Norwegian oil major Equinor and compatriot information technology firm Vissim have reached a global frame agreement to deploy its solution for surveillance of ocean space surrounding all Equinor-operated assets on the UK and Norwegian Continental Shelves.
Vissim said that the new system would also be installed on several 3rd party-operated assets on the NCS and the UKCS.
The system, which will act as one of Equinor’s systems for their strategic move towards digitalization, will incorporate the benefits of machine learning and enable surveillance of vessel traffic (VTMS), air traffic, subsea structures, environment, and real-time weather situation and forecasts.
Conceived to incorporate both oil and gas and offshore wind assets, the resulting system is one of the largest of its kind in the world. The contract is for six years and has a minimum value of 100 million NOK ($11.7 million).
Philippe F. Mathieu , SVP of joint operations support in Equinor, said: “The new system will cover a distance from satellites to more than 1,000 meters below the sea surface, across the NCS, and the British sector of the North Sea.”
The contracted solution is designed for big data analytics and can analyze traffic situations in real time. It is designed for cross-system and cross-discipline collaboration and where data can easily be shared with other systems onshore, offshore, or onboard vessels.
According to Vissim, when delivered, the Equinor system will give operators an almost complete overview of the ocean space. Vessel and helicopter movements integrated with the weather forecast, oil spill surveillance, and integrated radio communication will enable the Norwegian energy company to provide surveillance services and maximize marine operational performance and logistics.
Per Arne Henaes , CEO of Vissim, added: “This contract award underlines the value of using remote real-time data, from radar and other sources combined, to save significant operational cost.”
To remind, Vissim was awarded a contract in September to deliver its latest generation vessel traffic management system to Aker Solutions for the Maersk Inspirer rig.