Industry-First Remotely Operated Intervention Project in the North Sea
13 August 2025, Bergen – FourPhase, a solids and production performance specialist for the oil and gas sector, is reporting early success in its industry-first, remote solids management operation in the North Sea. The project is two-month long and marks a significant step forward in offshore operational effectivity and safety. FourPhase is the first solids management specialist to perform remote operations offshore.
The project involves a coiled tubing cleanout of the two wells with chalk bridges (solids) in the North Sea, and FourPhase will manage all the returns topside. Without an intervention, the operator would be faced with the reality of two shut in wells with significant revenue decrease as a result.
By relocating the control centre onshore in customer offices, FourPhase has enabled live monitoring and system operation from the Operators control room, immediately reducing personnel exposure to hazardous offshore environments and delivering measurable improvements in health and safety performance.
With the nature of a pilot project being a industry first the operation is planned with regular POB, four offshore operators—two per shift—to ensure resilience while testing remote and autonomous functions in real time. Following successful operations, the offshore presence can be reduced to one person per shift, enabling more simultaneous operations with the same team size both on and offshore.
The longer-term ambition is to achieve fully remote operations where only maintenance requires personnel.
“This project is proving that the future of offshore solids management can be both safer and more efficient,” said Øyvind Heradstveit, CEO of FourPhase. “The early results have shown us what’s possible when you combine our proven technology with robust infrastructure. Once complete, this project will set a new benchmark for how the industry approaches solids management in offshore environments.”
Benefits for operators who transition to remotely operated solids management include reduced People on Board (POB), lower logistics costs, and a smaller environmental footprint, without compromising safety. Benefits for personnel include improved working conditions, fewer offshore deployments, and reduced potential exposure to hazardous substances and operational risks.
FourPhase has been developing the building blocks for remote operations since 2018, investing heavily in robust equipment and forward-thinking design to meet evolving industry demands. This pilot is a natural progression of that strategy.
The project involves a coiled tubing cleanout of the two wells with chalk bridges (solids) in the North Sea, and FourPhase will manage all the returns topside. Without an intervention, the operator would be faced with the reality of two shut in wells with significant revenue decrease as a result.
By relocating the control centre onshore in customer offices, FourPhase has enabled live monitoring and system operation from the Operators control room, immediately reducing personnel exposure to hazardous offshore environments and delivering measurable improvements in health and safety performance.
With the nature of a pilot project being a industry first the operation is planned with regular POB, four offshore operators—two per shift—to ensure resilience while testing remote and autonomous functions in real time. Following successful operations, the offshore presence can be reduced to one person per shift, enabling more simultaneous operations with the same team size both on and offshore.
The longer-term ambition is to achieve fully remote operations where only maintenance requires personnel.
“This project is proving that the future of offshore solids management can be both safer and more efficient,” said Øyvind Heradstveit, CEO of FourPhase. “The early results have shown us what’s possible when you combine our proven technology with robust infrastructure. Once complete, this project will set a new benchmark for how the industry approaches solids management in offshore environments.”
Benefits for operators who transition to remotely operated solids management include reduced People on Board (POB), lower logistics costs, and a smaller environmental footprint, without compromising safety. Benefits for personnel include improved working conditions, fewer offshore deployments, and reduced potential exposure to hazardous substances and operational risks.
FourPhase has been developing the building blocks for remote operations since 2018, investing heavily in robust equipment and forward-thinking design to meet evolving industry demands. This pilot is a natural progression of that strategy.