Offshore staff
STEINHAUSEN, Switzerland – Transocean Ltd. has deployed the HaloGuard on the drillship Deepwater Conqueror, which is operating for Chevron in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to the company, this is the offshore drilling market’s first safety system that integrates a wearable locating device with drill floor equipment and machine stoppage controls.
The HaloGuard system combines a wearable alarm and a real-time location transmitter together with a machine vision system that is designed to track the position of personnel and equipment on the drill floor while operating.
When a crew member comes within a certain proximity of moving equipment, he or she is notified by an alarm through the wearable device. In the event the crew member remains in proximity of the moving equipment, the system will stop the equipment from moving until the crew member returns to a safer, more distant position.
By enabling machines with the technology to track, sense and, if needed, stop operations, the system provides an advanced layer of individual protection on the drill floor, the company said.
Transocean’s patented HaloGuard methodology and technology (Patent Nos. U.S. 10,402,662, U.S. 10,885,758 and patents pending) were developed with Houston Mechatronics Inc. and Salunda Ltd. It incorporates Salunda’s patented CrewHawk real-time location technology.
The drilling contractor said it plans to deploy the technology on six additional rigs by the end of 2021.
Transocean President and CEO Jeremy Thigpen said: “We believe HaloGuard will be a differentiating safety system that others will want to utilize within our industry and potentially within other industries as well.”
02/11/2021
