Apparatus for monitoring emergency response vessel position

• US 10,297,158 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2017
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maritech Development Limited (Clarkson Plc)
• Original Assignee: Clarksons Cloud Ltd. (Clarkson Plc)
• Inventors: Shedley, Jamie Mark, Perpinyal, Eliad, White, Richard, Love, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Jos, Basil T.
• Application Number:
  US15/496,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20170309189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/24 the synchronised signals being pulses or equivalent modulations on carrier waves and the transit times being compared by measuring the difference in arrival time of a significant part of the modulations , e.g. LORAN systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 3/02 Anti-collision systems

Abstract

An apparatus and computerized method are provided for monitoring the positions of a plurality of vessels that may be capable of responding to an event one or more vessels. The apparatus comprises a first receiver device configured to receive vessel identification and vessel position information originating from respective sources located onboard each of the plurality of vessels; a second receiver device configured to receive a plurality of vessel data fields regarding the plurality of vessels from a vessel database; a third receiver device configured to receive a data request, the data request identifying an event; and a processor configured to receive and correlate the vessel position information and the plurality of vessel data fields for each of the plurality of vessels to produce vessel response data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring the position of a plurality of vessels that may be capable of responding to an event, comprising:

a first receiver device configured to receive vessel identification and vessel position information originating from respective sources located onboard each of the plurality of vessels;

a second receiver device configured to receive a plurality of vessel data fields regarding the plurality of vessels from a vessel database;

a third receiver device configured to receive a data request, the data request identifying an event; and

a processor configured to receive and correlate the vessel position information and the plurality of vessel data fields for each of the plurality of vessels to produce vessel response data;

wherein the processor is further configured to receive the data request and to filter the vessel response data based on the event identified by the data request; and

an output interface configured to output the filtered vessel response data.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first receiver device is configured to receive AIS positional messages comprising the vessel position information and the first receiver device is further configured to receive AIS informational messages.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the AIS informational messages comprise a draught measurement for each of the plurality of vessels;

wherein the processor is further configured to receive the draught measurements and to receive a maximum draught rating for each of the plurality of vessels from the vessel database; and

wherein the processor is further configured to determine that a given vessel is currently laden if the ratio of the draught measurement to the maximum draught rating is above a predetermined threshold and to determine that the vessel is currently on a ballast voyage if the ratio of the draught measurement to the maximum draught rating is below the predetermined threshold.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein if a vessel is determined to be currently laden, the processor is further configured to filter out the laden vessel, or wherein the output interface is configured to output a warning associated with the laden vessel.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically update a vessel data field of the vessel database based on vessel information received at the first receiver device.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a vessel data field automatically updated by the processor includes at least one of a maximum observed vessel speed, a draught measurement, and a vessel laden status.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the received data request further identifies a location associated with the event.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the received data request further identifies an offshore platform or requesting vessel associated with the event and, in response to the received data request, the processor is configured to obtain the location of the offshore platform or requesting vessel associated with the event from an offshore platform database or the received vessel position information based on the respective identification of the offshore platform or requesting vessel.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the received data request further identifies a maximum distance and wherein the processor is further configured to determine a response distance from each of the vessels of the filtered vessel response data to the location associated with the event and to further filter the filtered vessel response data to only include vessels having a response distance less than or equal to the maximum distance.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to determine the response distance based on a set of predetermined waypoint data received from a route database and the received vessel draught measurement.

11. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to determine the response distance from each of the vessels of the filtered vessel response data to the location associated with the event via a port location.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a response time based on the response distance and a maximum observed vessel speed.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to filter the filtered vessel response data based on at least one of a minimum crane wire length, a remotely operated underwater vehicle requirement, a supply vessel minimum deck area, an oil tanker classification or an oil spill response capability associated with the event identified by the received data request.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to automatically obtain the minimum crane wire length and a remotely operated underwater vehicle requirement from an offshore platform database if the received data request indicates that the event is a subsea response.

15. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output interface is further configured to output the filtered vessel response data in either a grid format or a map format for overlaying geographical mapping data.

16. A computerized method for monitoring the position of a plurality of vessels that may be capable of responding to an event, comprising:

receiving, at a first receiver device, vessel identification and vessel position information originating from respective sources located onboard each of the plurality of vessels;

receiving, at a second receiver device, a plurality of vessel data fields regarding the plurality of vessels from a vessel database;

receiving, at a third receiver device, a data request, the data request identifying an event;

correlating, at a processor, the received vessel position information and the plurality of vessel data fields for each of the plurality of vessels to produce vessel response data;

filtering, at the processor, the vessel response data based on the event identified by the data request; and

outputting, at an output interface, the filtered vessel response data.

17. A computerized method according to claim 16, comprising receiving, at the first receiver device, AIS positional messages, comprising the vessel position information, and AIS informational messages.

18. A computerized method according to claim 17, wherein the AIS informational messages comprise a draught measurement for each of the plurality of vessels, the method further comprising:

receiving, at the processor, the draught measurements, and a maximum draught rating for each of the plurality of vessels from the vessel database; and

determining, at the processor, that a given vessel is currently laden if the ratio of the draught measurement to the maximum draught rating is above a predetermined threshold and to determine that the vessel is currently on a ballast voyage if the ratio of the draught measurement to the maximum draught rating is below the predetermined threshold.

19. A computerized method according to claim 18, wherein if a vessel is determined to be currently laden, the method further comprises filtering out, at the processor, the laden vessel, or outputting, from the output interface, a warning associated with the laden vessel.

20. A computerized method according to claim 16, further comprising automatically updating, by the processor, a vessel data field of the vessel database based on vessel information received at the first receiver device.

21. A computerized method according to claim 20, wherein a vessel data field automatically updated by the processor includes at least one of a maximum observed vessel speed, a draught measurement, and a vessel laden status.

22. A computerized method according to claim 21, wherein the received data request further identifies a location associated with the event.

23. A computerized method according to claim 22, wherein the received data request further identifies an offshore platform or requesting vessel associated with the event and, in response to the received data request, the method further comprises obtaining, by the processor, the location of the offshore platform or requesting vessel associated with the event from an offshore platform database or the received vessel position information based on the respective identification of the offshore platform or requesting vessel.

24. A computerized method according to claim 22, wherein the received data request further identifies a maximum distance and the method further comprises determining a response distance from each of the vessels of the filtered vessel response data to the location associated with the event and filtering the filtered vessel response data to only include vessels having a response distance less than or equal to the maximum distance.

25. A computerized method according to claim 24, further comprising determining the response distance based on a set of predetermined waypoint data received from a route database and the received vessel draught measurement.

26. A computerized method according to claim 24, further comprising determining the response distance from each of the vessels of the filtered vessel response data to the location associated with the event via a port location.

27. A computerized method according to claim 24, further comprising determining a response time based on the response distance and a maximum observed vessel speed.

28. A computerized method according to claim 16, further comprising filtering the filtered vessel response data based on at least one of a minimum crane wire length, a remotely operated underwater vehicle requirement, a supply vessel minimum deck area, an oil tanker classification or an oil spill response capability associated with the event identified by the received data request.

29. A computerized method according to claim 28, further comprising automatically obtaining the minimum crane wire length and a remotely operated underwater vehicle requirement from an offshore platform database if the received data request indicates that the event is a subsea response.

30. A computerized method according to claim 16, further comprising outputting, from the output interface, the filtered vessel response data in either a grid format or a map format for overlaying geographical mapping data.