As Europe moves into yet another wave of Covid-19 lockdowns, there is growing concern surrounding the future of offshore workers. However, a move to digitalize the industry by introducing a remote oil rig system could alleviate the stress around contagion and potentially save many jobs. Norway has been a key testing ground for remote operations since initial experiments took place on small unmanned rigs in 2013, moving to control larger manned units remotely over the last few years. But it’s found that moving jobs to land brings oil rig safety measures into question. The country’s attempt to operate more oil rigs remotely onshore has not been met with wholly open arms. A stike by Norwegian union Lederne shut six fields in October, threatening a quarter of Norway’s oil and gas output, over the proposed change in operations. The move to introduce more “ghost rigs” could provide a means for […]