NextOcean has secured a contract to equip Esvagt’s service operation vessel (SOV) Esvagt Njord with its WavePredictor vessel-motion prediction technology.
The system will be used to support offshore operations at the Dudgeon offshore wind farm in the UK, where Esvagt Njord has been deployed for operation and maintenance (O&M).
NextOcean’s WavePredictor uses motion radar and software to provide crews with real-time predictions of vessel movements, helping them assess conditions ahead of personnel transfers and make operational decisions in challenging sea states.
The system provides advance information on vessel motions during offshore operations, supporting safer transfers of technicians between the SOV and wind turbines and potentially increasing the number of weather conditions in which transfers can be carried out.
“On an SOV, the crew makes dozens of go/no-go calls a day. Our system shows the officer on watch what the vessel is going to do in the coming minutes, so that call is backed by verified predictions and not by feel alone. On a field like Dudgeon, where technicians need to get onto the turbine as often as the weather allows, that means both safer transfers and more workable days” , said Karel Roozen , CEO of NextOcean.
The motion radar and accompanying software are scheduled to be installed on Esvagt Njord in August 2026.
Esvagt Njord was first deployed on Dudgeon in autumn 2016, shortly after Esvagt took delivery of the vessel. The initial contract, which included options for extension of up to a total of five additional years, was extended in 2021.
The 402 MW Dudgeon offshore wind farm, located 32 kilometres off the coast of North Norfolk in East Anglia, comprises 67 Siemens Gamesa 6 MW wind turbines, and was fully commissioned in late 2017.
Dudgeon is owned by Dudgeon Offshore Wind Limited, a joint venture between Equinor, Masdar and China Resources (Holdings), with Equinor being the wind farm operator.
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