Software to navigate rough seas

Today's shipping and offshore activities increasingly require more security, efficiency and environmental safety.

Norway-based Miros has developed state-of-the-art systems for detecting the height, direction and frequency of waves to give ship captains and offshore oil platform operators up-to-date and invaluable tools for navigating the sea.

Miros has delivered more than 250 systems worldwide that use microwave sensors to measure waves and currents.

Through a combination of radar and specialized software, Miros gathers information about waves directly from ship- or platform-based installations free from dependency on buoys. The information is critical in making maritime operations safer and more efficient.

The system employs a computer application called WAVEX using standard navigation radar that detects the strength, height, and direction of incoming waves and enables ship crews to adjust their speed or alter their course online.

The system provides better comfort for passengers on high-speed ferries, safer voyages for container vessels, and smoother and more predictable marine operations offshore. It also provides more cost-effective monitoring of critical operations.

Miros also makes wave detection radar and software for stationary platforms, providing valuable information about waves and the current state around a platform.

It also produces software that can identify oil spills in any weather condition or visibility level by monitoring changes in radar reflection caused by oil slicks on the ocean surface.

The application allows oil platforms, harbors or any location to know quickly when a spill occurs. The system is also able to distinguish the densest area of an oil spill and its direction over the surface of the ocean, whether day or night.

That vital information enables clean-up operations to begin much more rapidly at any time of day with better accuracy. Many systems have been installed in Norway, Brazil and Spain.

In recognition of its expertise in the field, Miros was chosen by the European Union as the provider of choice for all member countries developing sea level and tsunami warning systems.

In China, Miros has introduced its technology through Dalian Maritime University and China National Offshore Oil Corp. Miros is represented in the country by China Machinery Consultant International in Beijing.

www.miros.no

(China Daily 04/14/2008 page26)