News & Insights | Marine Coordination Software | SeaPlanner

Safer Marine Coordination with G+ Lifesaving Rules and SeaPlanner

Written by Dominic Stratton | Oct 1, 2025 5:01:27 PM

At a time of international expansion and rapid growth in offshore wind, it’s crucial for companies operating within the industry to maintain a common safety approach in order to protect their frontline workers. As a result, the G+ is encouraging companies to adopt the G+ Lifesaving Rules (LSR) set. In this article, Ascertra SeaRoc has adapted this material to produce the following guidance on effectively using SeaPlanner Offshore Management System to embed these rules into marine coordination practices, helping reduce incidents and protect lives at sea. 

 

What Are G+ Lifesaving Rules? 

Bringing together offshore wind projects to pursue shared goals, the G+ is the global health and safety organisation whose lifesaving rules have been used across several industrial sectors. With proven success at reducing serious incidents, the G+ has also developed a set of lifesaving rules (LSR) for offshore wind. 

With industry expanding globally as quickly as it is, many organisations—and the supply chain—are at the start of their safety culture journey. Existing industry lifesaving rules aren’t adapted to match the offshore wind risk profile, so the G+ LSR focuses on hazards specific to the offshore wind environment. 

For marine coordinators, the G+ LSR provide a clear framework for identifying and mitigating risks before they escalate into serious incidents. 

 

Why Marine Coordination Needs G+ Lifesaving Rules 

Marine coordination is the centre of offshore wind operations, involving managing vessel movements, helicopter movements, personnel logistics, and offshore activities in real time. Integrating G+ Lifesaving Rules into this function offers several key benefits: 

  • Standardises safety protocols across all marine operations 
  • Reduces serious incidents and near misses through proactive risk management 
  • Improves communication between marine coordinators, vessel crews, and offshore teams 
  • Accelerates onboarding by giving new personnel a clear safety framework 
  • Promotes shared responsibility for safety across all stakeholders 

Offshore wind developers can create a safer, more consistent operational environment by embedding the G+ LSR into their marine coordination workflows. But just what are the rules? 

 

The G+ Lifesaving Rules 

The G+ has designed this set of rules to be easy to understand and follow, most relevant for the risks present in offshore wind activities, and easy to align with contractual requirements, representing a common denominator for those with implemented programmes. 

As such, the G+ Lifesaving Rules for the offshore wind industry have been broken down into the following categories: 

[Table of rules] 

As this table illustrates, each rule is accompanied by a set of guiding questions to help organisations assess their readiness and identify gaps. For marine coordination, these rules translate into practical actions such as verifying permits before transfers, ensuring lifting plans are in place, and confirming that personnel are trained and competent.

 

Using SeaPlanner to Align Marine Coordination With G+ LSR 

SeaPlanner offshore management system is purpose-built to support safe and efficient marine coordination. Its features can be directly mapped to the G+ Lifesaving Rules, helping marine coordinators implement them in day-to-day operations. 

For example:

The G+ rule “Always ensure the required marine coordination software plans and permits are in place before you start a job” aligns with SeaPlanner’s SSoW and Marine Operations. Marine coordinators can use these tools to verify that all permits including Hazards and Precautions, documentation, asset restrictions and defects have been correctly accounted for and the current asset status before approving vessel movements or offshore activities.

SeaPlanner supports:

  • Live vessel tracking to monitor movements and avoid speed violations or unauthorised entry 
  • Live aircraft tracking to monitor helicopter movements for personnel transfers 
  • Personnel manifests to aid planning and to ensure only trained and authorised individuals are offshore 
  • Weather integration to support go/no-go decisions G+ Lifesaving Rules 
  • Audit trails for all marine coordination communications and decisions

These capabilities not only enhance operational control but also ensure that G+ LSR are consistently applied across all marine activities. 

  • Multi-stakeholder collaboration across contractors, developers, and marine coordinators 
  • Remote visibility and support for safety teams and operations managers 
  • Hosted cybersecurity and compliance, removing the burden from clients 

This flexibility ensures that safety protocols are applied uniformly and securely—whether your marine coordination team is onshore, offshore, or distributed across multiple locations. It’s a smarter, more scalable way to embed G+ Lifesaving Rules into daily operations. 

 

Embedding 'Start Safe, Stop if Unsure' in SeaPlanner Workflows 

The G+ Lifesaving Rules are built on two foundational principles: Start Safe and Stop if Unsure. SeaPlanner supports these by enabling marine coordinators and offshore teams to verify readiness before operations begin, and to pause or escalate concerns when conditions change.

With real-time visibility, audit trails, and communication tools, SeaPlanner helps embed a culture where safety decisions are supported, not penalised. 

 

Empowering Frontline Workers with SeaPlanner

The G+ guidance emphasises that Lifesaving Rules are only effective when frontline workers have the means and authority to act. SeaPlanner plays a critical role in surfacing hazards, validating competence, and enabling communication. 

Whether verifying isolation before electrical work or confirming readiness for a transfer, SeaPlanner ensures that workers have the tools and data to make informed, safe choices. 

 

Integrating the G+ Implementation Support Question Set

SeaPlanner’s workflows and dashboards can be configured to reflect the G+ “Ask Yourself, Your Team, Your Supervisor” question set. This helps teams prepare for tasks, conduct toolbox talks, and verify readiness in line with G+ expectations. 

By embedding these questions into daily routines, SeaPlanner reinforces proactive safety conversations and decision-making. 

 

Maintaining Momentum with SeaPlanner

SeaPlanner doesn’t just support initial implementation; it helps maintain momentum. With built-in audit trails, incident reporting, and configurable dashboards, teams can monitor Lifesaving Rule compliance, identify trends, and continuously improve safety performance. 
This aligns with the G+ guidance on using existing tools and processes to sustain safety culture.

 

Downloadable Checklist: SeaPlanner vs. G+ Lifesaving Rules

To support implementation, SeaPlanner offers a downloadable checklist mapping its features to each G+ Lifesaving Rule. This practical resource helps teams understand how SeaPlanner enables compliance and supports safe operations. 

Contact us to request the checklist or learn how it can be integrated into your project workflows. 

 

Summary: Integrate G+ LSR into Marine Coordination with SeaPlanner

SeaPlanner Offshore Management System is a powerful platform for embedding G+ Lifesaving Rules into marine coordination. By aligning safety protocols with real-time operational tools, helping offshore wind developers reduce risk, improve communication, and protect lives at sea. 

Integrating G+ LSR into marine coordination is not just a best practice, but a necessity. With SeaPlanner, you can ensure that your marine operations are not only efficient but also aligned with the highest standards of safety. 

 

FAQs