Transocean deploys safety system for protection on rig drill floor

Offshore drilling contractor Transocean has deployed the HaloGuard technology on its drillship working in the Gulf of Mexico with plans to deploy it on six more rigs by the end of the year.

According to Transocean’s statement on Thursday, HaloGuard is offshore drilling industry’s first safety system that integrates a wearable locating device with drill floor equipment and machine stoppage controls.

The rig owner said that the HaloGuard system combines a wearable alarm and a real-time location transmitter together with a machine vision system that is designed to track the position of personnel on the drill floor and key drill floor equipment while operating.

When a crew member comes within a certain proximity of moving equipment, he or she is notified by an alarm through the wearable device.

In the event the crew member remains in close proximity of the moving equipment, the system will stop the equipment from moving until the crew member returns to a safer, more distant position, Transocean explained.

Transocean claimed that, by enabling machines with the technology to track, sense and, if needed, stop operations, HaloGuard provides an advanced layer of individual protection on the drill floor.

“We are extremely proud of our efforts to provide our crews with additional tools and resources to complement our industry-leading training and safety programs”, said Transocean President and CEO Jeremy Thigpen.

“This deployment once again showcases Transocean’s ability to develop and advance innovation within offshore drilling. We believe HaloGuard will be a differentiating safety system that others will want to utilize within our industry and potentially within other industries as well”.

Transocean’s patented HaloGuard methodology and technology were developed with the assistance of Houston Mechatronics and Salunda Limited, and incorporate Salunda’s patented CrewHawk real-time location technology.

The HaloGuard system is now operational on the Deepwater Conqueror drillship, which is working in the Gulf of Mexico. Transocean’s fleet status report from October 2020 shows that the drillship is under contract with Chevron, set to expire in December 2021.

Transocean plans to deploy the technology on six additional rigs by the end of 2021.

It is worth reminding that the rig contractor in November 2020 added approximately $297 million to its backlog following the award of contract extensions for two of its drillships.