Offshore workers on oil rigs and oil platforms have very intensive work schedules. They have to work long weeks or even months-long shifts in a very demanding and potentially perilous and dangerous environment. To cater for their workers and make offshore life has easy as possible, companies have to depend on offshore living quarters manufacturers to create comfortable innovative living spaces for their workers that would be spending time on offshore installations.

Why offshore living quarters are important

Shifts on offshore platforms can stretch into months at a time; some installations have to host numerous workers at a time with new ones coming in to replace old workers as they leave in a constant cycle. Whether they are coming in for quick engineering repairs and installation, or long-term drilling projects, workers are faced with potentially dangerous weather conditions, they have to spend days or weeks living together offshore with heavy machinery and equipment among a long list of other things that could go wrong.

This is why there is a need for top quality accommodation facilities that not only conform to health and safety standards but are also flexible and comfortable enough to serve as living and work spaces for various categories of workers. Many large installation vessels already have these accommodation units built into the vessel design. However, for smaller vessels and platforms such as barges and jack-up vessels, there is a need to constantly readjust the structure of the facilities on board based on the companies need and depending on the size of the project at hand. To ensure that crews on board of offshore vessels are properly housed, here are some important features that must not be missing in offshore oil rig living quarters.

Health and Safety: to an outside observer, the idea of temporary living quarters on an offshore platform might make it sound like it is second rate accommodation. But those in the industry know that offshore accommodation is meant to be designed to conform to every safety standards possible. In fact, there are a lot of safety standards offshore accommodation is meant to conform to. There are the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines, the international convention for the safety of life at sea standards, each of the units must conform to fire rating standards and a long list of other important guidelines to ensure the safety of workers on-board the rigs. Certainly, high standards are set for these accommodation modules, and manufacturers are expected to adhere to the rules.

Quality of living space

While life at sea cannot be compared to living in a regular house on the land, companies try to ensure that they give their workers something as close to home as possible. The offshore living quarters are designed in such a way that is as comfortable as possible. The beds, cabinets, flooring and other fixtures of the living quarters are built to standards and are good quality. As much space as can be managed is assigned to each individual and many of the modern offshore living quarters even come with leisure areas with containers converted into gyms, lounges and other recreational areas. In essence, these accommodation modules are designed to feel good as much as possible.

Weather protection

Since rough weather is expected offshore, accommodation designed to be used at sea is built to be as weather resistant as possible. For example, some manufacturers coat the containers with a water-resistant coating. Also, the HVAC units used on these containers are protected using special gratings that are resistant to damage. These and other protection features make them formidable as the sea.

Flexibility

One of the most essential qualities of offshore living quarters is flexibility. In most cases, these accommodations are built specifically to be used for certain tasks since most offshore oil projects involve various phases requiring different numbers of manpower. For example, during the commissioning and hookup of a platform, the temporary accommodations used must be designed in such a way that if more people are required to do the job, more units can be added to the temporary quarters and once the job is done, they can be easily removed.

Click here to read more about offshore living on oil rig platforms and how to make the best of it.

Conclusion

Modern offshore accommodations are more than mere living quarters. They are designed to serve as a safe and comfortable living space for workers living in them which is why it is important that they serve their purpose and fulfills all the conditions discussed here.