The deepwater operational environment worldwide poses a number of key challenges in the areas of real-time data accessibility, logistics, personnel skill assessment and training, and equipment maintenance, as well as heightened health, safety, and environment (HSE) requirements. A key to quality service delivery is to reduce or even eliminate costly incident and downtime by improving job planning and preparation, which heavily relies on the accuracy and timely availability of field data, and the ability to collaborate with onshore experts by the field crews.

A rig-centered digital platform was developed that offers the following key features: reliable network connectivity; real-time data sharing across the globe; job monitoring via video and remote human-machine interface (or HMI, the computerized application interface for executing field jobs and acquiring operational data) viewing; field crew and onshore expert collaboration by chat, file sharing, and voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP); on-rig asset tracking and reporting; mobile application for job workflow management; seamless two-way data exchange between field and corporate data center; and business continuity via offline operations support for an intermittent connectivity environment. The solution applied the best industry practices and cutting-edge digital technologies to provide a reliable, flexible, and secure platform for the best possible team collaboration practices, together with key improvements in processes, tools, and job workflows from both the operations and the maintenance sides.

Pilot projects were launched at various offshore operations and insightful data were collected. Benefits such as improved decision making—anytime, anywhere—by enhanced collaboration, improved speed reacting to abnormal events, crew reduction, less exposure to HSE risks and downtime, and adherence to the best and most up-to-date service provider and industry practices, among other advancements, were achieved.

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