Several systems are used to facilitate subsea oil and gas exploration and production operations. Examples include certain types of subsea blowout preventers (BOPs), which can seal off wellbores to prevent wellbore blowouts, that is, uncontrolled releases of oil and gas from the wellbores. In some cases, before, during or after a blowout prevention operation involving a producing well, an emergency wellhead connector is engaged with a subsea casing of the producing well in order to sealingly engage the subsea casing. However, the sealing elements of the connector used to effect such a sealing engagement may possibly be damaged by flowing wellbore fluids or produced fluids, decreasing the efficacy of the sealing engagement. Also, it is sometimes difficult to monitor or control the complete engagement of the connector with the subsea casing. Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus or method that addresses one or more of the foregoing issues, among others.