Data-driven vessel performance optimisation
Windcat Workboats, Europe’s leading provider of specialist crew transfer vessels to the offshore wind power industry, owns and operates a growing fleet which now includes dual-fuel hydrogen workboats. Vessel design driven by client needs has been a key factor in the company’s success to date, coupled with extremely high passenger safety and comfort standards and vessel availability targets.
Since 2020, in order to accurately and efficiently measure and report on these factors (among other operational and cost criteria) the company has successfully used Reygar’s telematics technology. In 2023, the company announced plans to install BareFLEET, Reygar’s fleet remote performance monitoring system, on all new build CTVs.
“BareFLEET is an invaluable tool for comparing vessel performance data between our conventional diesel and dual-fuel hydrogen craft. The decision to install the technology on new vessels demonstrates our commitment to meeting the reporting needs of our customers with a digitalised vessel fleet.” Phillip Goffin, IT Manager for Windcat
BareFleet is providing Windcat with business-critical insight into fleet fuel use, emissions, machinery health, VMMS motion and navigational activity based on continuous on-board sensor measurements. The technology is fully compatible with a wide range of engines, navigation systems and third-party onboard equipment, capturing and consolidating critical vessel data for analysis.
“The reporting services provided by BareFLEET have saved us around 10 man-days per month, collating vessel and crew information for internal as well as client reporting. The information we get from BareFLEET is timely and accurate. Instead of having to manually collate vessel data into spreadsheets, BareFLEET frees up our shore-based staff to concentrate on other important tasks.” Phillip Goffin, IT Manager for Windcat
Digital DPR on entire CTV fleet
Windcat also has Reygar’s digital daily reporting system, Digital DPR, installed across its entire fleet of over 50 workboats, servicing their own daily reporting requirements as well as those of their customers with a single, centralised reporting solution.
The time-saving reporting technology was comprehensively trialled on several of Windcat Workboats’ CTVs over a period of 18 months in 2022, with positive feedback from skippers and management. Fleet wide rollout was completed in mid-October that year.
The Digital DPR (DDPR) app runs from a touchscreen tablet onboard and is simple and easy to use for Windcat’s busy skippers. It dramatically reduces the administrative burden of daily progress reporting as well as improving report accuracy and timeliness.
Digital DPR enables Windcat to generate customised daily progress reports (DPRs) for each client’s varying needs, as well as internal management reports for their own back office, reducing both crew and shore-based staff workloads and saving valuable time.
“We are committed to meeting the reporting needs of our customers with a digitalised vessel fleet. We also want to look after our crews and back-office teams by reducing the reporting burden and streamlining where possible. The team at Reygar understood exactly what was needed and worked closely with us to customise their DDPR system around our specific requirements.
“We have been using the BareFLEET Digital DPR on-vessel tablet for several months now. It’s simple for the crew to use, very reliable and works offline, which is important as they don’t always have an internet connection. The crew now only have to complete one DPR instead of separate Windcat and client DPRs which is great.” Phillip Goffin, IT Manager for Windcat Workboats
Boat to boardroom insight
DDPR either works alongside Reygar’s award-winning BareFLEET vessel monitoring system, where installed, or runs as a standalone solution. The app can be customised to gather a wide variety of DPR data, including crew details, fuel and consumables use, various task types, transits, passenger transfers to turbines and working hours data. Data input live from the vessel can be seen instantly in the cloud by shore staff, with users also able to access cloud based KPI data.
The BareFLEET reporting suite provides concise analysis of fleet fuel efficiency, environmental impact, machinery condition, motion sickness, crew transfer stability and navigational activity. When used alongside Digital DPR, crew log entries can be synthesised with onboard measurements to provide a comprehensive picture of vessel activity. From Daily Progress Reports to Monthly KPI trend analysis, BareFLEET provides unique boat to boardroom insight.
Reygar continues to work closely with Windcat to evolve their digital logbook software around the vessel operator’s specific requirements, further streamlining daily reporting processes and enabling the vessel operator to monitor and maintain its high standards and reputation as a leading vessel operator in the offshore wind sector.
