Offshore drilling remains vital to meeting global energy demands, by accessing oil and gas reserves located deep beneath the ocean floor. However, these operations are remote, complex and hazardous, which makes accurate monitoring essential for ensuring operational efficiency – and also safety.
Take the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, for instance, one of the worst environmental disasters in US history. An explosion aboard an offshore drilling platform occurred due to a series of failures, including ineffective monitoring, faults in the alarm system, and incorrect gas pressure test readings. Overall, this incident can be attributed to poor risk management.
In the years since the Deepwater Horizon incident, regulations around real-time data, well monitoring and testing have tightened to keep offshore operations safe and efficient. To this end, advanced sensor technologies play a vital role in helping operators meet these requirements, and safeguard both people and the environment.
Read the full article in DPA's November 2025 issue