News

Live Manifest: real-time planning for offshore wind farms

21st February 2022

In offshore wind operations, live manifest is a central part of enabling operators to plan ahead and be agile when external factors impact a project. A customisable, editable manifest allows you to re-plan, redistribute resources and maintain project momentum. 

Our Live Manifest module has been in use at London Array under the working name Rebus Evo since 2017. We spoke to the operations team about how Live Manifest has transformed their operations. What we discovered is that people with differing roles find it an invaluable tool.

What is Live Manifest?

Live Manifest is a plan for vessels, personnel and the tasks that are being undertaken that day. Traditionally, manifests have been recorded on spreadsheets that are updated manually every time something changes – from weather conditions to personnel on site. In a busy control room, this lack of responsive technology can lead to delays, downtime and loss of productivity.

Live Manifest is typically used by a marine coordinator to track the movements of personnel across a site, control vessels and coordinate them offshore. It is also invaluable for operations supervisors, as it provides qualification validations and permission to undertake work. For engineering teams, it offers close monitoring of operations and supervision of contractors.

“Previously we were reliant on maintaining a spreadsheet. It meant always having the latest version. We had to manually check what level the technicians were and what qualifications they had.

We now know at a glance where everyone is and what they’re working on. We have visibility of all scopes of work being carried out by all contractors on site.”

Ed Cullen, Operations Supervisor, London Array

What are the benefits of digitising Live Manifest?

By digitising manifest, shifts can be edited to reflect changes in circumstance with minimal input. Live Manifest also offers live site views incorporating data sources such as AIS, SCADA and GIS, as well as hosts qualification certification, medical information, offshore inductions and GWO requirements to go offshore on a vessel. 

“We now have a system we can trust to make all the critical checks.”

Derek Jefferys, Operations Supervisor, London Array

Alongside Live Manifest, our personnel and qualifications module provides templates for all profiles and shows what needs to be uploaded if information is missing. If any fields are missing, shift plans can’t be published, reducing the risk of HSE incidents.

Live Manifest is a module of our wider Sennen system, which also features Marine Coordination, the Set to Work management tool and real-time data on site conditions. This centralised platform delivers for more efficient planning.

It can be viewed by multiple people in a live dashboard, with secure access for key team members and contractors, reducing time-consuming admin for operations teams.

“Combining two sources of information for personnel tracking is better than relying just on personnel swiping their ID card when boarding the crew transfer vessel.”

“Having all the weather data in one place for planning means we don’t need to use separate systems. Our contractors have access to the same information, which causes less confusion and provides more consistency.”

Rick Bass and Andrew Parsons, Marine Coordinators, London Array

How has Live Manifest made a difference to operations?

Live Manifest maximises the use of valuable technicians and vessels while ensuring safe working. It helps teams to coordinate seamlessly and efficiently, while reducing risk and boosting performance.

“The system permissions allow us to tailor access for contractors and vessel operators. We can provide them with real-time weather forecasts and access windows that use the on-site met data. This delivers a consistent and reliable source of information rather than relying on disparate data streams.

Reporting is much easier and less time consuming now we have access to all the information in one place. If we have any outages, we can look back to see what work was carried out and when, which work procedures were used and how long the team were in attendance. We can then assess whether we can avoid similar problems in the future.”

Joe Luther, Deputy Operations Manager, London Array

Sennen offers so much more than data in one place. Live Manifest allows you to interpret, record and report on that data for the improved safety and efficiency of your project. London Array provides a working example of the application and practical benefit of being on top of all your data streams.

To learn more about how Sennen can help you effectively manage your clean energy assets, contact us today.

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