diff --git a/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/src/MSWriterNull.cc b/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/src/MSWriterNull.cc
index b51abcb3d6a2f0679c6dd60422688cfab2c16baa..4c63ca356c725cae4cd766819d65be2c73759b81 100644
--- a/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/src/MSWriterNull.cc
+++ b/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/src/MSWriterNull.cc
@@ -33,8 +33,14 @@ namespace LOFAR
   {
 
 
-    MSWriterNull::MSWriterNull ()
+    MSWriterNull::MSWriterNull(const Parset &parset )
+    :
+      itsParset(parset)
     {
+      itsConfiguration.add("size", "0");
+      itsConfiguration.add("percentageWritten", "0");
+      itsConfiguration.add("startTime", parset.getString("Observation.startTime"));
+      itsConfiguration.add("duration", "0");
     }
 
 
@@ -43,17 +49,17 @@ namespace LOFAR
     }
 
 
-    void MSWriterNull::write(StreamableData *)
+    void MSWriterNull::write(StreamableData *data)
     {
       // We do not know why the creation of the propper writer failed.
       // Assume nothing and only report that we did not write anything
       itsConfiguration.replace("percentageWritten", str(format("%u") % 0));
+      itsConfiguration.replace("size", str(format("%u") % getDataSize()));
+      itsConfiguration.replace("duration", 
+          str(format("%f") % ((data->sequenceNumber() + 1) *
+            itsParset.IONintegrationTime())));
     }
 
-    void MSWriterNull::augment(const FinalMetaData &finalMetaData)
-    {
-      (void)finalMetaData;  // mirror implementation in MSWriter.cc
-    }
   } // namespace Cobalt
 } // namespace LOFAR
 
diff --git a/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/src/MSWriterNull.h b/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/src/MSWriterNull.h
index 73cd01a6598426656d5acfe185b7e041d3281f4f..6f134b12edfd8c510cebf345f1478fde9179f704 100644
--- a/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/src/MSWriterNull.h
+++ b/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/src/MSWriterNull.h
@@ -33,12 +33,14 @@ namespace LOFAR
     class MSWriterNull : public MSWriter
     {
     public:
-      MSWriterNull();
+      MSWriterNull(const Parset &parset);
       ~MSWriterNull();
 
-      virtual void augment(const FinalMetaData &finalMetaData);
-
       virtual void write(StreamableData *);
+
+    private:
+      const Parset &itsParset;
+
     };
 
 
diff --git a/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/src/OutputThread.cc b/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/src/OutputThread.cc
index 5a73b1ec7225de96d8fdb7459b557c148c5d0df2..2f26c57ae93ab8ba0a71f5f7d0f1c315079955ed 100644
--- a/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/src/OutputThread.cc
+++ b/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/src/OutputThread.cc
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ namespace LOFAR
         if ( !itsParset.realTime())   
           THROW(StorageException, ex); 
 
-        itsWriter = new MSWriterNull;
+        itsWriter = new MSWriterNull(itsParset);
 #if defined HAVE_AIPSPP
       } 
       catch (casa::AipsError &ex)
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ namespace LOFAR
         if (!itsParset.realTime())    
           THROW(StorageException, ex.what()); 
 
-        cleanUp();
+        itsWriter = new MSWriterNull(itsParset);
 #endif
       }
 
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ namespace LOFAR
         if (!itsParset.realTime())
           THROW(StorageException, ex);
 
-        itsWriter = new MSWriterNull;
+        itsWriter = new MSWriterNull(itsParset);
 #if defined HAVE_AIPSPP
       } 
       catch (casa::AipsError &ex) 
@@ -331,8 +331,8 @@ namespace LOFAR
         LOG_ERROR_STR(itsLogPrefix << "Caught AipsError: " << ex.what());
         if ( !itsParset.realTime())       
           THROW(StorageException, ex.what());  
-        cleanUp();
-        itsWriter = new MSWriterNull;
+
+        itsWriter = new MSWriterNull(itsParset);
 #endif
       }
 
diff --git a/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/test/tOutputThread.cc b/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/test/tOutputThread.cc
index 00dda6749ce2a9b5e032b65602fbbb51c40f2acd..45ad70cd4681f2f8cd082ff0cd857f34733499af 100644
--- a/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/test/tOutputThread.cc
+++ b/RTCP/Cobalt/OutputProc/test/tOutputThread.cc
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ TEST(testCorrelatorOutputThreadThrowsStorageException)
 {
   cout << "testCorrelatorOutputThreadThrowsStorageException" << endl;
   Parset par;
+  par.add("Observation.startTime","2011-03-22 18:16:00");
   par.add("OLAP.CNProc.integrationSteps","256");
   par.add("OLAP.IONProc.integrationSteps", "4");
   par.add("OLAP.correctBandPass", "F");
@@ -108,6 +109,7 @@ TEST(testCorrelatorOutputThreadRealtimeThrowsNoException)
 {
   cout << "testCorrelatorOutputThreadRealtimeThrowsNoException" << endl;
   Parset par;
+  par.add("Observation.startTime", "2011-03-22 18:16:00");
   par.add("OLAP.CNProc.integrationSteps", "256");
   par.add("OLAP.IONProc.integrationSteps", "4");
   par.add("OLAP.correctBandPass", "F");
@@ -157,6 +159,7 @@ TEST(testBeamformerOutputThreadThrowsStorageException)
 {
   cout << "testCorrelatorOutputThreadThrowsStorageException" << endl;
   Parset par;
+  par.add("Observation.startTime", "2011-03-22 18:16:00");
   par.add("OLAP.CNProc.integrationSteps", "256");
   par.add("OLAP.IONProc.integrationSteps", "4");
   par.add("OLAP.correctBandPass", "F");
@@ -231,6 +234,7 @@ TEST(testBeamformerOutputThreadRealtimeThrowsNoException)
 {
   cout << "testCorrelatorOutputThreadRealtimeThrowsNoException" << endl;
   Parset par;
+  par.add("Observation.startTime", "2011-03-22 18:16:00");
   par.add("OLAP.CNProc.integrationSteps", "256");
   par.add("OLAP.IONProc.integrationSteps", "4");
   par.add("OLAP.correctBandPass", "F");
diff --git a/RTCP/Cobalt/VisualStudio/Cobalt.v12.suo b/RTCP/Cobalt/VisualStudio/Cobalt.v12.suo
index b50331d9868e0ec73635e12eccb366da14ad49bc..eb5a109ed6e657986cb85892446255cfbaa42cb4 100644
Binary files a/RTCP/Cobalt/VisualStudio/Cobalt.v12.suo and b/RTCP/Cobalt/VisualStudio/Cobalt.v12.suo differ