Locator Beacon Technology to Safeguard Offshore Workers
Mobilarm’s VHF DSC locator beacon technology has been chosen by Apache Energy to provide man overboard alerting and location for workers carrying out scheduled maintenance aboard the Reindeer Wellhead Platform, Northwest Australia. The 35 VHF DSC locator beacons ordered by Apache will be carried by maintenance crew, providing improved probability of rescue and survival should an emergency evacuation or man overboard (MOB) occur.
“Although already being used to safeguard workers in a number of sectors including, naval, merchant vessels, wharves, pilot boats and offshore helicopter transfer, Apache is the first Australian oil and gas operator to implement our VHF DSC locator beacon technology to protect employees working on offshore platforms,” comments Lindsay Lyon, CEO, Mobilarm.
The not normally manned Reindeer Wellhead Platform will be regularly maintained by work crews transported in by helicopters. This may involve working near unprotected edges over water where the man overboard risk is present, but maintenance crew are at greater risk during emergency evacuation of the platform. The implementation of Mobilarm’s VHF DSC locator beacons means that local Search and Rescue (SAR) and Apache assets are immediately alerted to an emergency and are able to rapidly and effectively execute a rescue.
“A key aspect of the Mobilarm VHF DSC technology is that its voice and DSC distress alerts, which include accurate GPS co-ordinates of every individual in the water, can be received by any VHF DSC radio, so the number of potential rescuers expands to all nearby platforms and passing vessels within radio range, as well as incoming SAR helicopters” , concludes Lyon.