South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), the world’s biggest shipbuilder has announced the development of the “Sea Weather Forecasting System” in co-operation with the Korean Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST).
The new development will enable HHI to manage sea trial schedules of ships it builds at its Ulsan yard. The system will be capable to analyze sea weather information 72 hours in advance, such as wave height, wind speed and current patterns on an hourly basis.
The coverage area of the Sea Weather Forecasting System includes seven offshore areas along with Ulsan, Gunsan, and Jeju Island.
For the area in Mipo Bay and Jeonha Bay where HHI is based, the weather system is equipped with sensors in each 60 metres, delivering a precise forecast of the sea weather. The monitoring is expected to minimize any possible delay in lifting work of the floating crane due to unexpected weather conditions.
The geographic information system (GIS)–based system can also display sea weather information on the specific spots on an electronic navigational chart.
According to HHI official, the weather forecasting system that HHI developed is linked to 530 weather observation equipment across the country and it can forecast 10 percent more precisely than other existing weather systems by analysing adjacent sea topography 16 times more accurately.
Hyundai Heavy Industries has been operating “Weather Management” since 2006. During this time it has been managed by installing weather observation equipment at 18 spots at its Ulsan yard. The weather was monitored in a 24-hour basis and reported for analysing to its employees.