Renewed Interest in the North Sea

Published Dec 4, 2015 10:32 PM by The Maritime Executive

Adrian Henry, Offshore Manager for GAC UK, looks at improved prospects for North Sea oil and gas and how best to support crew welfare in such challenging locations:

Brighter prospects beyond the horizon

The North Sea offshore industry has faced multiple challenges in recent years. The general malaise in global oil markets hit the North Sea hard, resulting in significant job losses and streamlining of operations. However, it is not all doom and gloom. For the first time in 15 years, production rates in the North Sea are forecast to increase. Supporting this, the offshore industry watchdog Oil and Gas UK has suggested that output from the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) over the first six months of 2015 could be 2.5pc higher than the same period last year.

So the picture for the North Sea is looking brighter. For example, BP is to invest around £670m to extend the life of its North Sea assets and secure the future of its Eastern Trough Area Project fields until at least 2030. Despite the challenges, with its potential of 26-38 billion barrels of recoverable reserves, big names in the industry still recognise the area’s strong promise. This means continued demand for experienced personnel.

Demand for offshore personnel

Across the North Sea, the search for heavy oil recovery under 1000 feet continues, and offshore wind projects and the laying of subsea cables have created opportunities for the subsea and seismic sectors, despite a general slowdown in new upstream activity worldwide. There are also prospects across the full spectrum of shipping and logistics services, as projects are in various stages of their lifecycle. This will require investment and specialist services for the construction, maintenance and decommissioning of rigs over the next 40 years.

This means continued work for offshore crew in the North Sea. The flipside of this are the ongoing challenges in transporting, accommodating and tending to the welfare of personnel in remote and often inhospitable climates.

Effective crew rotation

It is essential to make sure offshore crew are catered for, down to the very last detail. To achieve this, effective management of offshore crew rotation is needed, giving owners and operators peace of mind that their joining crew will be looked after all the way to their vessel.

For the oil majors and other operators in the North Sea with significant manpower needs, outsourcing crew travel services and general hub agency services can be effective in reducing costs and improving the quality of service for their business. GAC recognizes this and consequently launched G2 Crew & Port Services, a joint venture between GAC and specialist travel agent to the shipping and offshore industries, Griffin Group.

Door-to-deck is the ticket

The fragmented nature of traditional crew travel services is especially apparent in port, hence the need for a unified travel solution catering specifically to the maritime and offshore sectors, along with the ability to handle other husbandry matters. The benefit of GAC’s offering is being able to provide door-to-deck transfer of crew, coordinated and billed at a single point, streamlining costs and increasing operational efficiencies for customers.

Many of the issues are tackled by having a single contact to arrange flights and last mile services from airport to deck, with all services billed on a single invoice. Integrated crew handling - including meet-and-greet, hotel bookings, shore passes, crew welfare services, mail delivery and the provision of pre-paid calling cards - gives owners and operators the assurance that they have exercised their duty of care.

Offshore accommodation solutions

The remote location of some offshore projects in the North Sea, such as the Shetlands, can be difficult for offshore operators and the companies that service them. Providing suitable accommodation is imperative. In the Shetlands, given a lack of suitable on-shore accommodation, purpose-built accommodation barges have proven to be a comfortable, cost-effective and safe solution. GAC supports two accommodation barges in the Shetlands, each with capacity to house 3,600 people.

With the North Sea still offering plenty of oil and gas opportunities, it is imperative that companies provide their maritime and offshore personnel with a safe and productive living and working environment. Given the complexities of fulfilling even the simplest of daily tasks in these challenging locations, it makes sense to work together with organizations that have the experience, resources and expertise to deliver safe and effective support services for your crewing needs.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.