Fugro Oceanstar®

We developed our Fugro Oceanstar® navigation sensor and onboard decision support system for the shipping industry to improve navigational accuracy and safety, and reduce operating costs.

The system is type-approved for global navigation satellite system (GNSS) position, transmitting heading device, rate-of-turn indicator, and speed and distance measuring equipment. It’s particularly useful for berthing operations and navigation in confined waters, and is ideal for large vessels such as passenger and cruise ships, container vessels, ferries, roll-on roll-off vessels, bulk carriers and Merchant Navy tankers.

The Fugro Oceanstar® Core System is an attitude and heading calculation engine. It uses data from multiple survey-grade GNSS receivers and a motion sensor to calculate the position, speed and attitude of a vessel. The receivers are typically located fore and aft, and to port and starboard. The Core System uses advanced GNSS calculations to measure the ship’s position, orientation and movement with centimetre-level accuracy. It broadcasts signals that meet the highest standards of reliability, availability and integrity.

Data processing and interfacing are handled by a dedicated computer within the Core cabinet; the cabinet is typically placed in an equipment or instrument room alongside other electronic equipment, to simplify interconnections. A separate touchscreen Core Display computer, located on the bridge, provides intuitive and dedicated graphical views for each navigation function.

The Fugro Oceanstar® Core System offers the following Wheelmark-certified navigation equipment functions, each of which meets the relevant ISO and IEC standards and has a user-friendly Core Display showing calculated values:

GNSS position - survey-grade GNSS receivers use all available satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo) to calculate a composite GNSS position. The Core Display shows latitude, longitude, position quality and other positioning information
Transmitting heading device - the Core System calculates and outputs a precise GNSS-derived heading
Rate-of-turn-indicator - the Core System calculates accurate rate-of-turn based on changes in the ship’s heading
Speed and distance measuring equipment (SDME) - the Core System calculates precise ship speed along longitudinal and transverse axes, and distance travelled

Fugro Oceanstar® application system

In addition to the type approved navigation functions, Oceanstar® also offers:

Berthing assistance: Oceanstar® shows distances to the quayside and approach speeds for safer, faster and more efficient berthing
Trim and list: Precise trim and list is calculated and displayed as graphical indicators and timeseries plots
Draught measurements: Accurate dynamic draught is calculated from wave radar measurements
Hull bending and twisting: When five or more GNSS receivers are installed on a vessel, the system can model hull deformations such as hog/sag and twist

Fugro Oceanstar® spoofing protection

The Fugro Oceanstar® core system detects when a vessel’s position is being manipulated. If there is a cyberattack, it will trigger a spoofing alarm to alert the crew. The system’s spoofing detection uses two independent approaches to deliver a higher level of positioning trust:

Spatial Integrity Analysis – this is the most powerful anti-spoofing technique and uses a multi-receiver design concept. Fugro Oceanstar® constantly compares GNSS antenna geometry with known offsets. If one or more antennas depart from their expected location, the system will trigger a spoofing alert

Satguard® – using our patented technique for GNSS navigation message authentication, Fugro Oceanstar® applies data from more than 100 Fugro reference stations around the world. Satguard® monitors the status and received data from each GNSS satellite. A unique signature for each satellite is received on the vessel as part of our G2/G4 correction service.

Fugro Oceanstar® berthing guidance system

The Fugro Oceanstar® berthing guidance system is an excellent decision-making tool. It provides precision guidance during critical berthing operations in a user-friendly graphical view, including information about fore and aft distance from the quay, approach speeds, accelerations, heading and rate-of-turn.

Target distances are calculated using a built-in database of quay coordinates from data that have either been pre-surveyed or previously recorded in Fugro Oceanstar®, which continually accumulates and updates port and berth information from around the globe.

Fugro Oceanstar® offers vessels and captains a navigation system that is easy to use and maintenance-free. It incorporates approved and Wheelmark-certified equipment for the maritime shipping industry which meets the relevant ISO and IEC standards.

Spoofing detection and redundant positioning – Redundant positioning and spoofing detection are valuable measures against paralysed shipping lanes, collisions and untraceable piracy incidents
Berthing – The Oceanstar® Berthing system is a decision-making tool that provides important information during this critical operation
Fuel saving from precise navigation – Precise position and heading allow the autopilot to have better position and rudder control, leading to fewer rudder adjustments, reduced drag and increased sailing distance
Dynamic trim and draught – Vessel trim and draught are essential parameters to optimise fuel efficiency. Oceanstar® measures dynamic trim and draught (radar option) with centimetre-level accuracy, making it the preferred sensor for fuel management. Oceanstar® data can also be fed to the loading computer to help optimise cargo operations
Hull bending and twisting – Oceanstar® can model hull deformations through real-time kinematic GNSS measurements. This data is a valuable supplement to conventional strain-based load cells and angle measurements