World’s First Decommissioning Collaboration Tool

The world’s first online information management system for the offshore decommissioning market has been launched by well management and performance improvement specialist, Exceed.

The Aberdeen-based company has invested in excess of $472,000 in the development of iVISION, an online platform which connects multi-location, multi-discipline teams and business units through one central point where information is securely stored and accessed. iVISION integrates safety management, technical information and video to drive continuous improvement, enhance knowledge transfer and reduce the cost of current and future projects.

Through the ability to create controlled access privileges for individual users, iVISION also provides a platform for cross-company collaboration, allowing operators to work closely with contractors and third parties around the globe. 

iVISION has been developed by Exceed, and is being used successfully across global well management projects by its performance improvement division for clients such as Engie (previously GDF Suez), Tullow Oil and a major operator in South East Asia. The decommissioning edition of iVISION is now being launched to the decommissioning market to address the collaboration challenges outlined by the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA).

The OGA recognized through its Call to Action, published in February 2015, that whilst the UK has a good track record of decommissioning to date, the industry is still learning and adapting to this new phase.

Successful collaboration is key to the future of decommissioning, a $63billion market which will shape the future of Aberdeen for the next 35 years. This is already happening, for instance, in the Southern North Sea where operators are looking at ways to combine well abandonment scope. With the scale of decommissioning set to significantly ramp up over coming decades, however, efforts to collaborate efficiently will need to match this pace.

iVISION effectively enables the collaborative approach required by industry, providing a platform for operators to integrate safety management systems and technical knowledge, and realise cost-savings through lessons learned, knowledge retention and video capture.

Martin Slowey has recently been appointed to head up Exceed’s iVISION business unit. Bringing with him more than 20 years’ in the oil and gas sector and experience of building a successful software products business, Martin is excited about the potential iVISION offers to the decommissioning world.

He said: “The OGA is proactively working with operators to drive collaboration in the planning and execution of decommissioning projects to ensure knowledge is shared, lessons are learned and the benefits of integrated planning are achieved.

“iVISION’s track record in the well management sector has proven that it effectively addresses these challenges, and in light of the OGA’s Call to Action, we believe that this multi-stakeholder platform will support efforts to collaborate like never before.

“The decommissioning edition of iVISION is the first tool of its kind in two respects. It takes users past the planning stages, through to execution and close out of a project, and is the first system available specifically for the decommissioning market. It will enable operators and contractors to share information effectively, as decommissioning steps up over the coming decades. iVISION is an enabling technology, and without it we anticipate that the industry will struggle to find an efficient, cost-effective way to collaborate.

“It also addresses learning, with visual content playing a significant part of this. Step-by-step video tutorials are included, which are filmed on location, and are used for training and planning activities. Decommissioning is still a relatively new area in the context of the oil and gas industry, and it is essential for learning to be accelerated to prioritise safe execution of operations in the most cost-effective way.”