OFFSHORE ENGINEERING

A hundred kilometres out,
there is no fallback —
unless you built one.

Radio communications for FPSOs, drilling platforms and offshore hubs: a dual equipment room architecture with full-chain explosion protection, so no single failure can leave the platform out of contact.

Five gates an offshore facility has to pass

CHALLENGES
01
Redundancy
No rescue offshore — one failed room or cable and everyone is out of contact
02
Explosion protection
Large classified process areas mean every device in the chain must comply
03
Integration
Has to interface with PAGA, recording, clock and network management systems
04
Emergency
Hundreds of people on board — muster points and escape routes need reliable coverage
05
Environment
Salt spray, typhoons and humidity, and equipment installed once for thirty years
REDUNDANT ARCHITECTURE

Two equipment rooms, two routes —
no single failure loses contact

The main and redundant rooms each hold a complete set of repeaters, combining platform and optical master unit, feeding the remote units in every area over two independent fibre routes, A and B. A room can fail or a cable be cut, and the system runs on.

TER-1 MAIN ROOM
MAIN
Repeaters ×N Combining platform Digital OMU-A Recording server
TER-2 REDUNDANT ROOM
REDUNDANT
Repeaters ×N Combining platform Digital OMU-B Recording server
Fwd engine room Aft engine room Living quarters · control building H Mast outdoor antenna · deck level Process area (classified) E-HOUSE TER-1 main room TER-2 redundant ORU ORU ORU Fibre route A Fibre route B (separately routed) Indoor / explosion-proof antenna Digital ORU

Each area's remote unit connects to both route A and route B; the mast antenna backs up the deck level and vessels working alongside. The architecture comes from offshore projects actually delivered, and is tailored to the size of the facility and the class society or owner specification.

2×
Fully redundant rooms and fibre routes, switching over automatically
100%
Every device in the classified area explosion-protection certified
30 yrs
Planned and supported across the facility’s full life
PLATFORM INTEGRATION

Not a standalone radio system,
but part of the platform's communications

Two-way radio on an offshore project is never delivered alone: the dispatch console goes into the central control room, voice ties into recording and the PAGA system, and network management joins the platform's monitoring. We complete the interfacing and joint commissioning to the owner's and the EPC's specifications.

DISPATCH
Console in the control room
Visual calling, grouping and emergency announcement for the duty operator
RECORDING
Voice recording
Every call retrievable, meeting incident investigation requirements
PAGA
PAGA interlock
Radio alarms interlocked with the platform-wide announcement system
GPS CLOCK
Common time source
Connected to the platform GPS clock so event sequences align precisely
NMS
Unified network management
Device state brought into the platform NMS for central monitoring
PABX
Telephone interworking
Radio and platform telephony interconnected by permission

Coverage studied from the drawings, not guessed on site

RADIO COVERAGE STUDY

Offshore facilities are expensive and their modification windows are narrow, so antenna positions have to be right the first time. We complete the coverage study deck by deck and compartment by compartment at drawing stage, delivering drawings and calculations that drop straight into the EPC design package.

One deck · antenna positions and predicted field strength (illustrative)
COVERAGE SIMULATION
Switchgear room UPS room Machinery space Laboratory Store Changing room Engine casing Control room Storage CORRIDOR Indoor antenna position -65 -75 -85 -95 dBm ≥ -85 dBm across the acceptance grid
01
Model from the drawings
A propagation model is built from the general arrangement and deck plans, identifying high-loss spaces such as engine and electrical rooms
02
Link budget per compartment
Link margin is calculated compartment by compartment against bulkhead material and function, locating the weak points
03
Positions and feeder design
Antenna position drawings, feeder routes and a bill of materials go straight into the EPC design package
04
As-built verification
Field strength is measured point by point against the acceptance grid and issued as a coverage acceptance report

Explosion protection across the whole chain, ready for owner audit

FULL-CHAIN EX-PROOF
EX-PROOF ORU
Explosion-proof remote unit
A digital optical remote unit reaching into the process area, fed from both routes without interruption.
Dual-route fed
→
EX-PROOF ANTENNA
MAEX10 explosion-proof antenna
Second-generation explosion barrier construction, salt-spray resistant, for outdoor and classified areas alike.
Salt-spray resistant
→
EX-PROOF RADIO
PNR2100 terminal
DMR voice plus 4G data in dual mode, explosion-proof, one device for everyone on board.
Long endurance
MAEX10 explosion-proof antenna → Optical master / remote units → Combining platform → PNR2100 smart radio →
Delivered on real offshore projects
The architecture and drawings have been through design review by international owners and EPCs — not a paper proposal.
Developed in-house, open at the interfaces
Base station, ORU, antennas, terminals and platform are developed together, and interfaced to the project specification.
Alongside you for the full life
From the FEED-stage coverage study to spares and upgrades in operation, one team stays responsible.
The platform runs offshore for thirty years.
The radio system has to keep up with every one of them.
Book a technical review
Related industries: Vessels & warehousing → Energy & chemicals →
KEY FACTS

Offshore engineering key facts

Environment

Explosion-proof

Explosion-proof equipment for hazardous modules

Durability

Corrosion-resistant

Enclosures for salt-spray conditions

Coverage

Decks and modules

Process, utility and accommodation areas

Safety

SOS and man-down

Alerts with location for lone workers

FAQ

Offshore platform coverage FAQ

The questions we hear most often on selection, certification and delivery.

Didn’t find your question? Ask an engineer →

Offshore platforms combine hazardous process modules, dense steel structures and salt-spray exposure, so equipment must be both explosion-proof and corrosion-resistant.

Yes. Fiber-fed remote units and antennas are placed in modules, stairwells and below-deck spaces where outdoor antennas cannot reach.

Radios with man-down and SOS functions send alerts to the control room; with NetFlex the alert shows the worker’s location.

Channels and talk groups can be configured for platform crews, marine operations and visiting vessels on the same infrastructure.