Offshore staff
HOUSTON – Oceaneering International Inc. has conducted what it claims is the first onshore remote piloting of an ROV in the UK sector for bp.
The operations were conducted from Oceaneering’s Onshore Remote Operations Center in Stavanger, Norway.
This project was the first implementation of ROV remote piloting in the UK, the first cross-border implementation, and the first operational implementation for bp.
The company was tasked with observing drilling operations at bp’s Clair Ridge facility west of Shetland, at 141 m (463 ft) water depth. The operation ran from July 20 to Aug. 5, 2021.
ROV remote piloting from shore can increase safety and reduce the environmental footprint of operations, potentially achieving up to 25% reduction in offshore personnel on board and reduce emissions associated with the work, the company claimed.
Oceaneering and bp worked together to ensure secure offshore connectivity for the remote ROV piloting operations. This required a complex setup process to establish a bridge between the data networks of both companies, without compromising their respective cyber security policies. The result of the collaboration established a secure data link via subsea optical fiber to the worksite offshore.
The Stavanger-based remote piloting team operated the ROV for more than 70 hours during the campaign program with 100% uptime. The implementation of this project was achieved by a global support team comprising members from the UK, Norway, India, and the US.
12/17/2021
