How to choose the offshore support base for O&G operations?

Often treated as a less priority decision, the offshore support base is a fundamental part of the functioning of companies in the Oil & Gas sector.

Did you know that the right support can mean more efficiency for the management of resources on ships, platforms, and offshore wind farms during this operational routine?

We invite Diogo Salomão, Wilson Sons Offshore Support Base’ commercial manager, to go deeper into the subject and discuss its relevance in extremely competitive markets. See what this service is, its benefits and the WS differentials.

The base of offshore support and its importance for the O&G sector

Bases of offshore support are services provided by departments of companies or independent contracted businesses that propose to be a connection between the management on land and its maritime units.

This bridge is responsible for ensuring the availability of equipment, resources, and consumables necessary for everything to work as expected, with operational efficiency and without risk of interruptions.

This, however, is a two-way street. It is the responsibility of the offshore support base to receive and manage the waste from this exploration until its destination, in compliance with all sanitary and environmental standards in force in the country.

“In addition, a high-level support base must have a standard of excellence in SMS in order to contribute to the culture and results of the projects of oil operators”, adds Diogo. “The port must act as the main security barrier, identifying deviations and ensuring the adherence of equipment, materials and activities to the procedures.”

The benefits of having a partnership

The better the quality of service provided by the support base, the more the offshore unit feels at ease to perform to its full potential.

To choose the best service, you need to keep in mind what it brings in practice for the company. According to the commercial manager in the sector, there are 2 main points that further increase the importance of investing in the right partnerships:

1. a high standard of support management increases safety in operations at maritime units, with a continuous and rationalized supply of resources in addition to ensuring good conditions for materials and equipment handled.
2. with all this operational concern on account of a reliable company, it is possible to focus more on the effort of key professionals in the core business – without having to dedicate time and personnel in logistics and quality control.

This means that the support of a partner who provides this service makes the role of directors more strategic. The less the operational issue is on their shoulders, the more they can focus on offshore operations and how to consolidate the business with innovative solutions and brand positioning.

The points for choosing a good support base

The correct choice of the support service is fundamental to the success of the operation. Thus, to make a good decision, the person responsible for this hiring needs to research some determining factors that point out the best services available on the market. See what they are.

Company History

The best way to predict what a partner company can do for you is to analyze how it has dealt with industry companies in the past.

As previous contracts were made, proposals, missions, and values for each business, as well as the opinion of old customers, can give an idea of how this brand has consolidated its position in the market to date.

Current projects and commitments

A bright past does not always point to a promising future. After a thorough research on the history of these companies and their services, it is time to analyze whether they are looking for the innovation and evolution you expect for your own business.

Analyzing contract proposals and contacting current customers are good ideas. A face-to-face conversation with the representatives also helps your feeling of seriousness, commitment, and concern for quality.

Another element pointed out by Diogo is to keep an eye on the availability of each alternative in the market, “being imperative to analyze the port’s capacity to absorb another project, in order to ensure the fluidity of the logistics system”.

Cost benefit

In times of crisis in the O&G sector, such as the result of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is common for new entrants to try to gain market space quickly and often inconsequentially.

So, it is important to understand the difference between price and value. Often, savings on cheaper contracts can become a huge loss up front, when service instability compromises the productivity and safety of the offshore unit.

Thus, it is vital to be extra careful with the two previous items. The assurance of good service, high SLA standards and the constant search for logistical innovation will always be advantageous even at a higher price.

The differentials of the WS offshore support base

We are comfortable talking about benefits and points that need to be analyzed for the best choice because we have seen a lot in the time that WS is in the base market of offshore support.

WS Offshore Support Bases (WS-OSB) is the pioneer in Brazil when it comes to the private base, with 21 years of experience – since the regulatory framework of E&P in Brazil.

In this trajectory, more than 22 operators and 47 campaigns are already served in the country, in important exploratory projects as well as in support of production units.

Currently, WS-OSB has the highest availability of mooring in Guanabara Bay, in addition to being classified by DuPont as a World Class Security Company – a level achieved by our innovative SMS management system.

Waste Management

In addition to a quality of service with the credibility of the Wilson Sons Group in the market, an important differential point to be pointed out is the efficiency of our Waste Management process.

The major concern in this regard for O&G companies is in the actual destination of waste from marine units and in the management of the documentary backlog for accountability to IBAMA and legal compliance.

According to Diogo, this is one of the biggest focuses of the WS-OSB today: “It was thinking about these pains of the IOCs that since 2012 the WS-OSB has implemented a department exclusively dedicated to this service, called GSA – Environmental Services Management”.

In addition to redesigning control systems and processes, the company invested in its own software for dimensioning and monitoring the flow of documentation linked to resource management.

As Diogo himself rightly states, “our service has undergone important reformulations, reaching the level of excellence recognized by the market”.

As an offshore support base, this type of commitment weighs heavily. With good support for the operation, companies in the Oil & Gas market can focus on what really matters: the growth and consolidation of their brand.

How about getting to know more about Wilson Sons offshore support service? Access the Wilson Sons website now and get in touch!