Page 42: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Sep/Oct 2025)

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SAFETY THE ROLE OF SATCOM

Image courtesy Viasat

Support from Space:

How Satellites Can Help

Energy Operators Improve

Workforce Safety

By Eric Verheylewegen, VP Strategic Initiatives Enterprise and Land Mobile, Viasat ith recent reports highlighting the challenges assets—often situated far beyond the reach of traditional faced by rig operators in the North Sea and cellular networks—means traditional networks are not al-

W other challenging environments, the energy ways available.

industry faces an urgent imperative: safeguarding its work- This is where satellite-enabled solutions become in- force. Such incidents underline the pressing need for in- dispensable. By leveraging advancements in satellite con- novative ways to shift the industry from reaction to pre- nectivity, oil and gas operators can activate these vital IoT vention: demanding the energy sector to deliver a more technologies, helping to mitigate dangerous situations and proactive approach to crew welfare. improve worker welfare.

Oil and gas operators are increasingly turning to Inter- net of Things (IoT) technologies, which promise to revo-

Safety Challenges in Remote Energy Ops lutionize safety protocols through real-time monitoring, The energy industry workforce faces inherent dangers predictive maintenance of critical machinery, and continu- and unique safety challenges, particularly those operating ous crew-safety monitoring. in remote and volatile environments like offshore rigs. Re-

Reliable connectivity is needed to effectively operate all cent hazardous incidents underscore the growing scrutiny these technologies, but the very nature of remote energy of workforce safety across the sector. 42 OFFSHORE ENGINEER OEDIGITAL.COM