SAT-OCEAN - Weather and Oceanographic Services for the Marine Industry

SAT-OCEAN provides weather and oceanographic services to the marine industry. Our exclusive metocean solutions based on environmental satellite data are designed to forecast and hindcast ocean currents, wind and waves anywhere in the world.

Our customers take advantage of proven and efficient forecast services to secure their operations at sea, improve performance or save time. They also benefit from our historical studies for operations planning, design or risk assessment. Oil and gas, drilling, shipping, towing, seismic or renewable energy-related players have been calling on our expertise for over ten years.

Route optimisation service for maritime and heavy transports

SAT-OCEAN provides an innovative routing service, enabling significant time and energy savings. Our solution goes beyond standard weather routing services, which are mainly concerned with the wind and wave factors. The main upgrade consists of the inclusion of our own very high-resolution ocean current forecast in the routing process.

Our service provides enhanced ship safety through the integration of wind and wave forecasts and also yields significant overall speed gains with associated time and fuel savings.

Our typical customers are towing companies (rig / FPSO mobilisation, moves, new builds), heavy lifters, tankers or container carriers. Savings are in the 5-20% range depending on the project.

Real-time metocean forecast services

SAT-OCEAN provides 24/7 metocean forecast services worldwide. Our reports include 3D current, wind and wave forecasts, so that operators and contractors can assess their risk and optimise operations in real time.

As part of our real-time forecasting services for offshore operations, we provide:

• Local absolute 2D or 3D ocean current forecast (not only tides)
• Wind and waves forecasts
• Daily weather bulletins

SAT-OCEAN customers typically subscribe to our on-site services for drill-ship, FPSO, rig or barge operations worldwide.

Metocean historical studies

SAT-OCEAN, using its experience in satellite data analysis and numerical modelling, provides historical statistical studies (hindcast) of ocean currents, wind and waves. Our products compile 3D current, wind and wave information based on the most recent two to ten-year environmental variability so that operators and contractors gain a thorough understanding of metocean conditions on site.

Typical applications include operations planning, riser and rig design, field development studies, downtime analysis or pipe laying, and ocean current-wind-wave data mining for renewable energy-related operations (site choice).

SAT-OCEAN provides the following wind, wave and current deliverables:

• Compass plots (monthly, yearly, etc.)
• Multi-directional extreme derivation for one, ten and 100-year return period
• Joint distributions (e.g. monthly or yearly current magnitude vs. direction)
• Statistics table (persistence, occurrence, percentage exceedance, etc.)
• Maps presenting averages and standard deviations (e.g. surface current)
• Current steadiness factor, waves steepness and numerous statistics upon request

Real-time forecast service for offshore seismic surveys

Based on SAT-OCEAN very high-resolution ocean currents (down to 1/64th of a degree), we also deliver worldwide a high-level real-time forecast service dedicated to offshore seismic survey optimisation.

Provided with our streamer depth ocean current and feather forecast, our clients:

• Calibrate their racetrack strategy on our current forecast trend
• Optimise their infill, anticipating currents and consequent weather
• Reduce time filling gaps
• Secure close-passes

About SAT-OCEAN

Created in 2001 by a pool of oceanographers, SAT-OCEAN has built its know-how on a solid scientific background. For over a decade now, satellite experts, physical oceanographers and weather specialists have been members of the team developing state-of-the-art current, wind and wave hindcast and forecast systems, yielding the foundations of the services provided today.

From the beginning SAT-OCEAN has put great efforts into satellite data processing. As modelling ocean currents is a very tricky playground, we focus on the quality of the satellite data we drive our models with. Sticking to ground truth is our daily objective.

For that purpose, SAT-OCEAN performs, whenever possible, comparisons between its historical / forecast deliverables and simultaneous on-site measurements (ADCP, current meters, wave buoys or anemometers): we consider that approach as a baseline to build relationships of trust with our customers.

Today, SAT-OCEAN provides weather and oceanographic services to the marine industry worldwide. Our customers take advantage of proven and efficient forecast services to secure their operations at sea, improve performance or save time. They also benefit from our historical studies for operations planning, design or risk assessment.