Safe at sea

After successful trials on HMS Marlborough in 2005, QinetiQ's Onboard Risk Performance Hazard Evaluation system, ORPHEUS is now undergoing year-long trials on three Royal Navy Type 23 frigates - HMS Northumberland, HMS Westminster and HMS Montrose.

QinetiQ said in a statement that ORPHEUS is a dedicated and flexible operator guidance system that provides concise information on how a ship will perform in a variety of bad weather scenarios. Developed at QinetiQ's Marine Technology Park at Haslar, the system took just three years to develop. It displays measured motions, predictions of motions at alternative speeds and heading combinations alongside operating limits.

MS Windows-based, the system combines real-time information with a database of previously generated data which, when selected, is plotted to a computer screen in a simple-to-use format.

The primary advantage of ORPHEUS is that it provides bridge staff with the means to quantify the risk of operating a ship in extreme weather. But it also allows officers to increase the operational envelope or improve operational safety of shipboard tasks that are normally hampered or even postponed by the presence of heavy weather.