www.sea-technology.com June 2016 / st 19
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ell over 20,000 mi. of active oil and gas pipelines are
present in the Gulf of Mexico, running from oil plat-
forms in the Gulf to mainland processing and storage fa-
cilities. Additionally, thousands of miles of fber-optic cable
and international telecommunications lines are laid in the
Gulf, servicing thousands upon thousands of active plat-
forms and active wells, plus the mainland and international
connections.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administra-
tion, Gulf of Mexico offshore oil production accounts for
17 percent of total U.S. crude oil productions and 5 percent
of the natural gas production. Over 45 percent of total U.S.
petroleum refning capacity is located along the Gulf Coast,
as well as 51 percent of total U.S. natural gas processing
plant capacity.
In short, you can't launch a pirough into a Louisiana bay-
ou without crossing some kind of submerged line.
Just as buried lines are susceptible to damage from dig-
ging on land, these submerged lines are also vulnerable to
mistreatment underwater. Accidental hits can result from
anchoring, dredging, barge strikes, spudding, vessel colli-
sions, mooring, wheel washing and jack-ups—not to men-
tion the occasional hurricane. Most of the accidents that
occur in the Gulf are not the result of planned construction
or repair, but from incidental contact between vessels and
their equipment and submerged pipelines. In fact, 20 to 25
percent of oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico are caused by ves-
sels hitting submerged facilities.
One-Call Notifcation
New technology is emerging to address navigation safety
in the region. GulfSafe, a nonproft, uses a version of Geo-
Call, a proprietary software system developed and owned
by four nonproft 811-call organizations. This technology
Emerging Technology
For Vessel Safety
GulfSafe Notifcation System Provides Infrastructure Alerts
By Scott Finley • Jon Rollins
The interface screen of the GeoCall software system.