Emerson helps maintain stability of world’s largest semi-submersible
07 May 2013
Designed to transport megastructures to remote, offshore locations, the Dockwise Vanguard relies on Emerson technologies for ballast control and tank gauging system.

The Dockwise Vanguard (photo courtesy of Dockwise)
Emerson Process Managementis to supply the control systems that help maintain stability and structural integrity of Dockwise’s semi-submersible heavy transport vessel, the largest of its kind in the world.
Named Dockwise Vanguard, the new vessel is designed for heavy marine transport and offshore dry docking, enabling oil and gas operators to design and build larger and heavier offshore structures such as Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels.
Because of the Dockwise Vanguard’s loading capacity of up to 110,000 metric tons and its bow-less design, it is now possible to fabricate these mega-structures and load and transport them intact to remote offshore wells or production sites. This helps cut costs, lower risks, improve schedule flexibility and reduce offshore man-hours required to get these mega-structures into operation.
Emerson supplies a comprehensive ballast control system, which is responsible for helping the Dockwise Vanguard submerge and rise with stability and integrity. It relies on tank gauging systems that provide highly accurate level measurements for load calculations as well as high level and overfill alarms. The Dockwise Vanguard also uses Emerson’s Smart Wireless technology to measure and transmit tank level data to the wheelhouse.
The Dockwise Vanguard was awarded a 2012 Spotlight on New Technology Award by the Offshore Technology Conference.
Contact Details and Archive...