Associated British Ports (ABP) Southampton have embarked on a project with Hampshire based environmental monitoring specialists OceanWise, to provide a solution for current monitoring on the South Bramble navigation buoy. ABP, who have been a customer of OceanWise for nearly 10 years, needed to collect current monitoring data at the South Bramble buoy to provide additional data to pilots on their Portable Pilot Units (PPUs).
This data, which will sit alongside the range of other environmental data that ABP already collects and will enhance and assist in important situational awareness of the water current conditions at this key location in the Solent.
Smart telemetry solution
After initial consultation, OceanWise installed a Nortek Aquadopp current profiler onto the existing navigation buoy structure at South Bramble. The OceanWise engineers made a couple of tweaks and along with their normal rigorous installation checks, ensured the sensor is sited appropriately below the water surface and ensured that the power and telemetry systems could be accommodated.
OceanWise installed a Nortek Aquadopp current profiler onto the existing navigation buoy structure
The Aquadopp, which is a highly versatile single point current meter, will monitor the water column at various intervals to give a full picture of any deviations in current at different layers. This data will be transmitted via AIS using OceanWise’s smart telemetry solution and be available to users within ABP Southampton’s Port-Log portal, which is used extensively by the Port Group for maritime operations and environmental data management.
Environmental data management
“Having the ability to visualise how the water currents are behaving at intervals throughout the water column is invaluable for our Pilots when maneuvering large vessels through a restricted channel which requires precise navigation, which is now assisted by accurate environmental data from below the water surface,” said Sam Quilliam, Principal Hydrographic Surveyor, ABP Southampton.
“Nortek are delighted OceanWise selected the well-established Aquadopp sensor to deliver high-quality current measurements to their online systems. The real-time data will be used as part of providing better situational awareness and thus improving the safety and efficiency of operations in the port. We look forward to further collaboration with OceanWise in the near future” said Scott Gray, UK Managing Director , Nortek.
