INDUSTRY NEWS Securing Offshore Sites With Navigation Aids
written by John Caskey at Hydrosphere
In an environment where reliability is not an option, equipment must perform. And no environment is more unreliable than a remote offshore location.
Alongside accurate maps and GPS systems, navigation aids are crucial to helping ships navigate these waters and steer clear of hazardous sites such as oil and gas platforms or offshore wind farms.
Oil and Gas Platforms Offshore oil and gas sites are subject to some of the harshest conditions, and navigation aids in this environment require the highest levels of efficiency, durability and reliability.
Unlike onshore locations, traditional electrical grid solutions are impossible to implement at these remote offshore sites, and fuel-powered generators are expensive to operate and maintain. Solar-powered aids to navigation can operate independently of the electrical grid — providing a reliable, durable and low-maintenance power source even in extreme conditions. The self-contained
Sabik M860 lantern is engineered for consistent, reliable performance at remote installations, even in locations with low exposure to the sun’s rays.
Large and highly visible navigation buoys designed for use in deepwater locations, such as the Mobilis JET 16000, are also essential to safely mark off hazardous areas surrounding the site. Given the rate of decommissioning projects taking place, particularly in the North Sea, these types of high- performance navigational buoys are becoming increasingly crucial to the oil and gas sector — helping to establish a temporary safety zone.
Renewable Energy Installations As the world goes greener, the maritime industry is also facing other challenges out at sea. The growing number of offshore renewable energy installations (OREIs) — and the location, size and irregular shape of these OREIs — present new challenges for safe navigation. As the renewable energy sector ramps up, vessel traffic around sites such as offshore wind farms will only increase.
During the construction and decommissioning phases, a temporary safety zone may need to be established. While all the focus of decommissioning activity is currently on the oil and gas industry, the spectre of decommissioning for offshore wind farms is also starting to grow as these projects reach the end of their operational lifespan. The Mobilis JET 9000 high-visibility buoy is particularly suited for offshore wind and wave renewable deployment, whilst the VLB-36 X navigation light is ideal for temporarily marking larger structures requiring up to 7NM range.
Once the site has been established, permanent markings including maintenance-free night-time signage, self-contained LED lanterns and fog signals and detectors are crucial to maintaining visibility and safe lines of passage. Remote monitoring solutions — such as the SRT Carbon AIS — are also ideal for hazardous sites like offshore wind farms and oil and gas platforms. Automatic identification systems allow mariners to obtain vital information to avoid collisions and provide maintenance teams with valuable operational updates.
March 2021
www.sosmagazine.biz 21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
