Chevron ONG Safety & Communication
Flags, lights and flares proved ineffective in stopping encroaching boats from entering restricted areas around offshore oil & gas platforms. Radio calls were not received when encroaching boats lacked radio equipment or radios were inoperable. At distance, oil platform operators had no way to determine if radio calls were being received and understood by approaching vessels.
The Sang, a 75 ft. fishing vessel, entered a Chevron dive area. The dive operator immediately initiated radio calls ordering the Sang to change course due to divers in the water. After not receiving any response from the Sang, blue smoke flares were fired.
When the flares had no effect, the dive operator began broadcasting warnings in English through an LRAD 500X-RE long-range communication system. After the dive operator switched to Vietnamese-language broadcasts, the fishing vessel immediately stopped 1150 meters from the platform, picked up its nets, turned 180°, and left the area.
Chevron installed LRAD 500X-RE systems on all lift boat dive operations after testing verified a 2000-meter communication range.
Due to the lack of communication between oil platform operators and encroaching vessels not responding to radio calls, Chevron experienced several incidents involving fishing trawlers encroaching on active dive sites, creating life safety threats to divers in the water.
Optimized to the primary human hearing range of 1 – 5 kHz, LRAD’s advanced driver and waveguide technology ensures every broadcast is clearly heard and understood. By maintaining a smooth frequency response with an intensity variation of less than 5dB, LRAD prevents audio fading, producing clear, unambiguous communication across all broadcast frequencies.
LRAD is unique in its ability to broadcast either live or recorded voice messages in any language with exceptional vocal clarity in any type of environment.
LRAD systems are up to 10X louder than most bullhorns and marine P.A. systems and significantly more intelligible at any distance.
The LRAD 500X-RE is rugged, robust, and designed for mobile or fixed security applications on small or mid-sized vehicles and vessels, and critical infrastructure. Live or recorded broadcasts from the LRAD 500X-RE are heard and understood over wind, engine and other background noise from close range out to 2000 meters in any type of terrain or environment.
Unlike bullhorns and portable P.A. systems that disperse sound in all directions, LRAD’s proprietary audio technology focuses sound in a 30° beam while substantially reducing sound levels behind the devices and in surrounding areas.
