity has fallen to around 5 GW, and the number of stations is down to nine. However, this is far from the end of the story as spent nuclear fuel remains radioactive for centuries, and requires rigorous safety processes to safeguard against leaks.
Read more...RF-Link automation module
Industrial Wireless
The DICIO is an RF-Link automation module enabling the remote control of a corresponding module.
Read more...Read/write head with system redundancy Turck Banner Southern Africa
Industrial Wireless
Turck Banner’s robust multiprotocol Ethernet read/write head adds an efficient solution to the existing RFID portfolio, with unique features in terms of startup time, communication and safety.
Read more...Plant signal conditioning Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
Flow Measurement & Control
Often, plant managers have a deep understanding of all the key operational challenges facing their facility, and have a broad knowledge of the instrumentation that can help solve them. However, they might not always be aware of the latest innovations that can make their lives even easier.
Read more...Integrating collision prevention on mines
Industrial Wireless
While South Africa leads the world in regulating the field of collision prevention in mining, a key challenge in implementing effective solutions is to secure the buy-in and collaboration of all the people involved. At the recent Mining Indaba, Booyco Electronics CEO, Anton Lourens reminded delegates that the availability of world-class technology is just one aspect of the solution.
Read more...Asset management and maintenance: choosing the right partner for the job
Industrial Wireless
An approach to improve asset maintenance and management priorities using machine learning techniques, asset maintenance, and management activities are described as typical services provided by a physical asset maintenance firm. The statement underscores the importance of partnering with the right service provider to manage and maintain assets.
Read more...Flexible strip light for industrial applications Turck Banner Southern Africa
Industrial Wireless
Turck Banner’s new WLF12 Pro enables users to install strip lights on curved surfaces or anywhere a slim, low-profile indicator light is needed on industrial equipment. Machine status is easily communicated to people working nearby due to the light’s multicolour capabilities and advanced animations.
Read more...Predictive maintenance in artificial lift monitoring systems RJ Connect
Industrial Wireless
With the trend in oil field digitisation gaining momentum, telematics can be tremendously useful in understanding equipment status, to facilitate predictive maintenance and avoid downtime.
Read more...Upgrade your legacy alarm units Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
IS & Ex
Darren Barratt, sales manager at alarm annunciator specialist Omniflex, explains the drawbacks of leaving outdated rack-based alarm annunciator systems in place, and why an upgrade might be simpler than you would expect.
Read more...Remote asset condition monitoring and anomaly detection Iritron
Industrial Wireless
Asset condition monitoring, anomaly detection, and failure prediction are becoming more critical in all industries. The real-time monitoring of assets located in remote locations for the detection of anomalies can become very expensive, and the implementation of solutions for remote equipment monitoring has been slow in coming. However, this hurdle can now be overcome
printer friendly version