Offshore energy work is complex, high-risk, and often carried out in unforgiving conditions. Whether you’re operating an oil & gas asset or installing an offshore wind farm, the same pressures show up again and again: remote locations, changing weather, multiple contractors, and lots of work happening at once.
That’s exactly why Permit to Work (PTW) matters offshore. PTW is the practical control layer that helps teams coordinate safely when the job is difficult, the environment is dynamic, and the consequences of confusion are severe. For an introduction to Permit to Work systems click here.
Why PTW is different offshore
Onshore, if plans change or something unexpected happens, help is usually close. Offshore, it isn’t.
Offshore PTW has to work when:
- Remote locations mean specialist support is hours or days away
- Weather closes a work window without warning
- Multiple teams are operating in a tight footprint
- The operational picture changes shift-to-shift (or vessel-to-vessel)
- Fatigue and pressure build quickly
A good offshore PTW process is designed for that reality. It needs to support pausing, reassessing, and restarting work safely.
Two offshore worlds, one control problem
Offshore Oil & Gas
Oil and gas assets involve high-energy plant and processes: hydrocarbons, pressure systems, rotating equipment, electrical hazards, and hazardous atmospheres. Control-of-work is deeply tied to isolations, SIMOPs, and strict authority to operate.
PTW must help teams answer:
- What work is authorised right now?
- What is isolated, and what isn’t?
- What tasks are incompatible in time or space?
- What happens at shift handover?
Offshore Wind Installation (multi-vessel)
Offshore wind installation introduces a different challenge profile: complex construction activities delivered by multiple vessels and contractors, often operating in proximity.
The biggest risks here are interfaces:
- Heavy lifts while other vessels manoeuvre nearby
- Commissioning work overlapping with cable operations
- Multiple chains of command (vessel master, construction manager, contractor supervision)
- Handovers between vessels, crews, and phases of the project
In both sectors, PTW is how you reduce ambiguity, control SIMOPs, and keep the whole operation aligned.
The offshore challenges PTW must handle
Remote operations and limited resources
Offshore work is inherently constrained. You can’t rely on quick external support to rescue a poorly planned task. That shifts PTW from 'authorisation' toward 'coordination plus contingency'.
Weather and disruption
Weather and sea state don’t just delay work, they change risk. PTW needs clean mechanisms for:
- Suspending work safely
- Revalidating controls after a change
- Restarting with clear confirmation of the current situation
Dynamic work environments
Plant status changes. Temporary equipment appears. Work fronts move. Offshore facilities are never static, which makes live visibility of permits and isolations essential.
Multinational teams and communication
Offshore teams are often multinational, and safety-critical instructions must still be understood exactly the same way. PTW needs clarity: standard terms, consistent structure, and checks that reduce reliance on verbal-only communication.
Fatigue and human factors
Long shifts and operational pressure increase the chance of missed steps and wrong assumptions. Offshore PTW systems must be designed for real humans—prompting critical checks and making the current status easy to understand quickly.
What does an ideal offshore PTW system look like?
Flexibility without losing standardisation
Offshore work covers everything from hot work and lifting to commissioning and diving support. The PTW system needs configurable permit types and checklists, but it must still preserve a consistent structure so people can navigate permits quickly under pressure.
Isolations built in, not bolted on
Isolations are central to offshore safety. PTW needs robust isolation planning and verification, visibility of what’s in force, and traceability through reinstatement, because 'who re-energised what, when?' is one of the most important questions after a near miss.
Real-time visibility for SIMOPs
Visibility is how offshore teams prevent incompatible tasks from colliding. Offshore PTW should make it easy to see:
- What’s active, where, and until when
- What is suspended and why
- What isolations are applied and linked to permits
- Where the conflicts might be (time, location, permit type, equipment)
Clear authority, approvals, and handover control
Offshore operations live and die on handovers. A PTW system should support explicit handover steps so permits don’t drift across shifts or between vessels without shared understanding.
Integrity and auditability
Offshore energy is heavily scrutinised. PTW needs secure access control, reliable records, and clear audit trails for every approval, suspension, change, and close-out.
Why digital PTW matters offshore
Paper can work in a stable, single-team environment. Offshore is rarely that.
Digital PTW is particularly valuable when:
- Multiple vessels need the same live view of permits and constraints
- Permits change during the day due to weather or SIMOPs
- Managers and specialists need visibility from shore
- Evidence and audit trails must be instantly retrievable
The key benefit is simple: the operational picture updates in one place, and everyone sees the same truth.
Checklist: 10 PTW checks before a multi-vessel critical phase
Use this before heavy lifts, cable pulls, energisation/commissioning, or any phase where multiple teams and vessels are tightly coupled.
1. Shared scope confirmed
Does everyone agree exactly what’s happening, where, and in what sequence?
2. Single operational picture
Do all vessels/teams have access to the same live permit board and constraints?
3. Roles and authority clear
Who can authorise permits, who can suspend, and who has stop-work authority across interfaces?
4. SIMOPs conflicts reviewed
Have you explicitly checked for incompatible activities (hot work near fuels, lifts near transfer routes, energisation near mechanical work, etc.)?
5. Isolation status verified
Are isolations correctly applied, tested/verified, and linked to the right permits?
6. Communications plan tested
Radio channels, call signs, escalation route, and a fallback method confirmed.
7. Weather and window risk assessed
Is the plan safe for the forecast and sea state, and do you have clear stop criteria?
8. Handover / shift change protected
If the phase crosses a handover, is there a formal handover step for permits, isolations, and constraints?
9. Emergency readiness aligned
Are vessel/asset emergency arrangements understood across all parties (alarms, muster, medevac triggers, standby craft)?
10. Close-out rules defined upfront
What must be verified before the phase is declared complete (post-work checks, reinstatement steps, sign-offs)?
If you implement only one improvement offshore, make it this: force a deliberate coordination pause before critical phases, and make sure PTW is the mechanism that captures the result.
Same Problems, Different settings
Offshore oil & gas and offshore wind may look different on paper, but the control-of-work problem is the same: multiple high-risk tasks, remote operations, shifting conditions, and lots of interfaces. PTW is the system that turns 'we intend to work safely' into 'we have a shared, verified plan that we can execute safely, right now.'
Learn about the Pisys Permit to Work system below
