Do oil rigs have AIS?

sailingjoy

sailingjoy

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This summer, mid-June, we will be sailing from Holland to Inverness for a trip through the Caledonian Canal and round Scotland. (see: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=294524&highlight=circumnavigation).
We will certainly meet a lot of oil rigs along the way. I don’t assume they will all be on the charts (haven’t bought the charts yet) and some can’t be because they are mobile.
Do they have AIS?

Jan Jaap
 
sailingjoy said:
This summer, mid-June, we will be sailing from Holland to Inverness for a trip through the Caledonian Canal and round Scotland. (see: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=294524&highlight=circumnavigation).
We will certainly meet a lot of oil rigs along the way. I don’t assume they will all be on the charts (haven’t bought the charts yet) and some can’t be because they are mobile.
Do they have AIS?

Jan Jaap
Click to expand...

Do you mean rigs or platforms? The latter of course are fixed. More worrying, I think is the proliferation of offshore windfarms. Not that they are difficult to see, but it will be a while before the chart folks and the plotter maps catch up.
 
Naigational warnings - rig list

Don't leave port without it!

NAVAREA I
090/12
230500 UTC Apr 12


1. RIGLIST. Correct at 230500 UTC APR 12.

Southern North Sea: 51 to 55N.
52-54.5N 003-27.4E Noble Byron Welliver
53-24.3N 001-47.1E Ensco 92
53-35.5N 001-46.5E Noble Julie Robertson
53-54.5N 001-01.1E Ensco 80


North Sea: 55 to 60N, East of 5W and the Baltic Sea.
56-00.2N 003-11.1E Wilphoenix
56-12.0N 002-45.9E Ocean Princess
56-22.9N 004-14.2E Maersk Giant
56-30.4N 005-02.5E Maersk Resolve
56-38.9N 002-29.5E GSF Galaxy 2
56-41.8N 002-14.9E Maersk Resilient
56-42.0N 003-08.6E Maersk Gallant
56-43.7N 001-32.4E Noble Ton Van Langeveld
56-54.9N 002-24.0E Rowan Gorilla 6
56-56.9N 002-09.2E Ensco 101
56-59.5N 001-05.8E Sedco 711
NEW 57-00.6N 001-51.7E Sedco 714
57-03.9N 003-02.7E Maersk Guardian
57-04.0N 001-44.9E West Phoenix
57-36.0N 001-38.6E Ensco 100
57-45.0N 001-04.9E Rowan Gorilla 7
57-48.4N 001-50.2E Ocean Nomad
58-25.4N 001-43.4E West Epsilon
58-39.0N 000-31.6E GSF Arctic 3
58-42.8N 001-37.9E COSL Pioneer
58-48.2N 002-34.3E Bredford Dolphin
59-09.8N 001-37.1E Paul B Lloyd Jnr
59-32.8N 001-59.2E Transocean Winner
59-56.1N 001-33.1E Rowan Norway

Norwegian Sea: 60N to 65N, East of 5W.
NEW 60-18.0N 002-44.4E Ocean Vanguard
60-46.1N 003-36.7E Transocean Leader
60-49.9N 003-33.7E Stena Don
NEW 60-54.9N 003-31.4E Songa Trym
60-55.0N 003-35.2E West Venture
60-56.7N 001-33.7E Wilhunter
61-02.0N 001-07.6E Transocean John Shaw
61-05.1N 000-47.8E Sedco 704
61-05.9N 002-16.6E Deepsea Atlantic
61-08.2N 002-00.9E Songa Dee
61-19.7N 003-10.7W Stena Carron
61-20.3N 003-57.4E Transocean Searcher
NEW 61-23.3N 002-08.5E Bideford Dolphin
61-27.6N 001-31.6E Stena Spey
61-29.8N 001-36.0E Byford Dolphin
NEW 61-35.6N 001-57.2E Songa Delta
61-42.1N 001-29.6E Borgsten Dolphin
NEW 64-21.6N 007-33.0E Scarabeo 5
64-48.7N 007-03.4E Transocean Arctic
64-59.3N 007-00.3E Borgland Dolphin


South and West Coasts of the British Isles.
53-37.6N 003-40.3W Seafox 1


NOTES:
A. Rigs are protected by a 500 metre safety zone.
B. ACP - Adjacent to Charted Platform.
C. For Rigs located North of 65N, East of 5W, refer to Navarea XIX Warnings or visit www.navarea-xix.no
Click to expand...

Source UKHO website
 
Jing’s there’s only about 5 rigs on that list I haven’t been on.....
A mix of jack ups, semi subs and drill ships.
If they are on tow, it will be obvious, with the various support vessels involved.
If they are on location, it will also be obvious, they will have a stand-by vessel on or within the 500, and they will be keeping an eye on you...

More of a concern would be all the supply vessels coming and going, it’s a busy place, all should have AIS though, at night it like a floating city......
 
LordMacDonald said:
Jing’s there’s only about 5 rigs on that list I haven’t been on.....
A mix of jack ups, semi subs and drill ships.
If they are on tow, it will be obvious, with the various support vessels involved.
If they are on location, it will also be obvious, they will have a stand-by vessel on or within the 500, and they will be keeping an eye on you...

More of a concern would be all the supply vessels coming and going, it’s a busy place, all should have AIS though, at night it like a floating city......
Click to expand...

I've been on a pathetic total of 12 - possibly more as a few will have had name changes, the Noble Byron and Julie Roberts are the two I know for sure that have. ( the JR is a rite shed)

For the OP - these things are lit up like Christmas trees and you'd need to try really hard to hit one- the standby boat should shoo you away if you get too close
 
Last edited:
I've towed 23 from the list.
Like others have said, you'd have to try really hard to run into a rig or a platform. The rig list is published weekly, should keep you right, and the platforms, SBM's etc are charted
 
Thanks all! Very helpful.

fireball said:
Have a look on here:
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/

Look up: MAERSK GUARDIAN or HIGHLAND CITADEL under vessel name ... :)
Click to expand...

I could have thought of that my self: just look it up on the AIS map…;-)
BTW: If I look up these 2 vessels it says: “out of range”

samwise said:
Do you mean rigs or platforms? The latter of course are fixed. More worrying, I think is the proliferation of offshore windfarms. Not that they are difficult to see, but it will be a while before the chart folks and the plotter maps catch up.
Click to expand...

So I will have to look out for rigs, platforms and windfarms??? How will I ever get my sleep? ;-)

Angele, thanks for the rig list, I’ll print out the latest version before I leave

LordMacDonald, uxb and nigel1, interesting to know you have been on these rigs.

So the answer to my question is: No, the rigs and platforms don’t have AIS but there are lots of ships around them that do.

That leaves only one worry:
penfold said:
Only if the watchkeeper hasn't nodded off... :D
Click to expand...

So I’ll just have to make sure someone on our boat doesn’t.

Jan Jaap
 
I am joking of course; it has happened but not often, and as noted everything oil&gas related in the North Sea is lit up like a chrismas tree anyway. You'd have to be blind to not see us from a long way off.
 
sailingjoy said:
This summer, mid-June, we will be sailing from Holland to Inverness for a trip through the Caledonian Canal and round Scotland. (see: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=294524&highlight=circumnavigation).
We will certainly meet a lot of oil rigs along the way. I don’t assume they will all be on the charts (haven’t bought the charts yet) and some can’t be because they are mobile.
Do they have AIS?

Jan Jaap
Click to expand...

Hi Jan, just noted your location, I'm heading there at the moment, towing a pipe lay barge "Castoro Sei". ETA at Maas Centre about midnight, hopeully getting the barge into Wilhelmina Haven early Sunday morning, then I'm heading up to the Lekhaven, bags packed, next stop Schipol, going home, yipee:)
 
Hi Nigel, I have found you on the AIS site fireball mentioned. Funny how you can follow every ship this way. You are now at the latitude of IJmuiden, aproximately, doing 5 knots.
Quite a ship, this Castoro Sei, must be a big change when step on your own boat, from 166 metres to 47 foot...

Have a nice trip, enjoy Rotterdam (for a few minutes) and then back to Manchester!
Jan Jaap
 
sailingjoy said:
Hi Nigel, I have found you on the AIS site fireball mentioned. Funny how you can follow every ship this way. You are now at the latitude of IJmuiden, aproximately, doing 5 knots.
Quite a ship, this Castoro Sei, must be a big change when step on your own boat, from 166 metres to 47 foot...

Have a nice trip, enjoy Rotterdam (for a few minutes) and then back to Manchester!
Jan Jaap
Click to expand...

Hi Jan, I'm on the tug in front of the Castoro Sei, boat called Maersk Tackler, so its only a step from 74m to 47feet.
Stuck outside Rotterdam waiting on weather, hope to berth this evening
Cheers
Nigel
 
nigel1 said:
Hi Jan, I'm on the tug in front of the Castoro Sei, boat called Maersk Tackler, so its only a step from 74m to 47feet.
Stuck outside Rotterdam waiting on weather, hope to berth this evening
Cheers
Nigel
Click to expand...

We will keep a lookout for the Maersk Tackler when we sail to Inverness, and for the "Ocean Banquet" when we go to the Irish Sea next year. Then I'll ask you for the best anchorages around Angelsey and the Isle of Man. A few years ago we did South Wales and walked on Skomer, didn't get further nort.
But now first Scotland and the Hebrides!
Regards,
Jan Jaap
 
Thanks Jan,
Maersk Tackler will be working the noth sea May to July, supporting pipe laying barge Castoro 7.
I'll be heading to the Isle Of Man next Saturday, the across to Stangford Lough, then on down the coast of Ireland towards Courtown, across to Skomer, Swansea, and then back to Liverpool.
Should have found one or two anchorages by then:)
Cheers
Nigel
 
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