Oil companies are deploying radical and complex solutions to protect production assets and workers.
The problem
The owners concerns were raised about operating in that particular area because there have been a number of piracy attacks in that region. Subsequently they looked at providing a level of security that could mitigate the effects of a pirate attack on the platform.
The International Maritime Bureau figures quoted herein define piracy as “An act of boarding any ship or offshore installation with the apparent intent to commit theft or any other crime and with the apparent intent or capability to use force in the furtherance of that act.”
Though the overall number of attacks has been in decline, the incidence level, and the ferocity of those attacks is still much higher than a decade ago, and more than triple the levels experienced in the 1980s.
Since 1995 it is estimated that more than 3,200 vessel crew members were held hostage, while over 1,100 have been reported injured, killed or missing due to piracy incidents.
Whilst not particularly rampant in Middle Eastern waters compared to global hot spots such as Indonesia and Somalia, the international nature of offshore platforms means oil industry controlled and operated ships, rigs and platforms are equally vulnerable to vicious attacks.
The consequences of piracy are dire for its victims. In the first nine months of 2006, over a quarter of all reported piracy incidents were by attackers armed with guns, and another third were armed with long knives or machetes.
The same period saw 218 acts of violence against crew, including six confirmed deaths, 163 hostage takings, and over 20 kidnappings.
In the past where it may have been a small group boarding with a couple of pistols trying to make away with the ship’s safe, the case now is that groups can be armed with machine guns or rocket propelled grenades.
The platform in question is roughly the size of a football field stacked three high, which may sound large, but this means people don’t have far to run in the event of a security breach.
Also, even though safety standards have been met, with over 2 billion cubic metres worth of gas being processed every day, if there is an attack that triggers a massive release, it’s almost impossible to predict exactly where that is going to go.
The solution
Presented by Randy Marek, automation section leader, J Ray McDermott Engineering.
We came up with the following parameters: The system should be able to defend all points from potential enemies. Attackers would look for weaknesses so these should be provided with adequate layers of security.
The attacker can choose the weakest point – so an audit was necessary of these. The attack may come at anytime.
For the oil company the rule of law dictates what can be done on our part, but its an important consideration that attackers are unlikely to be constrained in their efforts.
The project and execution was hugely significant because we had to protect the loss of assets, loss of production and potential loss of resources.
This particular facility is capable of producing 2 billion standard cubic metres per day at full production.
It was vital that any threat was dealt with at the earliest possible stage because production was of strategic importance to India, and any attempts to halt it had to be stopped.
4 D’s
Deter, detect, delay and defend were the guiding principals we laid down. An industrial facility such as a production platform does not have armed guards protecting the perimeter, although, it does have a rather large moat surrounding it (!), which does help – but it also a concern because it means if you need help, it’s typically at least half an hour, maybe a hour away.
Detection meant seeing who’s coming towards the platform. Our first level of detection is radar.
This is augmented by barrier perimeter monitoring systems, with thermal graphics and low-light laser illuminated cameras.
Then we deployed CCTV within the platform monitoring all areas of interest, and behind that access control and personnel movement monitoring.
The system
The customer required a single user interface and a system that was modular and scalable, so it could be expanded as they saw fit. The perimeter surveillance and overall system also needed to be linked to an onshore facility, so all hardware and software solutions had to be totally compatible with the onshore security system.
As is often the case in these situations, we were not the company managing the onshore monitoring facility so a dialogue and interface had to be established.
Radar needed 360 degrees of coverage, which meant we needed two strategically placed units. The client wanted thermal graphic and laser-illuminated low-light cameras, and demanded these too had 360-degree coverage.
The laser illuminated cameras had to be effective to 2km out to sea. They also demanded target identification between 500 and 1,000 metres.
The Radar obviously represented the most outer layer of detection. The cameras augmented this for perimeter monitoring, and within the platform itself, a network of CCTV, access control and personnel tracking provided the innermost layer.
On top of meeting the stringent security demands of the client, there were additional requirements because it was being installed on a platform. The system had to offer:
• Single relational database for all functionality
• Single Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Monitor Access Door Controller, Card Readers, & Personnel Movement
• Perimeter surveillance and object detection
• Record and store digital video
• Link video clips to alarms
• Enhanced Secure Communication during an incident
Some challenges that we have despite all of the technical innovations include the fact that detecting a swimmer is still very difficult. Also small craft are difficult. With a standard small boat the radar doesn’t actually detect the craft itself, but rather the wake left behind it.
The curvature of the wake is a strong reflector, so if a small craft isn’t generating much of a wake, then it’s very difficult to pinpoint, and even more so in rough or even choppy seas.
This client has a very sophisticated security plan, and this equipment was essentially the base requirement, so on top of this will go a whole host of additional measures that we’re not even aware of, and they certainly won’t be publicising.
RELATED LINKS: Mysteries & puzzles, Facing the threat, All at sea
