Updating and Future-Proofing Drill Ship Surveillance

Spanning all asset classes, Seadrill’s offshore drilling fleet operates in premier basins worldwide, helping customers safely and efficiently unlock oil and gas resources.

West Polaris and West Auriga are part of that fleet. The Samsung-built vessels are sixth- and seventh-generation ultra-deepwater drill ships, respectively, with operational histories in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, India, and West Africa.

In preparation for new contracts, Seadrill worked with specialist electrical contractor MMR to specify a solution to update the surveillance on both vessels.

“Seadrill wanted a cost-effective security and video management solution that would work seamlessly with existing systems, analogue cameras and infrastructure", explains James Brooks, Sr. Sales Engineer at MMR, "while also giving them the flexibility to gradually adopt new technologies – from 4K cameras to analytics and AI."

Simplifying security and process monitoring for oil and gas

Synergy security and surveillance software is used by oil and gas facilities worldwide, ensuring operational managers, security teams, and engineers always have access to the right information to protect people, secure assets, and improve efficiencies.

From process monitoring to perimeter threat detection, Synergy integrates with critical systems, cameras and devices so that users are alerted to threats and can respond to them quickly.

Seamless integration with NOV CYBERBASE™ drilling control

Synergy’s ability to integrate and interoperate with solutions vital to oil and gas operations was essential to this project.

A crucial requirement was that the surveillance solution chosen integrates with driller chairs equipped with CYBERBASE from NOV.

CYBERBASE merges direct machine control, rig automation, drilling data, and third-party information into one coherent system, ensuring drillers have precision control and accurate, real-time information to make informed decisions. James says, “Camera footage is an important part of this information ecosystem, so seamless surveillance integration was a non-negotiable element of this project.”

Synergy’s advanced system compatibility ensures that all surveillance camera feeds are accessible directly from the CYBERBASE chairs, simplifying workflows, improving operational efficiencies, and enhancing safety by allowing real-time monitoring in a highly accessible and user-friendly manner.

Cost-effective compatibility with cameras and cabling

The surveillance upgrade leverages Ethernet over Coax (EoC), allowing IP data transmission over coaxial cabling.

This meant Seadrill could update and dramatically enhance surveillance management capabilities with its new Synergy solution while avoiding the expense, time delays, and operational disruption associated with replacing existing cabling infrastructure.

Selecting Synergy also minimised the need for unnecessary new hardware. Its open architecture ensures seamless compatibility with existing analogue cameras deployed on both vessels, supporting a gradual migration to IP cameras instead of requiring large-scale upfront replacement of legacy cameras.

James comments: “Seadrill is not unique in this. Many oil and gas customers we work with have legacy analogue cameras they want to use, but also benefit from advanced security surveillance technology to better protect and monitor their assets. Solutions like Synergy mean there doesn’t have to be a trade-off between these two objectives.”

Scalability that simplifies adoption of AI and more

As well as supporting a gradual transition to IP cameras, including new HD or 4K models, such as the Synectics’ COEX camera range, the highly scalable Synergy solution simplifies future adoption of other innovative technologies, including AI-based video analytics.

For example, Synergy’s AI Suite gives Seadrill access to tools that help oil and gas operators ensure safety and compliance by automating the detection of safety hazards, person-down scenarios, incorrect PPE usage, and anomalies suggestive of potential security or process risk.