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Offshore oil and gas platforms support abundant reef fish and are popular fishing sites for recreational anglers. However, the rapid decommissioning and removal of active platforms have decreased such fishing opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico, raising concerns about fisheries impacts. Conversely, planned offshore energy structures like wind turbines may offer similar habitats and fishing sites. To inform spatial planning for marine energy infrastructure in the context of recreational fisheries, we created models of fish communities associated with oil and gas platforms using existing abundance data. We employed Random Forest analysis to predict the presence‐absence and abundance of Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) and Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili) at platforms using 47 environmental and platform variables. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling on Bray−Curtis dissimilarities explored fish species composition among 37 species. Results showed variability in Red Snapper and Greater Amberjack incidence/abundance from shore to shelf‐edge, not attributed to surrounding habitat or climatological oceanographic variables. Incidence models were more robust than abundance models. Fish species composition was significantly influenced by location gradient, with less impact from other habitat features. Our findings guide selecting areas for artificial structures to enhance angler opportunities and maintain fish diversity, but identifying the drivers of finer scale abundance variation will require further sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Offshore oil and gas platforms support abundant reef fish and are popular fishing sites for recreational anglers. However, the rapid decommissioning and removal of active platforms have decreased such fishing opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico, raising concerns about fisheries impacts. Conversely, planned offshore energy structures like wind turbines may offer similar habitats and fishing sites. To inform spatial planning for marine energy infrastructure in the context of recreational fisheries, we created models of fish communities associated with oil and gas platforms using existing abundance data. We employed Random Forest analysis to predict the presence‐absence and abundance of Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) and Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili) at platforms using 47 environmental and platform variables. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling on Bray−Curtis dissimilarities explored fish species composition among 37 species. Results showed variability in Red Snapper and Greater Amberjack incidence/abundance from shore to shelf‐edge, not attributed to surrounding habitat or climatological oceanographic variables. Incidence models were more robust than abundance models. Fish species composition was significantly influenced by location gradient, with less impact from other habitat features. Our findings guide selecting areas for artificial structures to enhance angler opportunities and maintain fish diversity, but identifying the drivers of finer scale abundance variation will require further sampling.

The use of Diesel Generators (DGs) and gas turbines to power oil rigs is characterized by pollution due to the emission of harmful gases like carbon dioxide, very high noise levels, high maintenance costs, and the inability to start the platform if the DG fails. Offshore wind energy generation system provides a viable alternative means of powering the oil rig and can also be integrated to operate in parallel with gas turbines. However, offshore wind energy might fail if not properly designed due to the high variability of wind resources. Hence, the objective of this work is to design offshore Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) energy generation system, DG, and hybrid DG-WTG for the black start of an offshore oil rig. The designed energy systems are simulated using HOMER Pro. Furthermore, the performance of the simulated systems was evaluated using the electrical production, unmet load, and emission profile as the performance metrics. The results of the hybrid DG-WTG powered black start revealed that 150kW DG generated 322,071kWh/yr representing 6.77% of the total generation and 1.5MW WTG generated 4,434,632kWh/yr representing 93.2% of the total generation. The comparison of the emissions from DG and DG-WTG revealed that 294,058kg/yr, 1,945kg/yr, 80.9kg/yr, 9.02kg/yr, 720kg/yr, and 688kg/yr of CO2, CO, UH, PM, SO2, and NO, respectively, were released into the atmosphere by DG-WTG which is very low compared to 969,129kg/yr, 6,109kg/yr, 267kg/yr, 37kg/yr, 2373kg/yr, and 5739kg/yr of CO2, CO, UH, PM, SO2, and NO, respectively, released into the atmosphere by DG. The sensitivity analysis revealed that while the electrical production of 100kW and 50kW DGs decreased with an increase in WTG height, the electrical production of 1.5MW WTG increased with an increase in WTG height. It was further revealed that the higher the WTG height the smaller the quantity of the emission released into the atmosphere.

The use of Diesel Generators (DGs) and gas turbines to power oil rigs is characterized by pollution due to the emission of harmful gases like carbon dioxide, very high noise levels, high maintenance costs, and the inability to start the platform if the DG fails. Offshore wind energy generation system provides a viable alternative means of powering the oil rig and can also be integrated to operate in parallel with gas turbines. However, offshore wind energy might fail if not properly designed due to the high variability of wind resources. Hence, the objective of this work is to design offshore Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) energy generation system, DG, and hybrid DG-WTG for the black start of an offshore oil rig. The designed energy systems are simulated using HOMER Pro. Furthermore, the performance of the simulated systems was evaluated using the electrical production, unmet load, and emission profile as the performance metrics. The results of the hybrid DG-WTG powered black start revealed that 150kW DG generated 322,071kWh/yr representing 6.77% of the total generation and 1.5MW WTG generated 4,434,632kWh/yr representing 93.2% of the total generation. The comparison of the emissions from DG and DG-WTG revealed that 294,058kg/yr, 1,945kg/yr, 80.9kg/yr, 9.02kg/yr, 720kg/yr, and 688kg/yr of CO2, CO, UH, PM, SO2, and NO, respectively, were released into the atmosphere by DG-WTG which is very low compared to 969,129kg/yr, 6,109kg/yr, 267kg/yr, 37kg/yr, 2373kg/yr, and 5739kg/yr of CO2, CO, UH, PM, SO2, and NO, respectively, released into the atmosphere by DG. The sensitivity analysis revealed that while the electrical production of 100kW and 50kW DGs decreased with an increase in WTG height, the electrical production of 1.5MW WTG increased with an increase in WTG height. It was further revealed that the higher the WTG height the smaller the quantity of the emission released into the atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The output shaft is one of the core components of the gearbox of an oil rig,The reliability of the output shaft directly affects the service life and economic benefit of the oil rig. In this paper,the stress analysis of the structure of the original output shaft is carried out by using the finite element method; The optimization and improvement scheme is put forward,and the stress of the output spindle before and after the improvement is compared and analyzed,According to the analysis results,the final improvement scheme of the output shaft is determined,The results show that the safety factor of the improved output shaft is significantly improved,The modal of the output shaft is analyzed by finite element method,It is verified that the working speed of the output shaft is within the safe range. The research in this paper has certain guiding significance to improve the performance of oil rig output shaft.

Summary: The diesel generators are usually used for supplying the electrical demand of the semi‐submersible oil drilling rigs. The specific fuel consumption (SFC) of each diesel engine changes nonlinearly with respect to its power product. Hence, this paper presents an economic fuel dispatch model for diesel engines powered oil rig platforms using the cubic spline interpolation curve fitting of the SFC‐power non‐linear dependence. Moreover, the total fuel consumption of the diesel generators significantly reduces by shifting a partial part of the electricity demand of the offshore drilling rigs from on‐peak time intervals to off‐peak periods. In addition, battery energy storage contributes to the load curve smoothing strategy. A mixed‐integer non‐linear programming problem is developed under generalized algebraic mathematical modeling system to find the optimum fuel consumption and power generation schedules of the diesel producers, the value of demand increase/decrease, and the charge/discharge pattern of the battery at each operating time interval. A benchmark oil rig with eight diesel engines and four tidal turbines is considered to validate the proposed methodology. Four cases are studied without and with application of battery and load shifting program. It is found that implementation of peak‐clipping and valley filling to energy demand pattern and battery integration with tidal‐diesel driven oil rigs cause a significant fuel saving. In the presence of battery, 70 g fuel saving is achieved over a 24‐hours study horizon. Moreover, the implementation of time‐based load shifting program with the capability of 30% load decreasing (at peak hours) and increasing (at off‐peak periods) makes it possible to save 282 g diesel fuel according to the base electrical demand profile. Finally, simultaneous integration of battery and demand‐side management programs (with maximum 10% load flexibility) causes 216 g fuel saving in sample operation day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rigs-to-Reefs (R2R) is a process, managed and maintained by a governmental agency, in which oil companies choose to modify a rig so that it can continue to support marine life. Although the decommissioning process is easily and routinely done in shallow waters, the depth and mass of most of California’s platforms make their eventual removal complex and costly. As oil wells are deemed to be no longer economically efficient and offshore production slows to a halt, California stands at an important policy crossroads. To address this issue, California policy makers must decide whether a R2R program serves ecological and economic goals better than the current status quo of complete rig removal. Many advocates claim that the R2R program atones for diminished diversity caused by human impacts near shore by providing an artificial habitat in which fishes, crustaceans, and marine mammals can thrive. Additionally, social and economic benefits make the R2R program an attractive alternative to complete rig removal. In contrast, opponents of the R2R program argue that capped oil sources near artificial reefs pose severe threats of liability, pollution, and other risks. Through a cost-benefit analysis, comparing and contrasting these two opposing points of view, this paper evaluates the economic and ecological efficiency of the Rigs-to-Reef program in California. Our principal finding is that a well-designed and efficiently implemented R2R program for California would likely result in direct and indirect benefits that far exceed the costs. Based on our evaluation, we recommend that a state and/or federal program be established that would benefit both the offshore environment and the citizens of California.

This review documents the current state of knowledge and gaps therein, as determined through a survey of published research on relevant topics, regarding the potential impacts of offshore oil production platforms (OPP) on the biology of highly migratory fish species (HMS) which include tunas, swordfish, billfishes, and oceanic sharks. There is a limited amount of published research directly related to HMS and OPPs. This may be due to the relatively recent offshore expansion of the industry and of studies. Most studies have focused on structure-associated species such as rockfishes and snappers. Within the U.S. exclusive economic zone, the most probable areas of interaction between HMS and OPPs occur in the Gulf of Mexico. This report focuses primarily upon this region, while noting that HMS roam the majority of the world's oceans and may interact with petroleum infrastructure in many other locations. With such large stock boundaries it is unlikely that HMS interactions with OPPs will have a significant impact at the stock level, however, there could be impacts at local or regional levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oil rigs that will be installed in the Lebanese offshore are floating rigs. This type can be affected by environmental risks such as extreme wind speed and wave height. We study these risks in Beddawi region in the northern Lebanon during the winter season by applying the extreme value theory to real data. We estimate at a first stage the return levels associated to return periods of 50, 100, and 500 years for each risk separately using the classical univariate theory. At a second stage, we use the logistic parametric model and the bivariate copula functions in multivariate extreme value theory to estimate the dependence between extreme wind speed and wave height as well as joint exceedance probabilities and joint return levels to take into consideration the risk of these two environmental factors simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drilling activity produces a significant amount of road traffic through unpaved and paved local roads. Because oil production is an important contributor to the local economy in the state of North Dakota, the state and local transportation agencies make efforts to support local energy logistics through the expansion and good repair and maintenance of transportation infrastructure. As part of this effort, it is important to build new roads and bridges, maintain existing road pavement and non-marked road surface conditions, and improve bridge and other transportation infrastructure. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to review previous oil location prediction models and propose a novel geospatial model to predict drilling locations which have a significant impact on local roads, to verify and provide a better prediction model. Then, this study proposes a SIR (susceptible–infected–recovered) epidemic model to predict oil drilling locations which are traffic generators. The simulation has been done on the historical data from 1980 to 2015. The study found that the best fit parameters of β (contact rate) and μ (recovery rate) were estimated by using a dataset of historical oil wells. The study found that the SIR epidemic model can be applied to predict the locations of oil wells. The proposed model can be used to predict other drilling locations and can assist with traffic, road conditions, and other related issues, which is a much needed predictive model that is key in transportation planning and pavement design and maintenance.

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This paper proposes a novel method for evaluating the braking system on oil rig. The Evaluation indexes, braking capacity, response speed control accuracy and braking efficiency, are put forward according to the drilling safety, benefit, quality and so on. The experimental apparatus to the performances of brakes was built by measuring the relation between the braking pressure, torque and rotation speed. The performances of pneumatic disc brake, hydraulic disc brake and pneumatic band brake are researched by modeling, theoretical analysis and experiment. Based on quantitative analysis, the value analysis is used to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the indexes. Some suggestions were put forward for selecting the braking system according to the evaluation. The total evaluation standard system is first proposed and it avails to optimize and evaluate the braking system on oil rig and its automation. Traditional selective method based on experience can be revised and the conclusions also provide a new reference for researching the automation of braking system and other mechanical systems.

It is easy to observe that the offshore zones especially the oil rigs, gas pipes and harbours are pointed with special interest by sabotage and terrorism actions. The complexity, multiple access possibility, intensive traffic and heterogeneous character of the activities performed in littoral zones or harbour perimeter, offers an “invitation” in order to facilitate terrorism intention. It is obvious that the solution when the global fear, concerning the terrorism actions, was exacerbated, especially after 11 September moment, the authorities attention was focused on defence complex designing. However, the success in antiterrorism war depends on essential factors such as: information on time, good potential, action methods related to the types of threat add answer back promptitude.

This paper describes the operational procedures and the conditions that exist and prevail in the Search and Rescue (SAR) at sea for endangered offshore platforms (oil rigs) in Greece. More specifically, the authors collected and elaborated all the necessary information of a thorough risk governance gap analysis by means of selective scenarios all along the SAR process, while paying special attention to the respective risk governance issues. Particular information is provided for the SAR in the Greek Search and Rescue Region (SRR), for the purpose of identifying vulnerable conditions such as responsibility gaps and duplication or overlapping of duties among the different partners and stakeholders that may result in confusion and lead to operational failures. The authors approach the international and national legal framework concerning the SAR issue, the identification of the potential for SAR operations in the Greek region, namely, the Search and Rescue Units (SRUs) in Athens FIR and the public services and governmental organizations, which are likely to be involved. An analysis of the coordination process among the above mentioned stakeholders is done along with the determination of various peculiarities/uncertainties that may arise during the management of communication. The paper concludes with a proposal for action plans in various SAR scenarios and suggestions on possible locations for the On Scene Coordinator (OSC) basis. A list of possible problems and shortcomings is presented and associated with a corresponding list of solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The May 2014 entry of a Chinese deep-water oil rig into Vietnamese waters deeply shocked Vietnam. This yearend article chronicles the impact of the controversial action on (1) power struggles among elite politicians, (2) alterations in foreign policy orientation, and (3) popular opinion regarding economic reforms and emerging inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency management, both in civilian and military context, is regarded as a complex socio-technical system, whose dynamic nature and complexity require a holistic approach. Over time, scholars developed diverse strategies and methods to capture such complexity and effectively design emergency plans for more or less severe disasters scenarios. Nonetheless, planning is not always an omni-comprehensive task, pushing organizations to stretch their adaptive capacities in dynamic and challenging settings. This manuscript explores such adaptive capacity as put in place by a leading Norwegian organization in providing emergency management solutions, facing unexpected challenges (at the time of the event): handling of Covid-19 infection episodes on offshore oil platforms. The study, conducted through the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) highlights the relevance of organizational learning which allows to handle emergencies by adapting plans to the specific context and by renewing new emergency management procedures derived from lessons learned. The study focuses on three different Covid-19 infection management cases to understand the nuances of actions and emerging adaptations that led to the development of a revised emergency plan, seen again through the lens of FRAM. While the methodological approach refers to Covid-19 infection management, we believe it can be extended into larger crisis management, providing a use case for the applicability of FRAM into emergency management scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are 1.3 million sailors in the world and 6 000 of them die every year. On average there are 5 marine accidents at sea worldwide every day. This paper aims to describe serious tanker and oil rig accidents within the last century and at the beginning of the present century. Many human lives were lost in those accidents, flora and fauna have been irrevocably damaged and efforts are still being made to recover from their economic consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes an outbreak of gastroenteritis which occurred on an oil drilling rig which operated in the Jubilee fields of Ghana (offshore Takoradi) between May 2011 and December 2013. An outbreak occurred on board approximately 10 h following a Christmas day buffet. Various Ghanaian and continental dishes were served during the occasion. Over a 3 day period, a total of 33 cases were recorded at the rig's sick bay. In order to describe the outbreak and determine its possible association with the meals served at the buffet, this case control study was conducted. A short questionnaire was used for data collection and a line list prepared for summarising data of cases. Samples of food could not be taken but water samples from multiple points of the rig's pipe water system were collected and cultured for coliforms. Data was analysed using Epi info version 7. Six foods appeared to be associated with the outbreak with odds ratios ranging from 1.2 to 2.7. The epidemic curve showed a propagated fashion of transmission and the outbreak was brought under control with public education on hand washing and disinfection of surfaces and door handles. The conclusion was that food items served at the buffet were not associated with the outbreak. Instead, a possible contamination of surfaces and door handles probably caused it. To prevent future occurrences, routine and regular hand washing and disinfection of surfaces and door handles is recommended.

While the problems of over-fishing and eutrophication continue largely unchecked, the Ospar Commission, which exists to improve the quality of European seas, requires governments, the public and the oil companies to find UK20 billion to remove millions of tons of steel to demonstrate its commitment to the mantra that `the seas are not dustbins'. The decision, taken in 1998, was made despite a paucity of evidence to identify the environmental impact redundant rigs create, despite the absence of scientific support to demonstrate that removal is the best practicable environmental option and in the knowledge that thedecision had more to do with a green anti-oil agenda than with improving marine quality. It may be shown in the fullness of time not to be in the best interests of the environment. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, the manner in which the decision was made is lacking in important respects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]