French player and Identec get ‘remarkable results’ for pilot project involving Shell’s fleet

French performance management company Opsealog and Austrian wireless solutions provider Identec Solutions have teamed up to optimise vessel operations and reduce emissions by providing accurate, reliable tracking of support vessels, which resulted in a successful pilot project with Shell’s fleet in Nigeria, helping the oil major to keep track of its support fleet in harsh environment.

Opsealog confirmed on Thursday that it had entered into a partnership with Identec Solutions to enhance its services to the offshore oil and gas sector in a bid to help companies further optimise the operations of their support fleets, reducing their emissions and maximising safety and security in harsh environments.

Dr. Urban Siller, CEO at Identec Solutions, remarked: “We strongly believe that good visibility of onshore and offshore operations delivers safety and productivity. As the industry seeks to become safer, greener and more efficient, having a precise understanding of the activities of each vessel is vital. This is where our cutting-edge technology comes into play, and we are proud to partner with Opsealog on this journey that will support the offshore oil and gas sector as it moves towards sustainability.”

This collaboration combines Identec Solutions’ GPS trackers with Opsealog’s data integration and analysis service, Marinsights. While GPS trackers collect precise and real-time data on the positioning of each vessel, the Marinsights platform processes and analyses the collected data to provide meaningful insights that can improve safety, optimise operations, and reduce fuel consumption.  

The French management company confirmed the combined solution was successfully tested during a pilot project which was completed in collaboration with Shell companies in Nigeria. During this project, nine vessels were equipped with an i-Q350LX GPS-SAT removable transponder of Identec Solutions and configured to send the vessel position automatically every 30 minutes through the Globalstar network.

Arnaud Dianoux, Opsealog’s founder and managing director, commented: “The remarkable results of this pilot project with Identec Solutions for Shell Nigeria demonstrate the power of digital solutions and illustrate what can be achieved when a wealth of high-quality data combines with state-of-the-art performance management service.”

Based on Opsealog’s statement, this helped Shell overcome the challenges related to the tracking of its support vessel fleet in the winding rivers of the Niger delta, where in addition to the unavailability of the Automatic Identification System (AIS), bad weather conditions can pose a challenge for satellite reception.

After the data was successfully collected using Identec Solutions’ GPS trackers, it was analysed by Opsealog’s marine consultants and presented on the Marinsights platform, which enabled Shell to visualise its fleet on a map in real-time, with specific information for each vessel.

In addition, the software also generated reports on routes and position quality along with alerts when a vessel was immobilized for a certain duration or when it crossed a geofenced area.

“Having a comprehensive portrait of support vessels operations is an essential component of a strong security strategy, and can also unlock efficiencies that support companies’ decarbonisation efforts,” concluded Dianoux.

When it comes to recent developments related to Royal Dutch Shell, it is worth noting that the company moved to simplify its share structure in November 2021 as part of a push to accelerate its transition to a net-zero company.

At the time, the firm revealed it would also remove the Royal designation from its name. The company will also align its tax residence with its country of incorporation in the UK.

To remind, Shell set a new target back in October 2021 to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50 per cent compared to 2016 levels by 2030, regardless of the outcome of its appeal against the Dutch Court’s ruling.