Apr. 2002 Vol. 223 No. 4  European Technology Round Up
United Kingdom
Virtual vessel tour enhances operations and safety

A creative design and communications agency based in Aberdeen, max&co, earned an award from the Institute of Petroleum for its successful development of an extranet-based virtual tour of PGS Production’s Petrojarl Foinaven, an offshore oil/gas production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO), located in BP’s West of Shetland region. The web-based virtual tour of the vessel is a unique tool that enhances familiarization and safety on and around the vessel. Developed in association with SAIC Ltd. (Science Applications International Corp.), and sponsored by BP, the system promotes innovative and creative application of new web technologies.

Petrojarl Foinaven FPSO virtual tour. Example shows how the panoramic environment can link to specific features.

In the system, 360°, fully immersive photography and interactive technology is used to provide the virtual tour with a realistic view of the vessel environment, enabling potential hazards to be identified and managed effectively. This, in turn, encourages virtual risk assessment and safe work planning. Subject to access restrictions, users can navigate around the vessel and are able to access appropriate levels of information according to their requirements. The versatility of the database allows system updates on a day-to-day basis, providing users with the latest information onboard.

This edit facility allows any amount of supportive data such as documents, photographs or active links to other intranet sites to be linked to specific features within the virtual panoramic environment simply by adding a hotspot, see accompanying figure. This highlights potential hazards, which can then be studied during induction and familiarization activities, as well as supporting remote work planning.

Dr. Ben Tye of SAIC said, "Our relationship with BP encourages identification and application of new technology in support of best practice, particularly in the communication of health, safety and the environment. This type of web-based application has huge potential to promote safety management and provide tailored resources to a wide variety of industries."