Safety Measures on a North Sea Platform

50 meters high, located in the middle of the North Sea, and 130 kilometers from the coast - these are the key facts behind the most extraordinary assignment Edmund Obermayer and Sebastian Kardosch have taken on so far. The task: replacing card readers on an offshore platform. After completing a week-long safety training course at the Bremerhaven training center in spring 2020 (see #SurpriseService No. 2), the two set off by helicopter from Emden to the platform in autumn. A total of 55 card readers were to be replaced. While this might sound like a fairly routine task on land, it turned into a complex high-security operation in the middle of the sea.

The assignment lasted 17 days in total — working in full safety gear, including helmets and protective goggles, in 12-hour shifts without a single day off, and with surprise emergency drills during rest periods. “We knew things would be different — but not how demanding it would actually be,” says Edmund Obermayer with a smile. Every day began promptly at 7 a.m., “but by the time we had the necessary work permits and could actually start, it was usually between 8 and 8:30.” Each day began with a COVID-related temperature check, followed by a briefing and safety instructions. Preparations had to be made daily for the various work locations on the platform. “There are rooms that are automatically flooded with extinguishing gas in case of a safety incident,” explains Obermayer — this system had to be deactivated in advance to ensure safe working conditions. “That’s why everyone always knew which readers we were replacing and where we’d be working that day. The platform captain must be informed of everything and gives final approval for all activities.”

The work itself went surprisingly smoothly. “Nothing moves — you don’t feel a thing,” says Obermayer, describing the conditions on the 22,000-ton platform, which hovers 20 meters above the water. However, the storm during the first four days, with waves up to nine meters high, made itself felt at night during rest periods on the supply barge. “On the jack-up barge, you could really feel those 9-meter waves — you’d roll around 15 to 20 centimeters in bed.” The most surprising part of the assignment? “That I came home feeling great after two weeks,” laughs Obermayer. “We never had a day with fewer than 50 flights of stairs — sometimes even 100. 10,000 steps a day was the minimum” — all on a 70-by-70-meter platform with 15 levels. For the experienced Interflex technician, it was definitely an exciting place to work: “I really enjoyed it because it was something completely different. Basically, a paid adventure!” And it might not be the last one — the customer, a German energy provider, was extremely satisfied with the outstanding performance of Edmund Obermayer and Sebastian Kardosch. It’s likely they’ll soon be called upon again for similar work on the provider’s other platforms.