The year 2020 hasn’t not been kind to the energy sector — there has been a drop in oil prices, a decreased demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and now there is the threat of a devastating financial crisis. To overcome these challenges, the industry needs to focus on increasing operational efficiency by optimising traditional workflows, says satellite expert IEC Telecom, which believes that communication will play a key role in the sector’s recovery.
Satellite technology serves more than 13,700 vessels and mobile drilling units as well as 8,000 fixed platforms worldwide on a daily basis. Even though demand for very small aperture terminal (VSAT) is increasing, mobile satellite services (MSS) terminals remain the backbone for offshore communications, serving as a primary connectivity source for offshore support vessels (OSVs) and a reliable back-up for Ka-, Ku-band antennas on rigs and oil-tankers.
Technology for oilfield operations
IEC Telecom advises that terminals such as MarineStar, the latest MSS terminal launched by Thuraya, offer the perfect solution to optimise oilfield operations. This fixed voice terminal supports the timely delivery of key decisions and serves to enhance coordination for an entire oilfield.
An inbuilt GPS tracker provides rig management with increased visibility over OSVs, which helps improve logistics at the oilfield, saving time and money for the project. In addition, fixed MSS terminals can be used as a public phone service with voice credits available to crew members from e-vouchers or scratch cards that can be purchased from the rig manager.
As IEC Telecom highlights — not only does satcom empower crew welfare, increasing morale and operational performance, it is also a major consideration when attracting and retaining new talent.
