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Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: michty_me on February 02, 2019, 05:28:38 AM

Title: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: michty_me on February 02, 2019, 05:28:38 AM
We are currently around 100 miles east of Shetland and this is the current internet speed we are getting (attached). I'm impressed!!
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: Ronski on February 02, 2019, 08:12:13 AM
Very impressive, is the download under performing or is it just the way it's set up?

What are they using for the data connection?

Presumably you're on an oil rig?
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: Weaver on February 02, 2019, 08:12:22 AM
How so, michty_me?  ;D
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: michty_me on February 02, 2019, 01:58:55 PM
From what they were saying, it's a dedicated fibre line buried in a trench back to Norway.
There are approx 300-400 people here awake on each 12 hour shift and the connection also supplies a floatel unit so I guess the download takes the hit.
I've always been on floating rigs before so they have to utilise satellite internet with a minimalistic connection.
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: Ronski on February 02, 2019, 02:16:50 PM
I did wonder if the download was being hit by others, I guess it must be a 1Gbps upload and download.

Rather you than me out there, although it sounds like you're on one with legs to the sea bottom, so hopefully a bit more stable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31pevHyTV58
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2dv57CpT-s

They sound pretty impressive bits of kit.

http://www.floatel.se/offshore-floatels-harsh-environments

If the end of the world such as the walking dead happens, then probably a pretty safe place to be, until the food runs out, unless you can do a spot of fishing.





Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: michty_me on February 02, 2019, 02:39:01 PM
Yes, I think it must be 1Gbps symmetrical.
When it goes live, the manning will drop to about 100 persons per shift.

Ive been on both of those vessels you linked to. I think I actually prefer a floating rig though.
You certainly quickly see how powerful mother nature is when you are out there.

Even though the platform is on a jacket fitted to the seabed, you can still feel it oscillating from the current.


Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: kitz on February 07, 2019, 10:23:28 AM
Wow just seen that 2nd video.   I felt sea sick just watching it!
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: tiffy on February 07, 2019, 12:47:15 PM
Yes, off-shore communication has certainly improved unbelievably over the years.

From my 29 years experience off-shore starting in 1987 on a still being commissioned oil & gas production platform 155 miles N.E. of Aberdeen with a POB of 1600 between platform & flotel, at that time the second largest north sea installation, communication was indeed very basic for all except top management.
One, personal 5 minute phone call per week (on a 2 week work cycle) via the switchboard operator in Aberdeen was the allocation which was strictly monitored, warning issued @ 5 minutes then 30 sec's later the "plug was pulled".
Most people still wrote & received letters carried & delivered to/from Aberdeen by colleagues in transit.

The comm's logistics was, LOS to adjacent, company platform then Tropo (Tropospheric Scatter) to east coast of Scotland, HF radio was still quite extensively in use, certainly on drilling rigs and smaller installations.
In the BBC-2 documentary "Fire in the Night" relating the terrible events of July 1988 and the loss of 167 souls on the Occidental Piper Alpha platform, on shore communication can be clearly heard to be by HF radio.

Then satellite came along and quite revolutionised data & voice communication, LOS/Tropo was used in tandem for a few years but eventually completely phased out.
With the installation of a third company platform in 1993 a sub-sea 33 KV. power grid was commisioned which incorporated fibre optic capability for inter platform comm's., LOS remaining as a backup.

Card, pay-phones appeared along the way for personal communication which was certainly an improvement but quite costly, someone was making money on these !
Many years later, the company relented and converted the pay phones to free.

Internet access started to appear around 1997 but strictly controlled, management only or by special dispensation for legitimate business activities only.
Within a few years, things relaxed and full internet access was permitted to all "staff" employees.
A few more years and everyone was permitted access, Wi-Fi etc. set up in public areas.

A bit of an insight on how it used to be in the good old days !

     
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: michty_me on February 07, 2019, 01:03:32 PM
I wasn't around for that but I do remember my old chief telling me about the old days offshore and how everyone could hear your call home.
I've only been working offshore for the past 10 years but even then when I started there was no WiFi on the rig and call times were limited. They were however free.
Certainly big changes in communication out there.
I remember when one of our sat comm dish motors failed so it couldn't drive to track the satellite for internet comms. Luckily it was as flat as a pond that day and I managed to rig up a weighted rope to balance the dish in the approximate area to keep comms going until a new motor arrived. Fun times stuck inside there!!
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: tiffy on February 07, 2019, 01:38:58 PM
Yes, HF radio was certainly very public and the frequencies were well known and fully accessable to radio amateurs and CB'ers.

I take it telecom's is your trade, you can likely guess mine from the forum name.
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: michty_me on February 07, 2019, 03:15:03 PM
As soon as you mentioned being offshore, I looked at your username and did wonder!!
I'm just back onshore around lunch time today. So far I've been awake since 1pm yesterday so I think I should try and get an hours snooze on the sofa!
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: tiffy on February 07, 2019, 06:45:01 PM
Enjoy your leave and good luck with the home network tidy up project.
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: michty_me on February 07, 2019, 07:34:12 PM
Thanks Tiffy. Always a good feeling to get home!!
Apologies, I never even answered your question. My role is Electronics Tech so probably quite similar to yourself!
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: tiffy on February 08, 2019, 11:53:03 AM
Yes indeed, Instrument Tech. (tiffy), we did have an on board Telecom's Tech. so the phones & IT side was his domain, did get quite involved with the data side as that was integral to the platform control, ESD and F&G systems.
 
I know in the "drilling" environment things can be quite different with much less demarcation between activities, our drilling "sparks" were inclined to look after everything in their area and only enlisted help when they got stuck.

It's usually quite amusing to off-shore workers that people who have never been or worked off-shore refer to every installation as a "drilling rig" and don't really appreciate the scale of an oil & gas production platform which in fact can be more like a small town, as an example, we generated 75 Mw. of power from 3 R/R RB-211 gas turbines (jet engines).
 
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: Ronski on February 08, 2019, 01:10:56 PM
As someone who tries his best to stay on land I'm impressed by the scale and size, never imagined they would have so many people on the platforms. Most of us have heard of oil and gas platforms, but have no idea about the scale of them, even less idea of the conditions out there.
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: michty_me on February 09, 2019, 01:00:15 PM
Yup, As I've always previously been on drilling rigs, We normally are left to deal with everything onboard along with the sparkies.
I quite like it though as every day is different.
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: Weaver on February 09, 2019, 01:39:33 PM
I think that might have possibly appealed to me, being on/off duty for extended periods. I don’t know. Although the idea of being offshore might appeal to someone like myself, I would expect that I wouldn’t know what it’s going to be like until I got there, and so might be fooling myself. Mind you, not that there would be any software jobs in such an environment and I am totally ignorant about hardware.
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: michty_me on February 09, 2019, 01:45:25 PM
These days everything seems to be going PLC controlled which was a fair change for me going from a 30+ year old conventional drilling rig to a 6th/7th generation cyber base drilling rig. It was basically starting again.
I remember my first trip like it was yesterday, Getting off the helicopter onto a big floating rust bucket thinking "What have I signed up for??"
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: tiffy on February 09, 2019, 05:10:58 PM
Quote
I think that might have possibly appealed to me, being on/off duty for extended periods

Yes, 2 & 3 was a great schedule (2 weeks on and 3 weeks off), however, when oil prices dropped in 2015 and the oil companies started crying povert, as they do, there was an almost complete change to 3 & 3 schedule, being already past my "sell by" date and with close to 29 years service in the same field I decided to call it a day, 3 & 3 was not for me.

Electronics very much took over in the petro/chemical field over the years with PLC's and SCADA based control systems, however, pneumatics and hydraulics were still required at the "heavy end", rotating equipment and safety systems, still had to go out in the cold and get hands dirty when things went wrong which was certainly not uncommon in such a harsh environment.
Title: Re: Internet speeds in the North sea
Post by: michty_me on February 09, 2019, 05:57:37 PM
I've never had a 2/3 rotation. I've always been 2/2 (Hated that) or 4/4 when I worked in Nigeria or Korea. 3/3 is new to me.
I got hit hard with that downturn. The project I was working on got cancelled 3 months before the sail date so we got paid off in December 2015. I only managed to get another position in July/August of 2017.
The only job I could get was serving breakfasts or pulling pints at the local hotel to me.

Glad to be back working now though.