Editorial Advisory Board insights: Reducing offshore POB through automation and remote operations
Efforts to reduce personnel on board (POB) continue to gain momentum as operators and contractors pursue safer and more efficient offshore operations.
Offshore surveyed more than 100 of its readers earlier this month to assess the most effective strategies for reducing POB. Check out the poll results here.
Members of Offshore’s Editorial Advisory Board also weighed in, highlighting a convergence of automation, robotics and remote operations as key enablers of this shift.
However, they note that regulatory requirements, asset complexity and the need for onsite expertise will continue to shape how far POB reductions can realistically go.
What is the best way to reduce personnel on board (POB)?
“Continuing efforts to increase automation on rigs will lead to fewer POB, thereby increasing human safety while moving toward greater efficiencies. In turn, some of the rig positions lost may be translated into new onshore opportunities via remote operations centers, which will need people to oversee operations and make certain decisions that automation might not be ready to handle yet.”
—Cinnamon Edralin, Americas Research Director, RigLogix, Westwood Global Energy Group
“The most effective path to reducing POB is a combined approach: scaling automation and robotics to remove routine offshore tasks, expanding remote operations to shift expertise onshore, and improving planning to minimize unnecessary personnel. However, reductions are ultimately constrained by regulatory safety requirements, asset complexity and the continued need for hands-on intervention, meaning offshore crews will become smaller and more specialized, but not fully eliminated.”
—Céline Gerson, President and Group Director, Americas, Fugro
“IMCA data shows ‘line of fire’ remains offshore construction’s most frequent incident. Reducing POB by moving non‑critical roles onshore and automating offshore tasks cuts exposure significantly. Remote operations centers (ROC) already prove the model, delivering survey, ROV piloting, engineering and data processing from shore. Automation is expanding in repeatable production processes such as pipelay. Uptake of unmanned survey/ROV vessels and AUVs is increasing, and the IMO’s new Marine Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) Code will support global adoption.”
—Iain Grainger, CEO, International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA)
“Automation has a demonstrated track record of reducing POB offshore, and we should expect this to continue in the future. Scheduling software also shows potential to mitigate redundant crews on location waiting for other operations to finish. I view remote operations as more a supplement rather than replacement since you need to retain expert supervision on site in case of communication failures with shore.”
—Matthew Hale, SVP Drilling & Wells, Rystad Energy
Previous commentary from our board:
About the Author
Ariana Hurtado
Editor-in-Chief
With more than a decade of copy editing, project management and journalism experience, Ariana Hurtado is a seasoned managing editor born and raised in the energy capital of the world—Houston, Texas. She currently serves as editor-in-chief of Offshore, overseeing the editorial team, its content and the brand's growth from a digital perspective.
Utilizing her editorial expertise, she manages digital media for the Offshore team. She also helps create and oversee new special industry reports and revolutionizes existing supplements, while also contributing content to Offshore's magazine, newsletters and website as a copy editor and writer.
Prior to her current role, she served as Offshore's editor and director of special reports from April 2022 to December 2024. Before joining Offshore, she served as senior managing editor of publications with Hart Energy. Prior to her nearly nine years with Hart, she worked on the copy desk as a news editor at the Houston Chronicle.
She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Houston.