Main concerns
Solutions offered
Installation Diagram
Users
Main concerns of oil and gas rigs
Unauthorised traffic
Vessels or other objects approaching the platform without the necessary clearance is a major safety issue. Should unauthorised objects enter into the safety zone immediate action is required and time is very limited. It is imperative to detect and monitor any object that may cause a dangerous situation well before the situation becomes critical. TZ Coastal Monitoring provides accurate situational awareness and keeps the operator alerted about any unauthorised traffic at all times.
Piracy
Piracy is a serious threat to offshore installations and oil and gas rigs are naturally particularly vulnerable. A surveillance system must offer early detection and continuous monitoring of targets that appear suspicious. TZ Coastal Monitoring provides accurate situational awareness and keeps the operator alerted about any unauthorised traffic at all times.
Terrorism
Unfortunately, nowadays we must be prepared for the possibility of terrorist acts targeting high impact sites such as oil or gas rigs. Operators can protect themselves against this type of threat by efficient surveillance of the rig’s surrounding area to detect and prevent access for intruders with unknown intentions. TZ Coastal Monitoring provides accurate situational awareness and keeps the operator alerted about any unauthorised traffic at all times.
Weather
Weather at sea is rapidly and ever changing and is always a parameter to take into account for any operation. A reliable source and frequent updates must be available to stay informed of the development of weather conditions. TZ Coastal Monitoring has an integrated weather forecast download and display function that provides continuous weather updates for the area of interest.
The solutions offered by TZ Coastal Monitoring
Detection by radars and cameras
Surveillance of the surrounding area and detection of any potential dangerous traffic is of major importance to avoid undesired incidents. TZ Coastal Monitoring integrates one or more radars for 360° long range early detection and continuous monitoring. AIS and ARPA targets are displayed both in radar view and chart view and the target tracking function makes it easy to follow any target that requires special attention.
The radars are fully operable from the TZCM user interface for both platform personnel and operator’s in land based surveillance centres.
Cameras can also be included to provide the best situational understanding, by pointing the camera towards any detected situation where further information is desired.
Alerts
Configurable boundaries for safety zones and a corresponding alert hierarchy keep platform operators as well as land based surveillance centres fully aware of any objects and their movements within the defined zones. However, too many alerts has proven to cause more stress than assistance for operators. To keep the number of alerts to a minimum a list of cleared vessels can be maintained so that their movements will not generate alerts.
Weather
As harsh weather may affect operations up to date weather forecasts are of great value and an important aspect of surveillance. TZ Coastal Monitoring includes free and unlimited weather forecast downloads. The forecast is presented as a chart overlay providing a visual presentation of how the weather in a specific area of interest is predicted to develop. The weather forecast can be requested for a user determined period of time and with the desired download frequency.
ARPA/AIS targets
AIS and ARPA targets are displayed directly on your software screen, making it as easy as possible to track any targets that appear suspicious. AIS targets can be picked up by the software up to a distance of 50NM. According to the size and power of the Radar Antenna, ARPA targets can be reliably detected and tracked up to 10NM away (depending on weather conditions).
Record and Replay
Recording is continuously running and replay of any sequence of events is right at the operator’s fingertips. A slide bar makes it easy for the operator to select the time period of interest. Recordings of a certain event can be extracted and distributed or saved as documentation.
Remote Surveillance
Remote surveillance is fully supported. A remote system setup comprises the same features and functions as provided in the rig system setup. The system may also include remote VHF call up functionality to efficiently make contact and authorize or deny access to restricted areas for the vessels in the rig’s surrounding areas.
Installation Diagram Example
To provide effective 360 degree coverage, two Radars are usually installed at two corners of the platform.
The diagram (Fig.1) highlights how simple and straightforward the installation is, thanks to the direct Ethernet integration:
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Two commercial-grade Furuno FAR2xx7 Radars are simply connected to a switch through their Ethernet output
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The Furuno AIS receiver FA30 is also connected to the switch through its Ethernet output
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The WorkStation used by the operator to monitor the traffic is directly connected to the Ethernet switch
Our solution does not require any ‘server’ to handle the Radar, target tracking or to record and replay data. All this is done from one workstation. This means that our solution is extremely cost-effective, easy to install and easy to maintain.
Oil & Gas Platform - Fig.1
Oil & Gas Platform - Fig.2
In the diagram (Fig.2), cameras are added to the system to provide the user with complete situational awareness on two screens and an optional remote station is installed on shore to be able to monitor and control everything remotely.
Users
Surveillance and security are extremely important on these sites and this all-in-one solution will make it as easy as possible to constantly monitor traffic in the area.
TZ Coastal Monitoring is suited to, but not limited to the following types of oil and gas rigs:
Fixed platforms
Fixed platforms are built upon steel or concrete legs, and are therefore usually designed for long-term use. The legs are anchored to the sea bed and used to support the platform for oil or gas drilling.
Tension-leg platforms
Tension-leg platforms are also floating platforms, kept very still as they are tethered to the seabed. They can usually be found in waters between 600 and 4,300 feet.
Jack-up drilling rigs
As the name suggests, jack-up drilling rigs use a type of jack mechanism so that the legs can hoist the platform above water. This platform is mobile so can be moved to different places. They are generally used in waters up to 400 feet deep.
Gravity-based structures
Gravity-based structures are unusual in that they are held in place by the force of gravity. They are connected directly to the seabed. When a GBS is constructed for use as an offshore oil platform, it is usually made of steel reinforced concrete.
Compliant towers
Compliant towers are narrow, flexible towers are often used in water between 1,200 and 3,000 feet deep. The towers are designed to withstand strong lateral impact.
Spar platforms
Much like TLPs, spar platforms are attached to the seabed. This floating oil platform is often used in very deep waters, and logs are used as buoys that are moored in place vertically. Spar production platforms have been developed as an alternative to conventional platforms. The three main types of spars are the classic spar, truss spar, and cell spar.
Drillship
nother type of oil or gas rig is a drillship. These are marine vessels that are specially designed to drill into the sea floor. They are often used for exploratory drilling for oil and gas or for scientific drilling. They can be used in depths of up to 12,000 feet.
Normally unmanned installations (NUI)
Normally unmanned installations are small platforms, which are generally operated remotely. They are only occasionally visited by people to carry out maintenance etc.
Semi-submersible platforms
Semi-submersible platforms have hulls and float on the water, while the columns are attached by chains or wires to the seafloor. They are generally used in depths from 200 to 10,000 feet.
Floating production systems
Floating production systems are large monohulls which are usually in the shape of a ship. They are moored at a location for long periods of time and used as processing facilities, without actually drilling.