Oil spill detection specialist Aptomar has officially opened its new field monitoring centre in Norway which will provide a 24/7 service to offshore oil firms operating around the world.
The company has hired an experienced team of master mariners to man the new marine control centre – Aptomarin in Trondheim. Between them, the team has more than 100 years experience from drill rigs, fire brigade, navy, coast guard and oil and gas transportation.
Aptomar’s Lars Solberg, said: “The field monitoring can be moved from the offshore asset to the 24/7 onshore control room. Oil can be detected and monitored, vessels can be tracked and diverted, birds can be counted and pipelines can be monitored at a lower cost than before.”
The technology at Aptomarin includes radar-based oil, ice and object tracking systems, AIS (automatic identification system) vessel tracking and Aptomar’s TCMS – a tactical collaboration and management system for oil spill detection and combating, search and rescue and firefighting.
The centre also taps into aerial and satellite radars and cameras, wind and weather data, on-site radars and communicate with offshore assets via VHF radio to secure the safest possible offshore operating environment.
Group manager Anders Meldal, said: “Aptomarin now consists of two control rooms, which allow us to offer more services and serve even more operations, both on the Norwegian continental shelf and elsewhere.
All infrastructure is in place to utilize both existing rig sensing equipment, or install new, all to ensure a cost efficient turnkey service.”
Aptomar already provides field monitoring and oil spill services for several companies, including BG Group at their Knarr field on the Norwegian continental shelf.
