Abstract
The journey from concept to adoption of remote operations capabilities in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) has undergone significant evolution over the years. The effort to date has resulted in the full adoption of three Remote Control Rooms (RCRs) in New Orleans for remote assistance to their associated assets: the Brutus Tension Leg Platform (TLP), Ursa TLP and Perdido SPAR. A fourth RCR is slated to be operational in mid-2010 supporting the Auger TLP. A brief look back shows that factors such as broad stakeholder engagement and support, along with a dedicated project staff working to integrate technology, operations processes and people considerations contributed immensely to the project’s success. Furthermore, development of an operating model encompassing principles, policies, performance management, IT support and activity roles/responsibilities has been essential in adoption of the RCRs. At present, plans are under way to extend current RCR capabilities including bringing additional control and monitoring capabilities into the RCR, deferment reduction during hurricane events, and moving additional activities from the asset to a shore-based environment.