The oil and gas industry spends millions of dollars a year on developing and deploying some of the most advanced technology known to man, yet, with such technological armoury to hand, many operations are still affected by the weather.
The accurate forecasting of weather in the North Sea has traditionally been a problem and one which the industry has had difficulty in fully addressing. The standard practice has been for operators to obtain site specific forecasts and combine that with information from the offshore installation before a decision can be taken on whether or not to go ahead with the work.
However, this traditional system has had obvious deficiencies and has been open to a considerable level of inaccuracy. Metocean information from the North Sea offshore installations can be of variable quality and is often not available to users in a timely manner. The lack of reliable weather reports can therefore have significant costs for operators who must base their decisions on whether or not to proceed with work on such information.
The issue effectively came to a head following the production of two reports "Weather Sensitive Offshore Operations and Metocean Data" by the UK Health and Safety Executive in 2000, and "A Co-ordinated Approach for Metocean Activities" by the United Kingdom Offshore Operators' Association Metocean Committee last year. The reports identified possible solutions for improving data availability and the benefits which would result. At the time these reports were published, there were just two existing networks available: one a Metocean network operated by Shell UK (METNET) and the other, Muir Matheson's HELIMET, which is a network of fully automated aviation weather observations from offshore installations in the UK oil and gas sector to support helicopter operations. However data from most offshore PC based Metocean systems was used by the various operators independently of each other and was not widely available.
It was felt that a system whereby operators in the North Sea could share the latest Metocean data in their possession would be of great benefit to everyone concerned. In response to that demand, Muir Matheson recently took the lead in a collaborative approach with offshore oil and gas operators to develop and invest £100,000 in a unique piece of software which gathers weather information from offshore sites in the North Sea.
The new WebMET Metocean Data Network software system collates, distributes and archives weather data from offshore sites including wind, wave, temperature, humidity and pressure measurements. It then displays these measurements on screen so they can be used for site-specific weather forecasts to assist with weather-sensitive operations.
The Internet based system is supported by key energy players in the UK including Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil, Total E&P UK PLC, BHP, Kerr McGee, Met Office, WNI Oceanroutes and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).
WebMet provides real-time, quality controlled and secure data which is fully integrated with weather forecasts. Its aim is to provide a full and comprehensive picture of all weather systems active in the North Sea at any given time, to help companies understand the weather better so they can work more efficiently offshore. As an example, one subscriber, which is planning work on an installation in the North Sea, can obtain an exact and accurate real time picture of the weather being experienced on a neighbouring installation owned by another subscriber, use that information and plan or abandon work accordingly based on the real-time data. The system is operational 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, providing essential support to many sectors of the industry.
Shell's METNET system provided the foundation to launch the inter-company WebMet network which uses OPNET, operated by Aberdeen-based Data Marine Systems Limited, to allow the secure exchange of data.
Information is taken currently from about 25 sites in the North Sea including weather buoys, but up to 50 sites have been identified and it is intended they will join the system in due course. The benefits of a real-time data network when planning activity in the North Sea are obvious and considerable. The system provides essential support and is of operational value to pilots, forecasters, marine operations, drilling, logistics and other contractors providing weather sensitive services. WebMET provides data banking for studies and incident reporting including operational statistics and extreme conditions. The network should improve maintenance efficiency and remote software upgrades, and increase opportunities for the standardisation of equipment and a joint spares pool. It also improves forecast accuracy and opportunities for short term forecasting as well as allowing for the integration in a single system of other weather products, such as long and short term forecasts.
Total E&P UK PLC is one of the companies that has given support to the development of the system. The company provides weather information from two of its offshore platforms, Alwyn North and Dunbar. This data is then incorporated into the WebMET software system where it is available for subscribers to receive both real-time and historic weather data.
The new software also gives organisations, such as the weather forecasting companies, access to real-time weather and environmental data which is useful for its forecasting teams to help constantly monitor the weather and sea conditions. The Met Office is working closely with Muir Matheson to trial inputting its forecasting data alongside the real-time data to assess the benefits of displaying both dimensions within the same package.
Following on from the development of the WebMET software system Muir Matheson has taken over responsibility for the Shell UK Exploration and Production (Shell Expro) METNET system in a multi-million pound five-year contract.
The contract, which has already commenced, covers all aspects of METNET including provision of hardware, software, system engineering, field maintenance, data archiving and project management. A core team of 10, including consultant engineers and support staff, will support the contract.
The key activity will be rolling out upgraded software and display systems for each of the 22 Shell Expro installations already covered by METNET and providing networked access to the data via the Web both offshore and onshore. The contract also includes an option to extend the services to Shell's operations in the Dutch and Norwegian sectors.
The METNET contract should also provide a catalyst to help further establish WebMET as a pan-industry real-time system.
It is anticipated that WebMET, in collaboration with key players across the energy industry, will significantly benefit the oil and gas sector and increase efficient work practices. The long term aim for the software is to expand its data collection range geographically to service other key offshore areas outwith the North Sea. WebMET is already operational in the Caspian and it is intended that this will be extended to Azerbaijan, with West Africa as another area of expansion. The intention also is to attract other companies to the system, substantial work is guaranteed for the next few years.
Over the years, we have all learned that the unpredictability of the weather is one of the few factors which we cannot overcome. However, with better information at our fingertips we can at least understand it, try to mitigate its effects and operate in a more efficient manner.
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