ROFFS™ - schaudt.us OCEANOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
FOR THE NIGERIA TO SOUTH KOREA TOW
USING IMAGERY AND DATA FROM THE PAST 48 HOURS      

We have shown unfavorable currents circled in red. Favorable currents are circled in green. The initial tow route is shown in light blue. A suggested ROFFS™ -schaudt.us route change is shown in purple if necessary. 

We continue to observe the ocean conditions relatively clearly along the tow route using high resolution infrared satellite imagery from the past 48 hours. The last reported location of the rig was near 105°21’E & 3°00’N moving northward into the South China Sea with an average speed over the past 24 hours of 8.0 knots. As the tow continues northward to near 109°00’E & 7°30’N, we continue to suggest a slight eastward route shift to maximize the northward flow along the eastern edge of the eddy that has since moved appoximately 20 miles to the west and is centered near 108°30’E & 7°50’N. North of 8°00’N, the current tow route appears to be the most favorable for overall tow performance. However, there may be an opportunity to gain some time by again shifting the tow route to the east near 114°25’E & 13°10’N to near 117°00’E & 14°40’N and then northward to avoid a small area of unfavorable currents near 116°00’E & 15°30’N.