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access point, and it’s “meshed” back to the hard-wired infrastructure. “You won’t fnd that except on the rig itself,

FPSO yet even mesh on the rig is limited because of limited band- width,” Gilsinn said.

WirelessHART (a wireless sensor networking technology based on the highway addressable remote transducer) would be another way to use mesh technology to allow asset management across the network, said Fred Czubba, senior business develop- ment manager for the oil and gas industry at Phoenix Contact in

Washington.

Communications going back to shore would use long-haul, which requires a license band, where users pay the Federal

Wireless

Communications Commission (FCC) for a certain frequency within a certain range. “Point-to-point is like wire replace- ment for communication between the offshore oil rig and the onshore control station or network access point,” Gilsinn said.

Yet multi-redundant networks are a better option than point-

Networking Ofshore to-point for rig-to-shore communication said Gary Williams, product manager of control and safety for communications and

Networking technology works, but

Multi-redundancy more reliable security at Schneider Electric. Wireless mesh is only one type of

Wireless technology takes on different meanings, depend- multi-redundant network. companies need to know the obstacles ing on its application and location. “Locally, on the offshore Here’s how multi-redundancy works. Say you have a ring in order to avoid snares. Ellen Fussell platform, wireless is really no different than in a plant,” said of multiple platforms; one is going clockwise and one coun-

Policastro reports.

Jim Gilsinn, senior investigator at Kenexis in Maryland. The terclockwise. “The one at 12:00 wants to communicate to the difference comes when using wireless to get from the platform control room at 6:00,” Williams said. It can transmit in either to headquarters onshore. “Long-haul wireless, which is usually ommunications will be of the essence for the Goliat direction. “That’s multi-redundant, but it isn’t mesh.” foating production, storage, and offoading vessel light and thin, is tightly controlled,” Gilsinn said. “Because

C Authentication, encryption deter attacks (FPSO) once it starts operating in the northern-most communication is over longer distances, there’s more of a pos- sibility for intrusion.” portion of the Barents Sea. With security being one of the main concerns of asset owners,

Self-healing mesh is only for large-scale deployment of Eni Norge, which co-owns the Goliat feld with Statoil, leased it’s critical to build a good security system during the network

WiFi in a manufacturing environment, which has more access the Goliat FPSO from Sevan Marine. The cylindrical platform design. One way to do that is to “build in intrusion detection, points than normal. “The actual access points talk to each will operate in one of the harshest environmental regions in the authentication detection, and encryption,” said Soroush Amidi, other and determine if there are outages or link failures,” world, so it goes without saying reliable operations are vital for manager of product marketing at Honeywell Process Solutions.

Gilsinn said. “And they can route around those situations.” the control system. “Then you’re able to build a safe network, whether it’s in a

That’s also the case when dealing with wireless links, and Along with a new emergency shutdown, process shutdown, plant or in the middle of the ocean.” not necessarily going directly to a wired access point. The fre and gas detection, and power management systems, the If you don’t look at the complete architecture from the design path could be a wireless access point that connects to another FPSO, which is under construction in a shipyard in South point, “all you’re doing is patching,” Czubba said. “Going layer

Korea, will receive new telecommunication systems to fully by layer through your architecture up front support, manage, and monitor offshore operations from the is more effective, he said, “Otherwise, offshore control room to the onshore remote operation center. you’re just flling holes.”

The contract contains offshore data networks, wireless coverage Authentication tools are another way to to surrounding vessels, an onboard radio system, and more than keep out intruders, asking users to verify 20 other subsystems. their identity. “Most wireless standards

Goliat is just one of a growing feet of offshore platforms across have features such as access point broad- the industry discovering the benefts of wireless connectivity off- casting and service set identifer (SSID). shore. But there are still concerns about malware and hacker snares.

That’s great for ease of use, but horrible “The major barrier for frms across the sector remains the per- for security,” said Dan Schaffer, busi- ceived risk from inadequate data security,” said Nick Kamen, ness development manager for network head of energy and utilities at Vodafone, a multinational tele- and security at Phoenix Contact in communications frm headquartered in London. “The challenge Pennsylvania. There’s nothing in the is how to deliver data security within the framework of an open standards that stops you from broadcasting systems-sharing model, while still providing suffcient levels of your SSID for the whole world to see, and protection for sensitive and commercially confdential informa- compliance to the standards is not the same tion using third-party devised systems.” thing as security, he said. “You can make

The answer, Kamen said, is to address specifc IT system uninformed choices and defeat most of the requirements and security needs during the initial analysis security, encryption, and authentication of and design stages. Despite comments that costs and return on your wireless network.” investment posed some risk, the overwhelming message from Whitelisting is another way to help experienced professionals is improper funding for initiatives is ensure a secure network. “It’s more of an

Rendering of the FPSO vessel depicted in harsh weather. Goliat Image from Eni Norge.

one of the biggest deterrents to success. authorization tool than authentication

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