SAL Heavy Lift’s new Orca-class vessel Elise features advanced Sperry Marine IBS

Photo: SAL Heavy Lift

Sperry Marine has completed the first of five VisionMaster integrated bridge system (IBS) installations on board Elise, the first of SAL Heavy Lift GmbH’s new 14,600 dwt Orca Class. Set to enter service this week after a formal ceremony in Hamburg, Elise and the other new Orca vessels have the ability to handle ultra-large loads including some of tnhe world’s biggest wind turbines.

Built to Ice-class 1A requirements and Polar Code standards, the DNV-classed ships are distinguished by their optimized hull shape, twin 800-tonne capacity all-electric cranes, high efficiency hybrid propulsion, shore power connection to achieve zero emissions in port, and full readiness to use methanol as a marine fuel. They are designed to meet the stringent demands of heavy lift shipping while minimizing carbon emissions, and provide the basis for zero-emission operations once green e-methanol is available.

“The Orca Class represents a new era in heavy lift shipping, combining advanced technology with a strong focus on efficiency and sustainability,” said Sebastian Westphal, managing director, SAL Heavy Lift. “These vessels are equipped to establish a new benchmark for safety, precision, and innovation in this highly specialised shipping sector.”

SAL and Sperry Marine worked closely through a two-yard build project to ensure that the VisionMaster Integrated Bridge System selected for the Orca Class meets all safety and operating performance requirements, even in the most challenging conditions.

Elise’s advanced Integrated Bridge System (IBS) features VNC (virtual network computing) watch modes, allowing watchkeepers to access critical tools such as the ice radar directly at the conning position. Raw video data from the VisionMaster Net Additional Facilities X-Band navigation radar is seamlessly fed into the Rutter Sigma S6 Ice Navigator, enhancing ice detection capabilities. Through VNC, the ice radar display can be flexibly operated from the conning position, ensuring greater situational awareness and operational efficiency.

The vessel is also equipped with Sperry Marine’s advanced fiber optic gyrocompasses (FOGs), which deliver highly accurate heading data and maintain stability even when external GNSS signals are jammed or spoofed. Leveraging an integrated inertial navigation system (INS) model, FOGs provide continuous and reliable performance during GNSS disruptions, while also giving operators early warning of potential signal manipulation.

“This ship is also the first newbuild equipped with Sperry Marine’s new NAVISTAR satellite compass solution, which ensures precise and reliable heading data – even at high latitudes – and the first newly built vessel to feature a complete installation of the cutting-edge 27-inch VisionMaster net panel PCs,” said Pascal Göllnitz, product line manager, integrated bridge systems, Sperry Marine. “The platform’s adaptability to evolving customer requirements was further demonstrated when we responded to SAL’s last-minute request to integrate Orca AI’s camera system into VisionMaster Net, adding a layer of situational awareness.”

The Sperry Marine solution also includes SperrySphere, a powerful onboard voyage planning tool that combines speed, ease of use, and intelligent route optimization, along with advanced 7-inch XDi multifunctional repeater displays. These highly flexible displays were deployed with customised information pages tailored to the customer’s specific operational needs, making them ideal for overhead console applications and beyond. The IBS package furthermore contains Sperry Marine’s new ‘self-adaptive’ NAVIPILOT 4500N autopilot, which dynamically adjusts to vessel characteristics and changing conditions, resulting in measurable fuel savings and reduced bridge workload.

“Elise enters service equipped with Sperry Marine’s latest navigation technologies after a strong collaboration between SAL and Sperry Marine’s engineering, project management and support staff to coordinate an unusual build project that started at Wuhu Shipyard and was completed in Weihai,” added Göllnitz.