The sea has claimed countless lives in Atlantic Canada. It’s rare to go a year without another tragic loss of life in the cold northern waters.
For more than a decade, Rutter Inc. has been engaged in research to develop a product that will help protect mariners from the dangerous waves that cause so many sinkings. This week, the company finally launched the service, which at its heart is about preventing these tragedies.
“Any time that you introduce tools in the operational aspect in the maritime (sector), the intention is to save lives,” explained Blair Wheaton, CEO of Rutter, headquartered in St. John’s.
“If you take transferring crew members from vessel-to-vessel or even operating or moving equipment from vessel to any location and you encounter a very large wave unexpectedly — the way it could wash crew overboard, it could do damage to the vessel, which could impact crew members. Most definitely, it potentially could save lives, using this technology.”
Wave Prediction Becomes A Reality. Rutter Launches WaveSignal Today. pic.twitter.com/Gnfj1sHDwH
— Rutter (@rutter_inc) February 2, 2021
WaveSignal is an addition to the company’s sigma S6 line of advanced radar processing systems. It uses x-band radar and predictive analytics to determine forecast quiet periods of wave activity. The user can set wave height thresholds so WaveSignal can tell when it is safe to work. It provides a high-definition visual representation of approaching waves, and when thresholds are exceeded, the traffic light signal on a screen on the bridge will switch from green to red. This also triggers a light change for an on-deck signal panel, letting everyone know when operations need to be suspended or can resume.
Wheaton said the system has a lot of uses. “Whether it be fisheries, cargo transfers, rescue operations, personnel transfer or equipment transfer from vessel-to-vessel, vessel-to-platform or vessel-to-shore, whatever the case may be,” he said. “The operational folks are currently using human nature to make decisions. With this leading-edge technology, they’re able to use a light system.”
Lengthy development
The product originated from the research and development work of a German company, OceanWaveS GmbH, in 2008. Rutter acquired OceanWaveS in 2012 and has worked together with the team in Germany since to develop the product. According to Wheaton, Rutter was already working on similar technology when it acquired OceanWaveS.
The company’s research and development team is happy to finally launch, Wheaton said.
“Twelve years is a long time for the development of any product,” he said. “We’re, to say the least, very excited to release another technology to improve safety in the marine environment for both equipment that’s being used there and, most importantly, the people working there.”
So long as a vessel can handle a radar system installation, WaveSignal can be put to use in just about any commercial vessel.
“The advantage of our system is we can tap into an existing radar on a vessel to make it much easier for the client,” Wheaton added.
Rutter has 30 employees, with the majority of its staff based in St. John’s. It also works with more than 30 dealers worldwide. Approximately 90 per cent of the company’s sales are outside of Canada and Wheaton expects there’ll be considerable international interest in WaveSignal.
“We tested the market a little bit in general discussions with our existing clients and potential clients, and the uptake is very positive,” he said, adding Rutter is working with some major companies that have shown substantial interest in the product.
While he declined to get into specifics on sales targets or pricing, Wheaton did say the company is pushing a lower up-front cost, with a licensing fee charged to continue using the technology.
He said a lot of the new revenue will go back into research and development.
“That is how we continue to release these types of new products in the marketplace.”
Andrew Robinson is a business reporter in St. John's.
