Ben Moore, Managing Director of Attollo Offshore, supplier of propelled and non-propelled accommodation and well service jack up rigs across the offshore energy sector

Whilst there’s a lot of industry talk about embracing innovation, pushing boundaries and improving offshore operations through collaboration, Ben is one of the few who has made it his mission to ensure that those three pillars are the genuine core of all that Attollo does.

Ben is dedicated to achieving sustainability within the North Sea offshore Energy industry and aims to support a positive future for the communities in which the company operates. He believes in uncovering the unrealised potential in offshore operations and pushing the offshore energy industry into a new era.

“The offshore energy sector is moving into unchartered territory, and I believe it is one of the most exciting times to be involved in the industry since the early pioneers of North Sea oil. It’s at a critical stage where there is, quite literally, a changing of the guard. As the industry’s founding generation begins to retire, it’s clear to me that the next generation (of which I count myself a member), must execute an ever more ambitious vision, at an ever more ambitious scale in order to keep the viability of the region and its impressive safety record intact.

As traditional ways of working are becoming rapidly obsolete and irrelevant, we need to set out our stall in clear terms – what are we bringing to the table, what are the changes and improvements we’d like to make? – at the same time as ensuring that the “soul” of the industry is not lost. We can’t afford to ignore six decades of knowledge and experience; but equally we cannot ignore the fact that technology and data is creating such speed and potential scale, that it is taking our understanding of industry to unprecedented levels. We’re seeing patterns never seen before, spotting trends as they happen, and predicting and actioning events in an unbelievably targeted way. We need to find a way of ensuring a fundamental continuity, however we must also be willing to engage in constant innovation and always strive towards smarter operations and better results. That’s how we’ll achieve a sustainable future for offshore energy.

“So how do we do this? In a nutshell, our industry simply needs to become comfortable with, and take advantage of, major disruption change - whether that means changes in personnel, procedures, technology or communication.”

“I can’t deny that change and innovation – particularly within a large organisation – is extremely challenging. It tends to format around an “initiative” every now and then, rather than an embedded culture. These cost money, take time, are viewed by many with trepidation and frequently sink without a trace or – worse - cause more harm than innovation. Many of you will be familiar with the process…

“However, whilst it’s unusual within the offshore industry, a culture of continuous, incremental improvement and innovation is not unknown in larger companies within other industries. Many of us know the Japanese term kaizen; in other words, constant improvement, which is used to significant effect within the global manufacturing industry. There is no reason why this cannot be transferred to our industry. Now is the optimum time for the offshore energy sector to learn this lesson. By creating an environment of constant change, the fear and distrust that can surround change will lessen and a culture of adjustment and improvement becomes more intuitive.  This is the context within which innovation can truly flourish.

“I’m not talking hypothetically; Attollo Offshore’s fundamental ethos is one of constant improvement. Real and long-lasting impact to the economic viability of mature offshore basins requires convention to be challenged and innovative action to be taken now – and that’s what we’re doing, 24/7/365. Our systems and processes are built with constant observation, assessment and fine-tuning in mind. We are always willing to take advantage of and deploy the latest technology and ways of working, and this is setting us apart from the crowd.  The gains that can be achieved by embracing the latest advances are amazing, and the positive disruptive change that it can bring to an organisation pays significant dividends.

“Within the offshore energy sector, there’s plenty of discussion around - but outside exploration, rarely a tangible focus upon - the benefits of digitalisation; big data, cloud computing, AI and automation. In contrast, Attollo puts a massive amount of energy into these areas, from both operational and R&D perspectives – and in doing so, we’ve created an environment of ultra-transparency within our business; no information silos (team mentality is crucial), no outcomes based upon opinions - and our clients reap the benefits of our data-driven decision making. Data and optimisation, not egos, provide the key to the sustainability of our industry, and a truly innovative mind-set where innovation is valued as much as tradition will provide the only way in which we can move forward.”