BVS 5.6 Onboard Software Now Provides Resonance Alerts
More than 3000 vessels use BVS to help identify the safest, most time-efficient or fuel-efficient routes. With version 5.6, those vessels can receive alerts warning about forecast sea conditions which, when combined with the vessel’s course, speed and stability, could lead to resonance. Resonance is a phenomenon that can cause certain types of vessels to roll and can lead to crew injury, cargo and vessel damage. With the addition of this technology to AWT’s onboard software and shore-based routing service, AWT is the only ship routing company to use severe motion resonance alerts to assist in recommending the optimum route with a higher degree of safety.
How Ship Captains Can Use BVS Resonance Alerts to Avert Heavy-Weather Damage
The new resonance feature within BVS 5.6 is a valuable tool used to assist in identifying conditions which increase the potential for severe rolling and other dangerous vessel motions. BVS 5.6 will display warning symbols along the ship’s course that are forecast to a maximum of 16 days ahead. This enables the Captain to evaluate not only the forecast weather along the route, but also the potential of heavy rolling for the entire route. In addition, by using BVS during the voyage, the ship’s Captain can continuously monitor for potential problem areas and make the appropriate speed and heading adjustments to minimize the potential for severe motions. When reviewing potential resonance conditions, the Captain can call up a polar diagram display along the course where the warnings are firing, and this display will graphically show the combinations of course and speed where heavy motions are most likely to occur. At the same time, the chart also indicates which heading and/or speed might assist in the avoidance of the potentially damaging conditions, thereby minimizing the potential of vessel and cargo damage.
AWT’s customers use its premiere ship routing services to route more than 30,000 voyages per year, more than any other ship routing company. “The new features of BVS make it more compelling than ever for companies to combine this indispensable, graphical on-board software with our industry-leading routing services to help Captains chart safe and efficient voyages,” said Skip Vaccarello, president and CEO of AWT. “BVS sets a new standard for minimizing costly weather damage and/or loss of cargo.”
A.I. Shaad, (Master, M.V. DUBAI), Captain for the United Arab Shipping Company, tested the resonance alert features within BVS 5.6 during voyages in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. “In my opinion, the resonance alerts are the best features of the new version of BVS,” said Captain Shaad. “I believe the resonance features will help navigators on board container vessels to plan their voyages and make decisions to avoid potentially dangerous weather conditions that could lead to resonance, severe ship rolling and cargo loss.”
BVS 5.6 Adds NCOM Current Data to Enable More Efficient Voyages
In addition to resonance alerts, AWT has also integrated into BVS version 5.6 the latest technology used to determine ocean currents. Users can now download daily updates of the Naval Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) current data. Compared to long term climatological information available from most sources, NCOM data is far superior because it provides a real-time analysis and forecast. Captains therefore have at their fingertips the most up-to-date and accurate information available, allowing them to use BVS to its full potential in calculating the optimum track for any given passage, potentially saving time, fuel and money, even on short or coastal passages, as well as on longer, cross-ocean voyages.
Additional New Features of BonVoyage 5.6
Other new features added to BVS version 5.6 include enhancements of the weather and wave forecasts near coastlines using AWT’s proprietary WaveWatch III Model; expansion from 10-day forecasts to 16-day forecasts; additional port locations added to the port forecast database; and increased ease-of-use. With version 5.6, entering a voyage track is greatly simplified and can now be completed almost entirely with the click of the mouse.
For more information about the latest version of BVS, please visit http://www.awtworldwide.com/products/bon-voyage-system.asp
About AWT
AWT (www.awtworldwide.com) is the leading provider of fleet optimization services and onboard voyage management software to ship owners, operators and charterers seeking the safest and most efficient routes for their fleets. Unlike companies that provide weather services for multiple industries, or companies which only offer onboard weather software, AWT is staffed by world-renowned experts in ship routing, meteorology, IT, maritime science and former ship captains who are focused solely on the maritime industry. Using the most sophisticated technology available, AWT routes more ships per month than any other company. Its superior customer service and integrity have made AWT the most trusted fleet optimization provider in the maritime industry. Founded in 1996, AWT is privately held and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with worldwide offices located in the UK, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Korea, Germany, New York, and New Jersey. More information is available at www.awtworldwide.com or by calling 1-408-731-8600.
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