Integrated Monitoring Service to Support UK North Sea Post-Decommissioning

Ithaca Energy has awarded Viridien a five-year contract to deploy an integrated monitoring solution for the Greater Stella Area in the UK North Sea.

The service combines AIS vessel surveillance through Sercel’s Marlin Vessel Tracking and Alerts (VTA) platform with satellite-based environmental monitoring from Viridien’s SeaScope service. The approach has been approved by the UK’s Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED) as an alternative to conventional guard vessel coverage.

Marlin provides a common operational picture incorporating real-time vessel movements, offshore infrastructure, geofences, and automated proximity alerts. The platform also displays satellite imagery and interpreted sea surface data supplied through SeaScope.

SeaScope combines advanced automation, metocean data, and expert interpretation to provide wide-area surveillance of the ocean surface around offshore infrastructure. The service will give Ithaca Energy enhanced situational awareness of potential releases and their origins, supporting appropriate responses to potential events associated with its assets and third-party activity.

Bringing vessel surveillance and satellite-based environmental information into a single operational view on the Marlin platform will help operators proactively manage risks as part of post-decommissioning monitoring activities.

Jérôme Denigot, CEO, Sercel, commented, “We are proud to support Ithaca Energy with an innovative solution that brings together Sercel’s Marlin software and Viridien’s SeaScope satellite monitoring service. This five-year award demonstrates how these complementary technologies can help offshore operators monitor and manage their producing and decommissioned assets by identifying potential risks earlier and responding with confidence.”