Archives

Keeping the GulfSafe

by Jack Garrett, Director of Regulatory Services, DIG TESS

After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita swept through in 2005, issues with offshore pipelines and the need for a one-call system covering the Gulf of Mexico came to the forefront. GulfSafe was developed to address these concerns in the Gulf and began operation February 16, 2009.

Unlike traditional one-call operations, GulfSafe’s notification process is primarily web-based. Most notifications are requested through GulfSafe.com or by calling 1-888-910-4853 (GULF). Use of the service requesting notifications of activity is free, as all costs are paid by the owners of offshore facilities. Technical and user support is conducted online or by phone at 1-888-910-4853 (GULF).

One of the technical challenges was in building a system that was seamless between state and federal waters. Offshore operators wanted one system to function in all state waters as well as the Outer Continental Shelf. They also needed a system that could process near shore calls to 811 from state one-call centers along the coast and process those request into GulfSafe. This was accomplished by overlaying the GulfSafe database into Louisiana One Call and Mississippi 811 systems.

If someone calls 811 in those states for an offshore request, the local call center processes the request and forwards the information on to GulfSafe. This process will be expanded to Alabama and Florida as new member companies are added in those areas.

Locates in the Outer Continental Shelf are processed directly through GulfSafe. This procedure provides the seamless system that offshore operators desired, and it also provides the flexibility to integrate the 811 message into GulfSafe’s promotions. Typically the system is promoted as “Onshore 811, Offshore GulfSafe.com.”

One of the goals in the development of the system was to provide workers offshore the same safe working environment that we have come to expect onshore. Most workers wouldn’t think of putting a shovel in the ground without calling for locates, just for their own personal safety. Yet offshore, this attention to safety is overlooked. It’s made even more difficult by not being able to see through the water, and at depths that can give workers a false sense of security.

Pipeline companies are often left out of the loop. They may not be aware that work is being done in the vicinity of their line because a vessel operator may be using public maps to assume where subsea systems are located. This would be comparable to having onshore excavators do all their own locates instead of calling for locates. From the operators’ perspective this is not the ideal process.

GulfSafe currently serves four of the Minerals Management Service’s Planning areas for the Outer Continental Shelf; the Western Gulf of Mexico, Central Gulf of Mexico, Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Straits of Florida. Expansions into other planning areas are slated as wind and wave energy is developed on the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts.

As you might expect, offshore damages are extremely costly. With the final tab easily reaching into the millions of dollars, facility owners are finding GulfSafe is a cost-effective way to prevent damage to vital infrastructure. The cost for membership varies on the area of coverage or footprint of a utility company. For information regarding membership or further details contact jackgarrett@gulfsafe.com.

You can also learn more about GulfSafe by attending the Mississippi Summit in November. We hope to see you there.