This project is conducted in the period 2022 – 2024 under the TKI Maritime program, with the following consortium partners:
- DutchSail B.V. (referred to as DutchSail. Representing Team JAJO)
- Stichting Deltares (referred to as Deltares)
- Allseas Engineering B.V. (referred to as Allseas)
- Poortman Sailing Services/Rotterdam Offshore Sailing Team (referred to as ROST)
- Stichting New-York – Rotterdam (referred to as NYR rowing team)
- Provincie Zuid-Holland
The project objective is: Through sailing, collecting relevant data and analysing the results to develop our models and better understand the hydrodynamics of the world’s oceans, ultimately optimising offshore navigation and reducing carbon emissions.
Figure 1: Project objective
During the 2022-23 edition of the Ocean Race, a scientific program is carried out to collect relevant data, evaluate the performance of flow predictions and analyze measurements, to ultimately optimize offshore navigation and reduce carbon emissions. This is done by means of the following field campaigns carried out by the consortium partners:
- The European Championships for Sailing in Breskens, participated by ROST
- The Ocean Race 2022-23, participated by Team JAJO
- The Fastnet Race, participated by ROST and Team JAJO
- An offshore heavy lift operation called ‘project Morecambe’, executed by Allseas
- A trans-Atlantic rowing challenge, executed by the NYR rowing team.
Measurements and relevant field experiences acquired under these field campaigns have enhanced our understanding of the hydrodynamics at unique locations of the world’s seas and oceans. However, obtaining highly accurate current data from a sailing boat, especially in high seas, is hard. Nonetheless, an assessment of model accuracy has been conducted based on a data-model-comparison and experiences from the crew.
|
|
|
|---|
Figure 2: ROST battling a heavy sea state during the Fastnet Race. Plots showing a snapshot of a top view and a timeserie plot of the data-model-comparison, during Fastnet Race by ROST on 22nd of July 2023. ‘Set’ and ‘Drift’ represent the measurements.
Based on the assessment, it is concluded that the forecasted ocean current provided by Deltares generally align well with the observed ocean currents, a finding supported by the pilot carried out with Allseas and the Trans-Atlantic rowing challenge.
|
|
|---|
Figure 3: Impression of field campaigns. On the left the Allseas Morecambe project; The Pioneering Spirit lifting the second offshore jacket with Iron Lady moored next to it. On the right, New-York Rotterdam rowing team making themselves ready for their trans-Atlantic crossing on the Hudson River (New York),
Based on the project experiences, the forecasts can be improved by:
- Including wave effects as a measure of the sea state. Often underestimated, but important for sailors and the offshore industry, is the effect of waves on offshore vessels. For the offshore industry, under specific circumstances and depending on the type of vessel and its crew, resonance-like-behaviour can occur which affects transits and offshore operations, both in terms of conveniences and efficiency. Sailors take waves into account as a safety concern in their routing. Especially for the foiling IMOCA’s in the next ocean race, accurate information on wave conditions will be crucial as these boats are much more sensitive to the sea state than the older generation VO65 boats.
- Offering higher time-resolution in hydrodynamic forecasts. Accurate information on timing of the slack water moments significantly improves offshore operations, in terms of competition, workability and efficiency (reducing carbon emissions).
- Surface current estimates can be improved by moving to a 3D model approach. Ocean currents are generally underestimated with depth average models.
- During field campaigns, other ocean parameters like sea surface temperature and salinity are good indicators to assess the reliability of the overall model performance. Adding these 3D ocean parameters to the forecasts and being able to compare them to site conditions, help to optimize offshore navigation and reduce emissions.
- Allow generation of even higher spatial resolution, nested models for areas with complex geometries and local features such as the British south coast and the Baltic Sea.
- Keep coupling science with sports. Innovative measurement techniques to obtain accurate and reliable ocean measurements benefit sport teams during trainings and competitions for optimizing their performances and enables Deltares to better validate their models.
The web portal designed and tested proved its concept to improve the ease to share data and information with stakeholders, without the loss of resolution (i.e. ∆t, ∆x, ∆y, ∆z). This technology supported the scope of the project and helped to exchange data and information for better understanding the world’s oceans. Maintaining the portal and its services is a continuous process and requires a follow-up project to be sustained and serve future opportunities.
Figure 4: Impression of the operational web interface to better distribute data- and information needs to (potentially) support the maritime industry to optimize offshore navigation and to reduce CO2-emmssion.
The TKI Ocean Race project, including several field campaigns, has highlighted the potential for enhanced oceanic understanding to significantly benefit the maritime industry. Improved understanding of ocean hydrodynamics not only cuts cost and time, but also enhances safety at sea and reduces CO2 emissions.
|
|
|---|
Figure 5: Team JAJO encounter a confrontation with orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar.
FINAL REPORT
PUBLICATONS
May 2022, Deltares: "Dutch team in The Ocean Race 2022-23 will work with research world to cut carbon emissions"
Oct. 2022, DutchSail: "ROST vice Europees Kampioen door stroomdata van Deltares!"
https://www.dutchsail.com/nieuws/2022/11/17/rost-vice-europees-kampioen-door-stroomdata-van-deltares
Oct. 2022, Deltares: “ROST takes silver at European Sea Sailing Championship with help from Deltares”
Jan. 2023, DutchSail: "DutchSail innovatieprogramma met Deltares draagt bij aan succes Team JAJO in The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup"
April 2023, DutchSail: "Ocean & North Sea Summit - 14 juni 2023"
https://www.dutchsail.com/nieuws/2023/4/26/ocean-amp-north-sea-summit-14-juni-2023
