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New 'Resonance' Alerts From Applied Weather Technology Help Ships at Sea to Steer Clear of Dangerous Conditions That Could Lead to Severe Rolling, Crew Injuries, Loss of Cargo

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 December 2008, 07:00 CST

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Applied Weather Technology (AWT), (http://www.awtworldwide.com), today announced that its Route Optimization Service -- used by approximately 1500 ships each day to help identify the safest, most time-efficient and fuel-efficient routes to their destinations -- now includes technology that helps AWT's Route Analysts warn ships at sea of the potential for resonance, a physics phenomenon that can cause ships to severely roll and lead to crew injury and cargo loss.

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Routing more than 30,000 voyages each year, AWT is the global leader in providing fleet optimization software and services. With the addition of "resonance" technology to its Route Optimization Service, AWT becomes the only shore-based ship routing company to offer severe motion alerts /resonance alerts to ships based not only on the weather, but also on the vessels' size, draft, stability, heading and wave conditions.

"AWT's resonance alerts provide an extra level of safety that is currently not available for ships from any other company providing shore-based routing assistance," said Skip Vaccarello, president and CEO of AWT. "With our new technology, we can now more accurately predict if and when a specific vessel might experience a problem due to resonance and take the appropriate actions to avoid it."

Numerous ships each year experience severe rolling and/or crew injuries and/or cargo loss. One of the reasons why a ship might suddenly and severely roll is due to resonance, when the roll period of the vessel and the wave period relative to the vessel are nearly the same. When this happens, a vessel can go from slight or moderate rolling, to dangerous 35+ degree rolls very quickly. Violent rolling can cause cargo to shift or break loose, which can change the stability of the vessel and further endanger the cargo, vessel and crew.

Previously the industry standard was to only intuitively take into account the stability of a specific vessel when analyzing how a ship might react to certain wave or weather conditions. Now, AWT's Route Optimization Service analyzes criteria specific to the vessel in addition to the wave conditions to anticipate the motions that each vessel might experience that could lead to resonance and severe rolling. Different vessels going through the same weather could experience dramatically different motions, depending on factors such as the ship's speed, length, beam, draft or stability.

During a Typical Day, AWT Monitors 1500 Vessels and Fields 10-30 Resonance Alerts

On average AWT monitors approximately 1500 vessels and fields between 10-30 resonance alerts each day, depending on the time of year and weather patterns. AWT evaluates each alert and sends a course change and/or a speed recommendation to the ship in the cases when the company believes the vessel may experience a problem. The alerts show where severe motions are most likely to occur at a specific time along the vessel's route, and indicate which headings and/or speeds could be used to avoid these areas, thereby minimizing the potential of heavy weather damage. These types of alarms allow AWT to find the most efficient route while helping to keep the crew, vessel and cargo safe.

AWT Steers Cargo Vessel Clear of a November Storm and Threat of Resonance

On November 21, 2008, one of the vessels being routed by AWT experienced a motion alert for the possibility of severe rolling from a developing storm moving east-northeast from Japan. If the vessel had maintained its course along 35 degrees north latitude, it would have encountered gale- to storm- force winds, 7-9 meter waves and the possibility of severe rolling on November 25. The alert not only helped the AWT Route Analyst decide to divert the vessel down to 32 degrees north latitude, it also indicated what headings and speeds were needed to safely clear the storm. The captain followed the recommendation, protecting the vessel, crew and approximately 2700 containers on board. And even though the route along 32 degrees north latitude added approximately 80 nautical miles to the voyage, the Captain was able to maintain a much higher speed over this portion of the voyage and was able to arrive four hours earlier than the route along 35 degrees north latitude.

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- renown 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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SOURCE AWT

Source: PR Newswire

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