Detailed information about North Sea weather has been vital to the safety of offshore workers this winter, according to the Met Office.
The national weather forecaster says harsh weather in the North Sea in recent months has resulted in many operational challenges for a number of oil and gas firms.
It comes ahead of a conference the weather forecaster is staging in Aberdeen to provide training for helicopter firms on how best to read weather conditions.
The agency says its Aberdeen-based team has aided the industry by providing North Sea companies with a range of bespoke site-specific forecasts and warnings.
“During this challenging winter, our detailed and bespoke forecasts are providing companies throughout the North Sea with important weather information,” said Met Office head of oil and gas Patrick Sachon.
“This is enabling them to plan and make informed decisions on safety, both for staff operating and maintaining rigs and for their assets.”
He said bespoke weather forecasting had aided one operator in evacuating staff from an installation, following warnings of high waves.
See footage of just how bad conditions were during the North Sea storms below
Late last month, Talisman Sinopec airlifted 75 staff off the Buchan Alpha North Sea platform, following weather warnings.
The unit, around 80 miles north-east of Aberdeen, is not permitted to operate in waves of higher than 6.75m.
The Met Office said average wind and wave conditions in December 2013 were the highest in any December since 1981.
This resulted in support vessels travelling to rigs facing above average wave heights and wind speeds, while helicopter operators were severely restricted.
The highest wave recorded was 13m in the north North Sea, while the highest mean wind speed was 60 knots in the central North Sea and the highest gust was 73 knots in the southern North Sea.
The two-day course, which takes place in Aberdeen in April, has been designed to help weather observers make accurate aviation reports for offshore helicopter operations. It also operates an online refresher course for observer staff.
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