Vietnam Offshore Oil and Gas Platform AtoN Safety Upgrade Project

How Dexonmarine supported navigation safety around offshore oil and gas platforms in Vietnam with white SC160I Fixed marine lanterns equipped with AIS AtoN and RACON radar beacons.

Location: Vietnam

Application: Offshore Oil and Gas Platform

Product: SC160I Fixed Marine Lantern with Integrated AIS AtoN + RACON Radar Beacon

Project Type: Offshore Platform AtoN Safety Upgrade

Offshore oil and gas platforms are large fixed structures standing in open waters. For passing vessels, these platforms must be clearly marked as marine obstacles to help reduce collision risk.

In this Vietnam offshore platform project, the site conditions were demanding. The equipment needed to withstand long-term exposure to vibration, salt spray, moisture and oil contamination. Since the platforms are located far from shore, maintenance is also costly and limited by offshore working windows.

The customer needed more than a visual marine lantern. They required a solution that could provide both visible light warning and AIS digital identification from the same lantern unit.

For offshore platforms, navigation safety depends on more than whether a light can be seen from a distance.

In poor visibility, heavy rain, fog or glare conditions, relying only on visual warning may leave a safety gap. Passing vessels also need to identify the platform position through their navigation systems before getting too close. In addition to visual and AIS identification, the customer also required an independent radar-based identification layer to provide redundancy for critical offshore platforms.

At the same time, the equipment had to meet the practical requirements of offshore oil and gas sites:

• Stable visual warning for fixed offshore structures
• AIS AtoN broadcasting for digital platform identification
• RACON radar identification as a redundant backup
• Resistance to vibration, salt spray and oil-contaminated environments
• Reduced external components and wiring points
• Lower offshore inspection and maintenance burden

Dexonmarine supplied SC160I Fixed marine lanterns equipped with AIS AtoN, together with RACON radar beacons, for the offshore platform application.

For fixed structures, the SC160I Fixed configuration provides a 7–9 NM nominal visible range with a fixed optical design. The lantern also offers IP68 protection and a LiFePO4 battery system, supporting up to 25 days of operation under continuous rainy conditions.

More importantly for this project, the SC160I-AIS model is equipped with integrated AIS AtoN. It supports Type 1 / Type 3 AIS AtoN, with FATDMA, RATDMA and SOTDMA options, and an AIS range of 15–20 NM.

Together, the SC160I-AIS lantern and RACON formed a three-layer identification system for the offshore platforms: visual warning by light, digital identification through AIS, and independent radar identification through RACON.

Visual Warning, AIS Digital Identification and RACON Radar Identification

The project provides three complementary layers of navigation identification.

The lantern gives vessels a visible warning of the platform location. At the same time, the AIS AtoN function broadcasts the platform identity and position, allowing nearby vessels to identify the offshore structure through their electronic navigation systems. RACON adds an independent radar-based identification layer, allowing the platform to be recognized directly on vessel radar through a coded Morse response.

This is especially important in offshore areas where visibility can change quickly. With visual light, AIS AtoN and RACON working together, the platform can be seen visually, identified digitally and recognized on vessel radar.

Offshore oil and gas platforms expose equipment to vibration, salt spray, moisture and oil contamination over long periods.

The integrated structure of the SC160I helps reduce external components, exposed connections and separate wiring points. This lowers the risk of faults caused by vibration or corrosion and makes the lantern more suitable for long-term operation on offshore platforms.

Each offshore platform was also equipped with a RACON radar beacon, providing an independent layer of radar-based identification as a redundant backup to visual and AIS marking. The RACON supports A–Z, 0–9 and directional Morse response codes including NW, NE, SW and SE, in accordance with IMO A.530. When interrogated by a vessel radar, it returns a coded Morse response that allows the platform to be identified directly on the radar display.

For remote offshore platforms, every maintenance visit requires vessel scheduling, personnel planning and a suitable weather window.

With AIS-based status reporting, the customer can follow equipment operation from shore and plan offshore visits more efficiently. This helps reduce unnecessary inspection visits and lowers the overall maintenance burden for remote offshore AtoN sites.

The SC160I Fixed marine lanterns with integrated AIS AtoN were deployed on three offshore oil and gas platforms in Vietnam, together with three RACON radar beacons, with one RACON installed on each platform. Together, the SC160I-AIS lanterns and RACON units formed a multi-layer AtoN system combining visual warning, AIS digital identification and radar-based recognition.

For this project, the value went beyond providing a marine lantern. The combined SC160I-AIS and RACON system helped the offshore platforms remain visible, digitally identifiable through AIS, and recognizable on vessel radar through RACON in demanding offshore conditions.