Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 by rivieramaritimemedia

2014 • A supplement to Offshore Support Journal

guide to

dynamic positioning

Fast-moving DP sector

at a crossroads BP concerned by assurance, certification and inappropriate use Evolving sector influenced by many changes “OCIMF is very concerned at the fragmentation in the control and issue of DP certification. Formation of several issuing bodies with different standards is not ideal.” John Flynn, offshore assurance superintendent, BP Shipping

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contents

2014

18 Dynamic positioning is being used on an ever-greater number of vessels and a growing number of applications

comment 5 The dynamic positioning sector is growing rapidly but is also faced with major challenges

origins 6 First applied on drillships and drilling rigs then other offshore units and

12 The DP industry needs to address concerns about certification of operators

vessels, DP technology has revolutionised the offshore industry

industry opinion 12 Although recently updated and revised, dissatisfaction with the Nautical Institute DP certification scheme has led to other schemes that differ in key respects – the result has been confusion

expert view 16 The DP sector is evolving rapidly making the kind of expertise brought

16 As DP evolves, expertise brought to bear by IMCA is ever-more important

to bear at IMCA ever-more important

applications 18 Most modern high spec offshore vessels have dynamic positioning, and more and more vessels employed in the offshore oil and gas and related sectors are applying it too

OCIMF says it has reservations about the control and issue of DP certification

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dp solutions 26 The DP industry is served by a number of well-known providers of equipment and services OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 1

contents certification and training 36 The way that DP operators obtain certification is changing, and simulators are expected to play an increasing role in future

guide to

dynamic positioning Published August 2014 Editor: David Foxwell t: +44 1252 717 898 e: david.foxwell@rivieramm.com Deputy Editor: Martyn Wingrove t: +44 20 8370 1736 e: martyn.wingrove@rivieramm.com

legislation & regulation 39 DP legislation, regulation and guidance is evolving, as is class notation, and in many cases, longstanding guidance documents are being used as the basis of new regulations

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last word 40 John Flynn, an offshore assurance superintendent at BP, voices concern about a number of issues relating to the growing use of dynamic positioning

William Johnston, t: +44 20 8995 5537 e: william.johnston@rivieramm.com Colin Deed, t: +44 1239 612384 e: colin.deed@rivieramm.com Head of Sales - Asia: Kym Tan t: +65 9456 3165 e: kym.tan@rivieramm.com Sales, Australasia: Kaara Barbour t: +61 414 436 808 e: kaara.barbour@rivieramm.com Production Manager: Richard Neighbour t: +44 20 8370 7013 e: richard.neighbour@rivieramm.com Subscriptions: Sally Church t: +44 20 8370 7018 e: sally.church@rivieramm.com Chairman: John Labdon Managing Director: Steve Labdon Editorial Director: Steve Matthews Finance Director: Cathy Labdon Acting Head of Production: Marco Di Paola Executive Editor: Paul Gunton Published by: Riviera Maritime Media Ltd Mitre House 66 Abbey Road Enfield EN1 2QN UK

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DPOs for DP vessels now have more than one route to certification

©2014 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd Disclaimer: Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is correct, the Author and Publisher accept no liability to any party for any inaccuracies that may occur. Any third party material included with the publication is supplied in good faith and the Publisher accepts no liability in respect of content. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, reprinted or stored in any electronic medium or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the copyright owner. 2014 • A supplement to Offshore Support Journal

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dynamic positioning

Fast-moving DP sector

at a crossroads BP concerned by assurance, certification and inappropriate use Evolving sector influenced by many changes “OCIMF is very concerned at the fragmentation in the control and issue of DP certification. Formation of several issuing bodies with different standards is not an ideal situation.” John Flynn, offshore assurance superintendent, BP Shipping

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comment

David Foxwell

DP sector at a crossroads – full steam ahead?

ith dynamic positioning becoming almost the norm for so many offshore support vessels and many other units, the first issue of Guide to Dynamic Positioning is set to become a regular supplement to OSJ. However, such is the rate of change in the DP sector that it can cover only a fraction of the technical, regulatory and other developments that are taking place in the industry. Important issues such as vessel assurance and failure modes and effects analyses will be covered in detail in other supplements and subsequent issues of OSJ. In Guide to DP, we have therefore focused on some of the most pressing issues in the industry, including the fragmentation of certification for dynamic positioning operators (DPOs). The DP sector has always been a particularly important one for the offshore vessel industry and increasingly for other parts of the marine industry too, but it seems to me that it could be said to be at a crossroads at the moment. Maybe we have already crossed over into a new era, but what is certain is that there are changes afoot that are taking place that will shape the industry for the next 5–10 years. At Riviera Maritime Media’s 2013 European Dynamic Positioning Conference, a leading industry figure posed a question to the Nautical Institute and DNV GL about working together to harmonise their certification schemes. At the end of the 2013 event, it seemed hopeful that talks would take place and that harmonisation was not out of the question. However, by the 2014 event, which took place in June in London, we knew that harmonisation was not going to be possible. In fact, another certification scheme, a third, has come to the fore with the formation of the Offshore Service Vessel Dynamic Positioning Authority (OSVDPA) in the US. Since the 2013 conference, the Nautical Institute has undertaken a wide-ranging revision of the DP training and certification scheme it manages on behalf of the industry. Evidently, however, the OSVDPA did not think those changes went far enough and will soon have its own system up and running. The OSVDPA believes that the Gulf of Mexico market is a special case, with its own unique requirements. Might there be other parts of the world where this is also felt to be the case, one wonders? Could we see more regional schemes? Would this be a good thing or, potentially, a bad one? Are there sectors of the industry, certain types of vessels for instance, for which a separate route to certification might be proposed? Equally, is it a good thing that we will soon have three certification schemes, perhaps more, each with elements in common but with differences that, evidently, are too great

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to be resolved? Looking from the outside in, who now speaks for the industry and does it have a unified voice? The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), which is a sitting member of the Dynamic Positioning Training Executive Group (DPTEG), says it is “very concerned at the fragmentation in the control and issuing of DP certification”. It feels that the formation of several issuing bodies with different standards is not an ideal situation.

he issue of multiple certification schemes – and the failure to achieve harmonisation – seems to me to be a crucial one for the industry. When an industry evolves rapidly, as rapidly as this one has, it often tends to fragment. Plurality and new ideas can be a good thing, but equally, it can lead to confusion and, potentially, a diminution of standards. The certification question has come to dominate the industry for the time being, but there are plenty of other challenges to address. DP technology is evolving incredibly rapidly but isn’t always evolving in a way that DPOs would wish. Are manufacturers placing DPOs and their needs firmly at the heart of what they are doing? Anecdotal evidence suggests maybe not. Are other sectors in which DP technology is being rapidly adopted sufficiently well versed in marine operations and the use of DP? It is important for marine operators to remember that DP does not stand alone, and to operate in today’s offshore environment, DP skills alone are not enough. Clients require a full package that usually includes mandatory Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) papers and the training that goes along with them. DPOs must be familiarised with vessel and company procedures, but too often, operations do not allow for such procedures to be maintained. To determine best practice for DP vessels, there has to be consensus between operators and charterers. This has to be at a practical level. Best practice should assist in identifying the limitations of DP vessels as well as the capabilities. How can this be achieved without apparently disadvantaging some vessel owners by creating a ‘scoring system’ that may inhibit openness? And how do charterers identify what is required from a DP vessel? Meanwhile, operators face challenges when dealing with different project requirements. What criteria should be used to decide whether a vessel is suitable for one job and not another? And lastly, a statistic that should give us all pause for thought: two-thirds of DPOs have less than two years’ experience. OSJ

OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 5

origins

DP adopted for growing range of vessels T

he first dynamic positioning vessels began to appear in the 1960s. Drilling using anchor-moored floating vessels had been shown to be feasible, and Walter Munk of Scripps Oceanographic Institute proposed to the National Science Foundation (NSF) that drilling in very deep water might allow drilling through the earth’s crust to sample the Mohorovicic discontinuity. The idea of mounting thrusters on the drillship Cuss 1 was proposed, to see if they could hold the vessel still enough without anchors to drill without a riser in 3,350m of water. Bill Bates, marine division manager of Shell at the time who had worked with the CUSS group – a consortium of Continental, Union, Shell and Superior oil companies –

First applied on drillships and drilling rigs, then other offshore units and vessels, DP technology has revolutionised the way the offshore industry works, but such has been its success – and the rate at which it has been adopted – that owners are struggling to keep up with demand for operators

believed in the concept and convinced Shell to build a smaller core drilling vessel for geological oil prospecting. By 1960, it too was under construction. The vessel was called Eureka. Cuss 1 had been built from an old war-surplus

This drilling rig – and the vessel supplying it – both make use of DP

barge. It was to have a 250hp, direct enginedriven thruster mounted near each of its four corners. These were steerable thrusters capable of swivelling through a full circle. Direction and engine speed were to be controlled manually from a central location. A compass measured heading. The thought was that, with manual control, the vessel could hold position inside a 180m radius ring of pre-installed buoys. Eureka was built from scratch by Shell at the Orange shipyard in Texas. With a displacement of 400 long tons, the vessel had two 200hp steerable thrusters electrically driven through the full speed range. Thruster direction and speed were each to be controlled separately and manually from the bridge. The ship’s position was to be viewed as a dot on an oscilloscope

provided from a ‘tilt meter’ that would measure the angle of a taut wire that would have lowered a heavy weight to the ocean floor. The heading was provided by a gyrocompass. Howard Shatto, who nowadays is viewed as the father of the DP industry, became involved with the project. He believed that manual control would not work and that what was needed was an automatic control system to hold position and heading. At the time, of course, nothing like that existed. This first DP system had all of the features needed for an automatic DP control system. “For a time at Shell, I had worked in gas plant process control and was much impressed with the controllers used to control flow, temperature and pressure. Excellent electronic three-mode controllers were becoming available to replace the older pneumatic devices for the process industries,” Mr Shatto explained. “Honeywell had them available off the shelf,” he noted in a history of DP that he wrote for the Marine Technology Society (MTS). “We would use one each to control surge, sway and yaw. In May 1961, we accepted Hughes Aircraft’s offer of US$50,000

Construction vessels such as Havila Subsea are enabled by DP technology to build our control machine, including the three Honeywell process controllers.” Cuss 1 began its tests in March 1961. With manual control, it was possible to hold the vessel within a 180m radius. The vessel drilled and recovered cores in more than 3,350m of water off Guadeloupe. Eureka had her new control system installed just before leaving the shipyard. In May1961, the vessel moved to 300m of water in the Gulf of Mexico. After trying for an hour to hold station unsuccessfully with manual control, the automatic system was turned on, the dot on the oscilloscope moved to the centre of the screen and held steady. After another hour, during which the automatic system performed flawlessly, drilling was started and cores were successfully recovered as planned. Eureka was a workhorse, Mr Shatto told the MTS, drilling as many as nine core locations in a day in water out to 1,100m. Anchored competitors could get about one location and in water depths of only around 60m. After a few new small coring vessels were built, the NSF sponsored construction of Glomar Challenger, built for Scripps for the first internationally supported ocean drilling programme. Like the earlier vessels, it drilled with bare drill pipe and no riser or mud circulation. Built by General Motors’ Delco division, Challenger was the first to use digital computers to replace the analogue systems. The first DP rig to use a riser and blowout preventer (BOP) for oil well drilling was SEDCO 445, built for Shell in 1971. It was followed soon by more and bigger rigs and semis. Many others included pipelay and construction/ crane vessels and dive support vessels.

The era when DP was used exclusively for drilling in the offshore oil and gas industry has long gone, and the technology is used increasingly by an ever-larger group of vessels – offshore construction, crane, pipelay, heavy lift, diving support, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) support and supply vessels as well as specialist vessels such as wind turbine installation vessels (which are covered elsewhere in this guide). In Norway, dynamic positioning vessels have been used to transport and deliver fish food to fish farms up and down the coast of the country for several years. Then there are cruise liners, which use DP to protect sensitive environments such as coral reefs from damage, and many super yachts too. Many other vessels that need to position themselves with a high level of accuracy, such as dredgers, also make use of DP nowadays. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the first generation of global positioning reference systems introduced. Nowadays, this kind of reference system is a cornerstone of pretty much all DP systems, regardless of their exact application or level of redundancy, and we can hardly imagine a world without GPS or GLONASS and await the arrival of Galileo (the European global satellite navigation system that is due to achieve initial operational capability in 2015). Many other changes and developments have focused on the position measurement systems that are a fundamental part of the DP business. Some measurement systems have fallen out of favour over the years and have been overtaken by others, such as laser-based equipment like CyScan. Conversely, one of the OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 7

origins

A modern DP workstation is an ergonomically designed environment that enhances a DP operator’s capacity to do their job earliest pioneering measurement systems, taut wire, just seems to go on and on, albeit with improved designs. There are other measurement systems – inertial navigation systems being, one example – that appear to promise much but have yet to fully establish their place and mature into common commercial usage. The DP control system itself has seen multiple evolutions over 50 years. The graphic capabilities of the operator consoles continue to attract a lot of investment from users and manufacturers alike. In the earliest days of

black and white displays, operators had to cope with graphics cards that were incapable of producing a true motion display. Today, high resolution graphics are the norm, and they are capable of displaying fully functional charts, including mariners’ objects. The next generation of graphic interfaces may well utilise technology that instinctively looks more at home in the entertainment or gaming industries. The vast expansion of the global DP fleet over the last 10–15 years has seen a corresponding rapid increase in the number of

electrically propelled vessels. The popularity of the all-electric vessel appears to be due in large part to perceived improvements in efficiency and reliability together with reductions in thruster noise and a general improvement in performance overall. The environmental impact of DP operations now, rightly, occupies a great deal of attention, and electric propulsion systems offer the potential for improvements in this regard. Designers and manufacturers of DP control systems and of electric propulsion systems

The evolution of dynamic positioning • Late 1950s: Continental, Union, Superior and Shell convert war-surplus YF barge to anchored rig Cuss 1 to advance floating vessel drilling technology. NSF sponsored mounting engine-driven steerable thrusters, manually controlled, to test whether this could hold still enough to drill in deep water as an early prelude to drilling Mohole. Test was successful in 11,000ft (3,350m) of water in March 1961. • At the same time, Shell built small exploration core drill rig Eureka, which had steerable thrusters but was automatically controlled. It was tested in May 1961 in 1,000ft (300m) of water and performed perfectly • Success of the first automatic system spawned a few more small all-analogue DP core rigs • August 1968: Glomar Challenger, the first ‘digital’ computer-controlled core drillship,

8 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

was built for Deep Sea Drilling Project, managed by Scripps Institution, funded and administered by NSF • November 1971: Sedco 445, the first dynamic positioning oil drilling ship with riser and BOP, built by Sedco under contract to Shell started operation off Brunei • March 1974: Shell contracted Sedco to build and jointly own the first DP semisubmersible, Sedco 709 • 1978: Large construction vessels such as Heerema’s Balder, Micoperi 7000, McDermott’s DB50 and others, dive support and utility vessels • 1990: Sedco/BP 471, built in 1985, renamed Joides Resolution and contracted to NSF to replace Glomar Challenger on new scientific drilling under Ocean Drilling Programme, managed by Texas A&M • 2003: Chikyu built for scientific drilling with riser and BOP to permit drilling in

areas otherwise prohibited because of possible hydrocarbons • 2011: It is estimated that more than 2,000 DP vessels are in operation • 2012: Major revisions to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (the STCW Convention) and its associated Code enter into force on 1 January 2012, with a five-year transitional period until 1 January 2017. These include new training guidance for personnel operating dynamic positioning systems • 2013: Certification of DP operators changes as DNV GL introduces a second route to certification • 2014: A third certification scheme is introduced by the recently formed Offshore Service Vessel Dynamic Positioning Authority.

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origins

continue to work at the junction between a DP control system and the machinery it controls. A propulsion drive and its associated propulsion machinery has several masters (DP system, joystick, manual controls) and numerous operating scenarios (transit, autopilot, DP, track follow, joystick, manual manoeuvring, emergency control). Optimised system setup is often a compromise between the needs and capacities of individual items of equipment and their expectations under any one or more of the various operating scenarios. In the worst case, the system is set up to match the needs of, for example, manual controls under transit conditions, which may compromise effectiveness in a DP drilling mode. Manufacturers continue to pay significant attention to this area and perceive it as an opportunity to simultaneously improve systems’ effectiveness and to improve synergy between DP systems and machinery in a manner that reduces emissions and other environmental impacts. A modern DP workstation is an ergonomically designed environment that enhances the capacity of a DP operator to do the job safely and effectively and, in particular, to earn their money in yellow and red-alert situations. Good operators and good DP systems have a symbiotic relationship in which one relies on the other for support. Smart DP manufacturers have always sought to recognise this and to provide plenty of scope for the DP operator to apply their knowledge and skills. The biggest, fastest, most powerful processor in the DP system is still

the one between the DP operator’s ears, and operator training has always been, and will always remain, a hot topic. Such has been the development and takeup of dynamic positioning technology that many operations that make use of DP are taken for granted now but would not have been possible only a few years ago. Seemingly impossible operations are now safe and cost effective because of advances in technology, but with the widespread adoption of DP have come issues and challenges, one of the most pressing being recruitment and retention of DP operators. This in itself is not a new problem but one that is exacerbated by the fact that virtually all newbuild semi-submersibles and offshore support vessels are being fitted with DP, and charterers expect vessels to be manned at the appropriate DP class level. Another issue – one that the Nautical Institute has taken steps to address – is fraudulent applications for DP certificates. For many years, the world of DP was about oscilloscopes and equations, and it is only really in the last 30 years that true DP ‘operators’ have arrived on the scene, people who were intelligent enough to understand the theories were technically savvy enough to understand the equipment but yet also understood the sea and what was going on around them. Slowly, the white coats gave way to boilersuits, and a new bona fide career was forged, based on some of the most incredible equipment ever devised for ships. However, change brings problems to solve,

Dynamic positioning enables a huge range of operations to be undertaken – such as this float-over – safely and in a cost-effective manner

and the standards of DP operators are being closely scrutinised, employers are struggling to find the best people and experienced professionals are wrestling to ensure that newcomers know the ropes. At the same time, the potentially grave implications for failure mean that shipowners have few options as they look to attract, retain and develop current and future personnel at the DP desk. Today, we probably face one of the biggest challenges to the continued success of the sector. The equipment continues to become ever-more cost effective, but there is an issue with getting people to operate it. Unfortunately, there continue to appear to be barriers to recruitment, and the industry has sidelined those who invest in their own training as they look for a career path. Concerns have also been expressed about what the growing number of certification schemes will mean for the industry. A single, harmonised scheme now seems unlikely, and there is therefore a need for guidance or a ‘roadmap’ for organisations to follow. Considerable growth in demand for DP operators in the offshore industry, renewables sector and for shuttle tankers has led to delays in DP operator assessments and certification, and as an industry, the DP sector is trying to catch up with the new training schemes, demand for DP operators and vessel assurance. The industry is still trying to cope with the growth in the number of DP vessels and remains short of people to respond to that demand. OSJ

industry opinion The number of DP vessels is growing – industry needs to address concerns about certification of operators

Lack of consensus could undermine safety T

he need to standardise the schemes currently governing the certification of dynamic positioning operators (DPOs) around the world may seem a rather academic subject to the uninitiated, but the lack of any progress in achieving agreement is already proving to be an impediment to the free flow of business. If positive steps are not taken soon, the situation will only become worse and more intractable. When raising this issue at the European Dynamic Positioning Conference in London earlier this year, I shared a real-life example of how the two schemes that currently operate – rather than complementing one another – are now heading towards mutual exclusivity. Last year, a Canadian DPO trained by classification society DNV GL and sourced through C-MAR was turned away on the 12 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

Although recently updated and revised, dissatisfaction with the Nautical Institute DP certification scheme has led to other schemes that differ in key respects – the result has been confusion for the very people they are meant to serve and concerns that safety standards might slip by Peter Aylott*

deck of a ship in Oslo because the charterer refused to recognise any certification other than that awarded by the Nautical Institute. This was an incredible waste of a well trained DPO who was ready and willing to

work. One can only imagine the needless cost that the delay in finding a replacement incurred, and I believe there are plenty of other equally absurd examples that illustrate the same point. In an age when the free movement of labour has never been more important to the success of the global economy and to our industry in particular, its ability to move manpower around the globe is being compromised as never before, ironically by the very organisations that train its personnel. The two schemes currently in place, administered by the Nautical Institute and DNV GL, operate to different standards and adhere to fundamentally different philosophies. When comparing the two methodologies, there is little advantage in simply trying to decide which is the better www.osjonline.com

choice. Comparisons are often invidious and usually subjective. The focus should be on drawing out the best aspects of both. The Nautical Institute is clearly the more established of the two. It is responsible for training over 20,000 certificated operators worldwide and is universally recognised by both national and international oil companies. With 20 years of experience, the Nautical Institute scheme can be praised for its strictly controlled training system and obligatory two-course attendance as well as recorded experiential learning on board. It could be said, however, that one drawback is the lack of an independent assessor. (Currently, the master of the vessel awards the certificates.) There have also been reports that logbooks are sent to a centrally controlled system at the Nautical Institute, which generates significant delays of up to four months in some cases. In contrast, DNV GL has set its own standards for DP training and simulators. More recently, it has created standards for training test centres and recommended practice for organisations that wish to provide DP training and certification themselves. Whereas the Nautical Institute offers a www.osjonline.com

single scheme and issues certificates centrally utilising accredited and franchised training centres, DNV GL does not have this level of detail or comparable control. DNV GL audits organisations that wish to use its standards to set up their own scheme. Therefore, SMS Trondheim, the only organisation that currently has a DNV GL-approved scheme, does the training, administers the scheme, assesses

Peter Aylott: “if the situation isn’t resolved, ultimately, safety could be compromised”

students and issues certificates. The DNV GL scheme is recognised by some flag states and one national oil company, Norway’s state-owned company Statoil. It does not have wide recognition at this stage and is comparatively small. Its biggest strengths are that final assessments are conducted independently on a simulator, and the award of certificates is not subject to delays. It has been observed in the industry that the scheme would benefit from increased experiential learning, which would improve its chances of being recognised by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF). The disparity between the training schemes affects the capability of the student and therefore the confidence of a charterer to take them on board. As the chief operating officer of a firm that trains offshore personnel globally, I am keen to find some conformity in the measurement of competence delivered by the schemes. What is the metric to measure competency? Classroom experience is entirely different to onboard experience. For me, competence is knowledge plus skills plus experience. It concerned me, therefore, to hear Aaron Smith, OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 13

industry opinion

project leader at the fledgling US certification initiative, the Offshore Service Vessel Dynamic Positioning Authority (OSVDPA), say during the European Dynamic Positioning Conference panel session, “You never know what a DPO is like until they get on board.” There is also the issue of training of the DP instructors themselves. There is an imbalance in the uniformity of experience among the assessors. The Nautical Institute re-accredits every three years. At C-MAR, we do this annually, and each of our instructors is required to have at the very least five years of experience. A good source of input for the answer to this whole conundrum could be the assessors themselves. But are they being listened to sufficiently, if at all? In 2013, I asked the Nautical Institute and DNV GL to discuss their respective training modules with the overarching objective of moving towards one scheme. The Nautical Institute and DNV GL subsequently held discussions but unfortunately could not agree on a way forward – an indicator perhaps of the conviction on both sides. Subsequently, a third organisation has now been set up in the US by OSV operators in the Gulf of Mexico, that is, the OSVDPA. Although the OSVDPA has not formalised its training scheme, it is believed to be modelled on those of both the Nautical Institute and DNV. So, we now face a situation where a possible three schemes are training personnel, with charterers potentially not ready to recognise two of them. As I commented at the conference, if the experts are confused, imagine how the poor DPOs feel. The truth of the matter is that it is not remotely in the best interests of the industry to have different standards. The primary goals are safety and the reduction of risk. The OSVDPA’s Aaron Smith told the European Dynamic Positioning Conference that they “never intended to set up a new scheme but felt it was necessary to meet regional needs”. Regina Bindao, director of accreditation at the Nautical Institute agreed that “group consensus is ideal”. It appears we all want the same thing, but until now, it has been a struggle to find consensus on how to achieve it. Fortunately, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) is reviewing the official industry guidance document, known as M117. I am pleased to be involved in this process, sitting on the consultation group, having encouraged IMCA to generate an overarching framework that would allow each of the three schemes to generate a competence for DPOs. I am delighted that the IMCA has agreed to look at this. This is not an easy subject, and I do not 14 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

The number of certification schemes for DPOs has grown

DPO certification was addressed at the 2014 European Dynamic Positioning Conference pretend to know all the answers. What I do know, however, is that we need a roadmap to guide the industry in the right direction. We also need consensus, and we need leadership from IMCA to encourage the various accreditation bodies to agree a practical and effective solution. Like any business, we also need a framework for guiding the mobilisation of our industry around its strategic plan. My greatest concern is the question of where the next generation of DP operators will come from, and flowing from that, will they have the freedom to work internationally and will they be hampered by a lack of consensus in the industry?

Three separate schemes are not necessarily a problem in principle, as long as they adhere to the same basic standards, but turning a fully qualified DP operator away from the deck of a vessel because they have the ‘wrong’ piece of paper is patently absurd. It looks as if the industry is making the first stirrings towards finding a solution. Those efforts must not fail. In the long term, if we do not address this issue, the situation will become ever more complicated and eventually develop into a threat not just to business but to onboard safety, too. OSJ *Peter Aylott is chief operating officer at the C-MAR Group, the DP Centre www.osjonline.com

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OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 15

expert view

DP expert helping to lead development of new guidance On offshore vessels, such as this recently delivered subsea vessel, DP has almost become the norm

roviding guidance on all aspects of dynamic positioning, technical reports, incident reports and analysis plays an important part in the work programme at the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA). IMCA’s ‘go to’ man for dynamic positioning is Ian Giddings, the association’s technical adviser – marine, who spoke to the Guide to DP about the many changes taking place in the fast-evolving sector and about the association’s work on the revision of a number of its own guidance documents. M 103 Guidelines for the Design and Operation of Dynamically Positioned Vessels is one of IMCA’s core documents and is currently being revised in order to bring it up to date and reflect changes in the DP sector such as guidance issued by the Marine Technology Society (MTS) in the US and Guidelines for Offshore Marine Operations (which is owned and sponsored by a number of organisations including the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association, Norwegian Oil and Gas Association, Netherlands Oil & Gas Production Association, Danish Shipowners Association, Oil & Gas UK and the United Kingdom Chamber of Shipping). “One of the most important developments that led to the need to revise M 103 is that 16 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

The DP sector is evolving rapidly and has rarely been in such a state of flux, making the kind of expertise brought to bear at IMCA ever more important

the use of DP has grown a great deal and that an ever-wide range of vessels are using it,” Mr Giddings explained. “DP operations aren’t the same on every vessel, and M 103 needs to reflect that. Work on updating the document is approaching completion – we have circulated a revised text for comments and hope to be able to publish it by the end of 2014.” Also being revised by IMCA are a number of other important documents that relate to DP. These include M 166 Guidance on Failure Modes and Effects Analyses, M 117 The Training and Experience of Key DP Personnel and M190 Guidance for Developing and Conducting Annual DP Trials Programmes for DP Vessels. “The revisions to M 117 reflect the fundamental changes that have taken place in DP training,” said Mr Giddings. “The main change of course is that there is no longer a single route to certification for DP operators

[DPOs – see elsewhere in this guide], but there were other outstanding issues too. “We would prefer that there was a single certification scheme for DPOs, but the reality is that that that isn’t the case, so we are revising M 117 to take that into account and to reflect the fact that, when a DPO finishes training, that isn’t the end of the story.” Apart from the new DNV GL certification scheme, the Offshore Service Vessel Dynamic Positioning Authority (OSVDPA) in the US is close to finalising its scheme too, and Mr Giddings said he doesn’t rule out further fragmentation in the certification of DPOs either. “I don’t think it is out of the question that we could see more schemes in due course,” he told the Complete Guide to DP. “It isn’t impossible that someone somewhere else in the world will think that, if DNV GL and the OSVDPA can do it, why shouldn’t they, although anyone thinking of doing so shouldn’t underestimate the amount of work involved. “Apart from the fragmentation that has taken place with regard to certification schemes, I think we need to acknowledge that training isn’t the end of the process, and we want to reflect the need to focus more on competence as well. The updated M 117 will also take into account www.osjonline.com

developments with the DNV GL assessment scheme and the recommended practice that DNV GL issued recently. Internally, we developed a list of topics that needed to be looked at as part of the revision of M 117. We have an outline and hope to have the revised document ready by the end of 2014,” he explained. Asked about suggestions that IMCA might play an increasingly important role in providing guidance to industry regarding the various certification schemes that are now available and how this would be addressed as part of the revision of M 117 now and in the future, Mr Giddings there was also what he described as “growing dismay” and concern about the Nautical Institute scheme. Concerns about the scheme are said to have been one of the main drivers behind the formation of the OSVDPA. “IMCA can only get involved further in this if our members want us to do so,” said Mr Giddings, noting that it is not out of the question that they might. “There is undoubtedly a degree of confusion in the sector at the moment.” Starting in 2013, the Dynamic Positioning Training Executive Group (DPTEG) undertook a comprehensive review of the Nautical Institute scheme and was assisted in this by contributions from various other industry organisations and individuals, including Intertanko, the UK Chamber of Shipping, Corporation of Trinity House, shuttle tanker operators, DP system manufacturers and various individual DP experts. Mr Giddings said IMCA’s members are concerned about fragmentation, but they are also concerned about the seeming lack of a

Ian Giddings: “the use of DP has grown a great deal and an ever-wider range of vessels are using it” clear path for the transition from the existing Nautical Institute scheme to the new one, which is based on the revision that was undertaken, the target date for implementation of which is January 2015. The International Support Vessel Owners’ Association (ISOA), which acts as a common focal point for offshore vessel operators to discuss common, non-commercial issues facing the supply vessel industry, has also expressed concern. As far as external regulation of DP is concerned, the main document is the IMO’s MSC 645 Guidelines for Vessels with Dynamic Positioning Systems, which is also being revised, but is not expected to be discussed again until March 2015 and the next meeting of the IMO’s SubCommittee on Ship Systems and Equipment. Mr Giddings explained that IMCA is working

DP is being used on many vessels, such as on this wind turbine installation ship www.osjonline.com

on amendments to MSC 645 and is talking to parties such as flag states who have an interest in the revision process. “I don’t think that there is a great deal necessarily that needs to change in MSC 645,” he told the The Complete Guide to DP. “There is a great deal of guidance out there for people to use to complement it.” The International Association of Drilling Contractors and IMCA submitted a paper to the 90th session of the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee proposing amendments to MSC 645. The committee considered the proposal and added it as a new work item. The original document was published in 1994 – 20 years ago – and although the basic principles remain valid, it is in need of review and revision. Mr Giddings and his colleagues at IMCA are playing a key role helping the IMO to explore why and where changes and additions may be needed, recognising at the same that it is believed that many vessels and their operators actually exceed the compliance requirements of the document by following the available guidance from IMCA, MTS and DNV GL. “These revisions will have implications for maritime authorities, classification societies and manufacturers, but these groups usually adopt standards and requirements which exceed those of these guidelines,” said Mr Giddings. “Yes, a lot has changed in the 20 years since this document was issued, but in many respects, it is a case of if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” “Yes, we need to revise the guidelines for vessels with DP systems, but for the most part, this can be done by incorporating improved guidance available in multiple examples of industry guidance documents, and we also need to bear in mind that MSC 645 is itself ‘guidance’ and as such open to interpretation.” Asked about what he sees as some of the biggest challenges facing the industry, Mr Giddings highlighted the fast pace of development of DP technology as one issue. As new technology is introduced into service, so IMCA needs to respond with guidance on its use. “Inertial navigation systems are a typical example,” he explained. “The difficulty there lies in the fact that a lot of it relies on defence technology – it’s difficult to actually get your hands on it.” At the end of the day, notes Mr Giddings, we also need to realise that technology needs to be the servant of a master – the DPO. Technology should make a DPO’s job easier, more efficient and safer. “We recently had an example of a new drive-off feature that a well-known manufacturer incorporated into a DP system for accommodation vessels. It was undoubtedly a clever piece of technology,” he concluded, ”but the DPOs didn’t like it. We need to keep people in the picture and the DPO and their needs firmly in mind when we develop new technology.” OSJ OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 17

applications

Sector sees increasingly diverse applications of technology

The DP3 heavy-lift vessel Oleg Strashnov installs the substation for the DanTysk offshore windfarm

Dynamic positioning (DP) is most often associated with offshore support vessels and most modern high spec offshore vessels now have dynamic positioning, but it is being used for a growing number of applications and onboard more vessels in related sectors, and in other industries

lthough not itself DP-related, the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 led to a lot of change in the industry and what might generally be described as a ‘flight to quality’ that has had a direct influence on vessel owners. For the DP sector it had the knock-on effect that dynamically positioned vessels came to be seen as 'better' and 'safer'. For Crowley Maritime Corp, for instance, one of the best known and largest players in the marine industry in the US, the incident had a direct influence on plans for a new generation of ocean-going tug. Crowley was working on the specification for a new class of ocean-going tug at about the time that the Deepwater Horizon incident occurred. In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon, the feedback it got from its clients was that, although DP did not play a role in any way in Deepwater Horizon, any ocean-going tug hoping to be successful in future would have to be DP2 rather than DP1. Deepwater Horizon happened after Crowley had selected a shipyard for its Ocean-class project, which in turn led to a redesign. The first two vessels in the series ordered by Crowley, Ocean Wave and Ocean Wind, are DP1 vessels, but the second pair, Ocean Sun and Ocean Sky, Crowley’s third and fourth Ocean-class tugs, are DP2 units. The DP1 units were employed in the Gulf of Mexico with a ‘blue chip client’, but prior to the advent of the vessels, there were very few ocean-going tugs that had dynamic positioning capabilities. By that yardstick, Ocean Wave and Ocean Wind already lay claim to being trendsetters, but the latter pair of vessels, with DP2, takes the concept to a different level. Johan Sperling, a vice president at Jensen Maritime, who designed the vessels, explained that, in his view, for relatively simple tasks such as towing an average-sized rig, it is not really necessary to have DP2, but soon after activity started to resume following the Deepwater Horizon shut-down, Jensen started seeing a new cautiousness among its customers – caution that also reflects Crowley’s clients’ demand for more capable vessels, which they perceive as intrinsically safer. Essentially, says Crowley, each of the DP2 OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 19

applications DP enables SAL to transport and lower subsea infrastructure to the seabed

units is a cross between an anchor handler and a platform supply vessel (PSV). They are also larger than a conventional ocean tug. The company also highlights the fuel economy of the DP2 vessels, and said it is confident that the DP2 design is flexible enough to accommodate future regulations and any performance enhancements they might entail. As if to confirm this trend towards DP2 ocean-going tugs, earlier this year, ALP Maritime Services ordered a quartet of ultra-long distance anchor-handling and towing vessels, which are to be constructed at the Niigata Shipyard in Japan. The company noted that an increasing number of ultra-large floating production units that are on order will require towing and hookup services in the next decade, which will result in a growing demand for mooring leg survey, maintenance, repositioning, refurbishment and/ or decommissioning services in the years ahead. Floating productions units are increasing in size and value, and field development projects will increasingly rely on floating production/ storage units. Transporting these units from the building yard and their subsequent installation is a key part of a project, creating 20 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

a need for particularly powerful, course-stable, reliable towing vessels. “Installation of floating production units and mooring leg maintenance and replacement operations demand the use of DP2 vessels,” said ALP Maritime. Apart from longstanding applications of DP in the offshore vessel sector, such as on PSVs, construction vessels and dive support units, increasing use is also being made of DP in other ways, such as in the heavy-lift segment, a typical example being a contract awarded to Seaway Heavy Lifting for the transport and installation of the gas compression unit for Statoil’s Gullfaks field. Working as a subcontractor to Subsea 7, Seaway Heavy Lifting will install the 500 tonne gas compression module 15km south of the Gullfaks C platform, using the dynamic positioning crane vessel Oleg Strashnov. Oleg Strashnov entered service not long ago and is capable of lifting up to 5,000 tonnes. The vessel has an eight-point mooring system for work in shallow water and is a DP3 unit. Apart from highly specialised crane vessels such as Oleg Strashnov, a new generation of DP2 heavy-lift vessels is also beginning to undertake

more and more work in the offshore oil and gas and offshore wind sectors. SAL in Germany, one of a number of companies to have opted for DP2 vessels, notes that more and more owners in the European market are looking to remodel their ships to adapt to changing market requirements, for example, by installing DP2 in order to enhance their ability to undertake offshore operations. Not long ago, SAL completed its first DP2 offshore project when its vessel Lone loaded two structures, transported them to the field and lowered them to the seabed. The first, an 80 tonne structure, was installed to provide protection to a pipeline. The second, a pipeline end manifold (PLEM), weighed 120 tonnes and was installed in support of a floating liquefied natural gas unit. Lone is the second of two type 183 vessels operated by SAL. Interestingly, the first, Svenja, delivered in 2010, is a DP1 vessel, whereas Lone was upgraded to meet DP2 requirements and differs from earlier generations of SAL heavy lifters in as much as, with the precise positioning that DP2 provides, the vessel is able to install equipment offshore, not just www.osjonline.com

transport it and deliver it to the site. The decision to invest in the vessels followed an analysis of the heavy-lift market that clearly demonstrated rising demand for heavy-lift work for the offshore oil and gas industries. The company could see the need for larger cranes for its vessels and the need for DP. In the past, the company’s vessels required the assistance of tugs when unloading a cargo at sea in order to maintain position or had do so in sheltered waters. Obviously, this adds to costs for the customer, so it made sense to move to DP2 and to vessels that can work without assistance. In contrast, the DP2 vessel can load cargo, deliver it anywhere and install it, thus providing a ‘one-stop’ heavy lift and offshore construction service. With the older-generation vessels, if transporting a cargo intended for deployment on the seabed, SAL’s ships could not lower the cargo direct to the seabed themselves – instead, they had to undertake what is called a ‘wet handshake’ with another vessel. DP2 vessels can do the whole job, and there is no need for another installation ship to get involved. Fitted with dynamic positioning, the vessels will be able to perform both ‘wet handshakes’ and subsea positioning. Put simply,

On Sea Installer DP is primarily used as an aid to manual positioning

that means the dynamic positioning system allows the vessel to provide a combination of transportation and installation services. Of course, SAL is not the only heavy-lift company now able to carry out this kind of work. Jumbo Shipping has carried out a number of projects of this type too, such as the deployment of five subsea structures for PetroSA’s Ikhwezi project offshore South Africa. The installation of the five structures, weighing between 35 and 185 tonnes, was executed by Jumbo’s DP2 heavy-lift vessel Fairplayer. Rambiz 4000, a different type of unit also intended for heavy lifting, is currently under construction in Korea for Scaldis. Rambiz 4000 was ordered primarily for the installation of offshore infrastructure and decommissioning activity in deep water but could also play a role on offshore windfarms. The shareholders of the Antwerp-based company have ordered an extremely powerful self-propelled crane vessel that, unlike most earlier units of this type, is a DP2 vessel. Four azimuth thrusters and the DP2 system will allow installation work to be conducted in deep water without the use of anchors. Another advantage of DP2 is that, as anchors are not required, the vessel can carry out work where pipelines and

Offloading in DP mode Mid-2014 saw classification society ABS grant approval in principle for the Remora HiLoad DP BR, a second generation of the HiLoad dynamic positioning unit that attaches to and keeps conventional tankers in position when loading from offshore installations. The HiLoad technology, which was developed over 14 years, is based on the HiLoad Attachment System, which enables offloading to any conventional oil or liquefied natural gas carrier without requiring modifications. In mid-2013, Remora AS was contracted by BG Group to perform a front-end engineering design (FEED) study for the next generation of HiLoad DP units. The HiLoad DP BR unit design will include increased engine power and the capability to manoeuvre vessels larger than Suezmax size in the Brazil Santos Basin environment.

applications

ALP Maritime’s long-distance towing vessels will be DP2 units cables may already be on the seabed. An increasing number of dynamic positioning self-propelled units are working in the offshore renewables sector. Self-propelled jack-ups are an increasingly common sight in the offshore wind sector. The vessels do not use DP mode to install turbines, but their DP capability makes them especially manoeuvrable and safe and ensures that they can be positioned with a very high degree of accuracy before commencing work. A wide range of vessels controlled by contractors such as DEME Group made use of dynamic positioning during the construction

of the Thorntonbank offshore windfarm in Belgian waters. The project made use of gravitybased foundations installed on a gravel bed. The gravel bed was laid by a DP2 fallpipe vessel into pre-dredged foundation pits. The gravitybased foundations were installed to a very high level of accuracy by the heavy-lift unit Rambiz, after which backfilling of the foundation pit was undertaken using the multipurpose pontoon. The pontoon was guided into place and positioned using a dynamic positioning/ dynamic tracking (DPDT) system. Two well known contractors in the offshore wind sector, A2SEA and DBB Jack-Up Services,

have both recently highlighted the use they make of DP, its advantages and potential issues. From what they have to say, dynamic positioning is an important aid to operations and one that enables them to carry out operations more quickly and safely. As Maalte Bruun, master of A2SEA’s installation vessel Sea Installer, noted recently, one of the most exciting – and promising – features of Sea Installer is its DP2 propulsion and positioning system. “When considering Sea Installer’s design, we emphasised how important it is to achieve accurate positioning, even in the worst of conditions,” Mr Bruun explained.

Growing role for DP in float-overs Another area in which dynamic positioning is playing an increasing role is float-overs conducted in DP mode. One of the latest examples of this saw China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) undertake the first floatover type platform installation in China using DP technology. The installation of CNOOC’s HZ25-8 DPP (drilling product platform) topside earlier in 2014 was successfully completed in the eastern waters of the South China Sea for the Enping Oilfields. Using DP technology is significantly simpler than a mooring-assisted float-over since a significant proportion of operations are controlled and performed from the ship’s bridge. There is no need to hook up to pre-laid moorings and therefore no additional tugs or winch operators to control, thus reducing risks and increasing safety. Vessel preparations for

22 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

a DP float-over are minimal when compared to the mooring-assisted method, since no winches and power packs need be placed on the main deck. As a float-over on DP requires no mooring lines to hold the vessel during the operation, field preparations are minimal, with only tidal reference gauges being required to be installed on site. Most importantly, there is no need for anchoring or pre-installing buoyed moorings, as required by some field operators for conventional float-overs. These advantages provide significant savings for fields where there are a number of subsea assets, pipelines and other platforms, which cause obstructions for mooring lines. Once the load transfer to the jacket is completed for a float-over on DP, the vessel can depart the field immediately. The simplicity of a DP float-over is its most important

factor in terms of safety and economy. Another obvious benefit for a DP-assisted operation is the reduced window required to perform the actual float-over. Work can be performed in a much shorter timeframe, which is also beneficial with respect to costs and safety. Although there is no need for extensive preparations such as installation of mooring equipment, time is still required for a DP trial, given the importance of a reliable DP system for the intended operation. The redundancy in a vessel’s DP system should be considered, since a one-component failure cannot result in unacceptable risks for the operation. In order to meet safety standards, DP trials are conducted prior to entering the jacket, while a dedicated DP-capability plot is also prepared during the engineering phase of the project.

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applications Ocean Wave is a DP1 unit, but later vessels in the series were upgraded to DP2

“You have to be able to get into a safe position, maintaining a safe distance from the foundation, while making sure you are within the minimum lifting radius. Then there’s the subsea cabling – interfering with that can be a very expensive affair indeed, and with components such as nacelles becoming larger, it’s not a task that will get any easier in the future.” Sea Installer has a Kongsberg DP2 system and three Voith Schneider propellers each with 3,800kW of propulsion power to enable fast,

responsive manual positioning. “We can get thrust immediately in any direction, which is a fantastic capability. It’s also a fully redundant system, which means we have station-keeping capability even if the system loses the function of a major component. For example, there are two operator stations and several motion reference units,” Mr Bruun explained. So just how good are Sea Installer’s positioning and station-keeping capabilities? As an example, with its DP2-based system, Sea

Installer can put its legs 20m down in a 2 knot side current with up to 14 m/sec of side wind speed in worse weather conditions than would otherwise be possible. “That said, I’m of the opinion that the DP system, which has become a client requirement for most turbine installation projects, should primarily be seen as an aid to assist manual positioning – an excellent additional capability where accurate positioning and station keeping is particularly important,” said Mr Bruun.

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24 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

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Portable DP system unveiled Earlier in 2014, Jack-Up Barge in the Netherlands unveiled what it described as a ‘portable’ dynamic positioning system for jack-up barges. The system uses temporary thrusters installed on the vessel and a DP control system. It says the new concept will provide a cost-effective technique for turbine installation and could also have applications in other industries, including offshore oil and gas. In March 2014, The Netherlands-based company successfully completed sea trials

“There are many factors in relation to such a system that mean that having experienced people who can handle the task manually is of vital importance. One such factor is the need to continually have a more ‘human’ sense of the wind. Another is the challenge of entering and exiting a harbour under a variety of conditions. “In particular, transitioning from manoeuvring using the DP system to the point at which the legs touch the seabed requires careful handling, because if you are, say, 30cm off what the DP system is expecting, it will try to adjust after the legs are down. So you need to be ready to shut down the system quickly and smoothly to avoid any interference. It’s pretty challenging, but it is also a manoeuvre that we have trained to do again and again as part of getting to know the vessel.” DBB Jack-Up Services’ experience of using dynamic positioning seems to be similar to that of A2SEA. As Mads Alber, a master mariner and head of HSEQ at the company noted, DBB JackUp Systems uses DP to safely and accurately position its jack-ups close to offshore wind turbines. “This is a fully automated process, so it removes, to a large extent, the possibility of human error. It is fast and better than positioning the jack-up manually. In the past, it was necessary to use anchors, which was time consuming and not an efficient way to work compared with DP.” However, it is not just turbine installation vessels that are making use of DP – a new breed of turbine maintenance units is too, one of the first examples being Siem Offshore’s Siem Moxie, for which DP is very much an ‘enabling technology’. This new inﬁeld support vessel (ISV) is fitted with an offshore crane that will land containers of tools and equipment on small platforms high on an offshore wind turbine. The crane was developed specifically for Siem Moxie and is used to lift containers and equipment onto the platform on a turbine whilst the ship is in DP mode. The crane itself has three-axis motion compensation. OSJ www.osjonline.com

using the portable DP2 system, which was integrated into one of Jack-Up Barge’s platforms to enable the jack-up to move between work sites without assistance from a tug. “The independence provided to the platform as a result ensures the delivery of an extremely time-efficient installation process for offshore wind turbines. The time saved during operations, combined with a reduced reliance on tug vessels, also reduces costs compared to conventional installation

methods,” said Jack-Up Barge. To manoeuvre the barge, four retractable thrusters were lifted onto it using its own 1,000 tonne crane and installed close to the legs of the platform. Each thruster was served by an independent generator housed in a container on board. A control room, located on the main deck, houses the DP system and a Cyscan position reference system. The control room serves as the vessel’s wheelhouse whilst the system is in operation.

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OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 25

dp solutions

Amarcon to supply OCTOPUS-Onboard Amarcon is a wholly owned subsidiary of ABB and provides monitoring and forecasting software solutions to enhance the performance and availability of sea-going vessels. ABB acquired Amarcon in August 2012 in order to strengthen its long-term growth strategy in vessel information and control systems. Together, the companies offer a particularly wide range of systems to the marine market. The company offers consultancy services and a suite of products for engineering, monitoring, routing and decision support: OCTOPUS-Office, OCTOPUS-Onboard, OCTOPUS-Online and OCTOPUS-TMS. These products are developed to complement each other and enable the complexity of ship dynamics in waves and its consequences to be calculated and displayed in an easy to understand format that informs navigation decisions. Among recent contracts is one for OCTOPUSOnboard for Dutch company Wagenborg for its pioneering ‘walk to work’ vessel. This new type of offshore vessel is currently being built at the Royal Niestern Sander shipyard in the Netherlands. The dynamic positioning DP2 vessel will be deployed in order to support Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij during its

offshore operations and will be utilised in maintenance and service projects on platforms in the southern North Sea. Amarcon will deliver an extensive OCTOPUS-Onboard installation including motion monitoring and forecasting

and the DP capability forecast function in order to increase workability and safety during offshore supply operations. The master of the vessel will have access to a DP capability operational window.

Wagenborg’s ‘walk to work’ vessel will have an OCTOPUS-Onboard system from Amarcon

DP training offered at new facility Classes are understood to have filled up quickly for ecdis and dynamic positioning (DP) training and certification at the Marine Training Institute’s new facility near Houma, Louisiana. The training facility was opened earlier this year by Beier Radio. It specialises in US Coast Guard approved ecdis training and in basic and advanced DP operator training. Students master navigation and DP technology using simulators. Beier Radio claims that the Marine Training Institute is the only full time ecdis

training facility along the Gulf of Mexico. The institute is also accredited by the Nautical Institute in the UK and is the only training facility for Beier Radio DP systems along the US Gulf Coast. The ecdis certification course uses the Transas NS-4000 ecdis system to certify trainees to the current IMO Model 1.27. The institute plans to launch brand-specific ecdis training for Transas and Furuno electronic navigation systems. The Maritime Training Institute will

be North America’s only Furuno ecdiscertified training facility. Using Beier Radio’s IVCS4000, students learn the fundamentals of a DP system. In addition to the basic course, an advanced class trains DP operators in the full functionality and operation of a DP system. Beier Radio recently opened new facilities in Gray, Louisiana and Mandeville, Louisiana. The company said that, once completed, the new facilities will help foster further growth and help attract and retain staff.

Positioning provider is a PPPS pioneer C & C Technologies is a privately owned, international surveying and mapping company specialising in deepwater services. With 600 employees worldwide, the company has a range of products and services used in the DP market. C-Nav offers differential global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers designed to be used with all known DP stations as a highly reliable sensor. Each receiver comes fully compliant with the latest International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGP)/ International Marine Contractors Association 26 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

(IMCA) quality-assurance guidelines on GNSS positioning in the oil and gas industry. C&C Technologies pioneered a precise point positioning service (PPPS) over a decade ago and was one of the first companies to offer the benefits of this service to the DP market. Today, it offers two completely independent globally corrected GNSS state-space solutions. Its latest C-NavC2 service not only offers the benefits of a correction message for both GPS and Glonass constellations – providing 5cm accuracy – but also extra stability, which is paramount for any DP-related operation at sea.

C-Scape is one of the most recent additions to the C-Nav family of products. It provides independent real-time monitoring for DP systems, offering multiple sensor inputs for maximum positional quality assurance and control. With an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, it is suitable for most DP vessels. C&C’s C-Mariner Inertial Navigation System is based on Honeywell’s highly trusted ring laser gyro technology, which offers an unprecedented level of protection in case of complete GNSS failure during sensitive DP operations. www.osjonline.com

DP expertise is central part of C-MAR services C-MAR Group is a global marine services company with more than 20 years’ experience in the offshore industry. Founded by experts in the operation and maintenance of DP systems and the blowout preventer valve, C-MAR has expanded both its reach to markets and its areas of capability and now services a broad range of clients including oil majors, drilling and marine contractors, offshore vessel owners, equipment manufacturers, classification societies, shipyards and, more recently, the world’s leading navies. The group’s current range of service provision

is unique to the offshore service sector and designed to support a DP asset from concept and design through training and technical support to full marine crew and vessel management. The group has a global presence in Houston, Rio de Janeiro, London, Aberdeen, Dubai, Mumbai and Singapore. C-MAR has always placed a strong focus on long-term client relationships, optimising operational efficiency while meeting the highest health, safety and environmental standards. C-MAR’s Dynamic Positioning Centre

provides one of the most comprehensive ranges of training, technical and manpower services for the DP industry. It is both a global leader in Nautical Instituteaccredited DP operator training and a provider of DP design and failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) consultancy services. Its expertise covers the full range of DP applications, and this operational focus enables it to provide a comprehensive DP assurance service from design and FMEA through to operation and the output from the DP team.

Positioning to submetre and decimetre level Fugro Satellite Positioning is a leader in the delivery of satellite-based high performance position reference services for dynamic positioning applications. The company offers a range of services with both submetre level and decimetre level accuracy. In addition to different service options, there are different data delivery paths available to ensure true system independence in DP2 or DP3 applications. The company maintains a worldwide infrastructure for augmentation of GNSS. This infrastructure includes more than 110 reference stations dispersed on all continents to measure and compare navigation satellite data. All correction services are made available on more than 10 communication satellites, thus providing fully redundant positioning coverage around the clock and around the globe. The company’s Starfix positioning is a

positioning system used by offshore construction vessels for survey operations, pipelay and cablelay activities, seismic surveys, dive support, floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) installation and monitoring. The SeaSTAR precise positioning service provides reliable, high accuracy differential GNSS corrections for maritime positioning applications worldwide. Fugro products and services for the commercial marine market are delivered under the MarineStar brand name. Based upon the company’s proven, satellite base, precise positioning technology, MarineStar navigation services are suitable for use on scientific research vessels, hydrographic survey vessels, naval ships and other specialist vessels. In 2009, a new G2 service was added to the product range. G2 is a composite service incorporating corrections for both the American

GPS navigation satellite constellation and the Russian Glonass navigation satellite constellation. Fugro Satellite Positioning released its Seastar XP2 PPP GNSS augmentation service in July 2014, which provides increased redundancy for offshore GNSS position and navigation applications. Like the Seastar G2 service, XP2 is an L1/L2, phase-based, orbit and clock PPP service. Similar to the 24+ American GPS satellites, XP2 incorporates a number of Russian Glonass satellites to generate corrections that permit the calculation of a real-time position solution. XP2’s ability to use the 50+ available GPS and Glonass satellites helps in delivering extra performance compared to the GPS, serving as the only XP service enabling receivers to output accurate international decimetre positions, irrespective of the vessel’s distance from a reference station.

New DP interface from GE GE recently unveiled its revised dynamic positioning system user interface. The development set out with three key principles for the new user interface – it had to be intuitive, innovative and mariner focused. The research phase centred on creating a number of user and operational profiles, which were examined in detail. In a statement, GE explained, “Having been in the DP business for over 30 years, it would be fair to say that the DP development team knew a lot about control systems and performance but probably less about user interface design,” so it liaised with GE’s software centre of excellence in San Ramon, California, which has a user experience (UX) team. “The key to success was the symbiotic collaboration between engineering and UX teams. One team could not have produced the final design without the other,” GE’s statement said. The aim of the development was to ensure inexperienced users could complete their tasks www.osjonline.com

easily and quickly, which GE expects will lead to enhanced safety by making it clear how to perform necessary actions. It will also bring a benefit from reducing specific system training, as the system is more obvious to use, meaning that less time will be used showing people how to use it and more time focusing on the operational task the vessel has to complete. GE advised, “Feedback received to date has been almost universally positive. Users like the style visually and agree that it is easier to find the information and controls they need.” The feedback was used to make some adjustments to the design. Now, GE said, “we are well on course for delivering the first vessels with the new user interface this year.” GE’s power conversion business recently secured a contract for the supply of the DP system for a floating accommodation unit that Cosco (Nantong) Shipyard in China is building for Logitel Offshore. The complete project

includes a C-Series Class 3 DP system and manual thruster control system. The offshore accommodation unit uses the Sevan Marine cylindrical hull. Until now, this has used the design only for FPSO units and deepwater mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs). Sevan hulls are suitable for operation in water depths of more than 3,000m, and the units are designed to operate in extreme conditions. This puts a particular emphasis on the DP system. The DP system for the new accommodation vessel complies with DNV’s DYNPOS-AUTRO notation. Compliance with DYNPOS-AUTRO means the DP system has a very high level of design redundancy featuring, for example, an alternate back-up control position in addition to the primary control position. The accommodation unit is therefore able to remain under effective position control following even the most extreme single failures of equipment or the spaces in which the equipment is located. OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 27

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dp solutions

Sensor specialist is a microwave innovator Guidance Marine, a division of Guidance Navigation, is a leading international developer and supplier of position reference sensors for dynamic positioning and other sophisticated vessel control systems. Its laser and radar CyScan, RadaScan and Mini RadaScan sensors can be integrated by all major DP manufacturers and are used on a daily basis by all offshore support vessel operators for DP1, DP2 and DP3 class vessels. CyScan provides high accuracy range and bearing measurements effectively and efficiently for a diverse range of operations for both mobile and fixed structures. Total worldwide installations are expected to reach 2,500 by early 2015. This success has led to CyScan Mk4 being recognised as

Guidance Marineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s RadaScan system is complemented by a Mini RadaScan system launched in 2010

the standard laser sensor of choice by major DP providers. These technologies, its intellectual property and wealth of experience have enabled Guidance Marine to develop innovative, robust and reliable products that are capable of operating in hazardous offshore environments. Guidance played a key role in developing the concept of microwave precision position sensing in the offshore DP market, which historically was done purely by mechanical, acoustic, GPS or laser technologies. By introducing a completely new technology concept to the market, Guidance Marine has achieved a higher level of operational safety for these applications. Launched in 2010, Mini RadaScan installations are expected to pass 500 by the end of this year.

DP specialist celebrates company anniversary Kongsberg Maritime delivers systems for dynamic positioning and navigation, marine automation, safety management, cargo handling, subsea survey and construction, maritime simulation and training, and satellite positioning. Its solutions enhance efficiency and safety throughout the whole maritime technology spectrum, and it offers additional competence in providing turnkey engineering services within the shipbuilding and floating production sectors. Key markets are countries with large offshore, shipyard and energy exploration

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and production industries. In exploration, it provides sophisticated underwater and positioning technology and systems for survey vessel operation, in field development, it supports construction and offshore vessels with innovative solutions for operation and specialist applications, while in production, Kongsbergâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hardware and software enhances output and minimises downtime. For maritime transport and offshore vessels, it supplies navigation, automation, training and safety systems. Kongsberg Maritime is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Gruppen,

which is celebrating 200 years in business in 2014. The group is an international technology corporation that delivers advanced and reliable solutions that improve safety, security and performance in complex operations and during extreme conditions. The market segments it covers include merchant marine, offshore, subsea, marine information technology, simulation, process automation, fishery and fishery research. It has manufacturing locations in Canada, China, Norway, the UK and the US. Across 58 offices in 18 countries, Kongsberg employs 4,260 people.

OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 29

dp solutions

Marine Cybernetics now part of DNV GL Marine Cybernetics is a third-party supplier of hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, a form of insurance that protects offshore operations against undesired incidents and non-productive time. HIL testing is an efficient, powerful method for testing and verification of control system software, employing sophisticated simulator technology. The HIL simulator acts as a realtime ‘virtual world’ for the control systems by modelling a vessel, its systems and its environment. It responds to commands from the control system in a realistic manner and provides real and consistent measurements as

feedback. Hence, the control system believes it is controlling the actual vessel and cannot sense any difference between the real world and the virtual world in the HIL simulator. This facilitates systematic and comprehensive testing of control system design philosophy, functionality, performance and failurehandling capability, both in normal and offdesign operating conditions. Marine Cybernetics thoroughly tests not only the functionality of its control systems but also their robustness against a wide range of failures and protective safety barriers hidden in the software.

Today, Marine Cybernetics has more than 10 years of experience with headquarters in Trondheim, Norway, and offices in Rio, Houston, Stavanger and Ålesund. As a world leader in third-party HIL testing, it believes in its methods and is dedicated to the task of safe software and safe operations. As of early May 2014, Marine Cybernetics became part of the DNV GL Group. Reflecting its cross-industry relevance and strategic importance to DNV GL, Marine Cybernetics will be an independent business unit within the group.

US manufacturer is popular at home and abroad US-based Marine Technologies specialises in vessel control solutions for the offshore support vessel market. A supplier of dynamic positioning (DP) systems, integrated bridges and VSAT communications, the company is based in Mandeville, Louisiana, with offices in Norway, Singapore and Brazil. The company produces type-approved DP systems of all IMO classes, as well as less complex DP and joystick solutions; the Bridge Mate integrated bridge system is approved to DNV GL’s NAUT-AW standard. In addition to designing and building DP systems, Marine Technologies also offers DP certification courses. Its DP training centre is

accredited by the Nautical Institute and the training programmes it provides follow the recommendations contained in IMO and the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) guidelines. Among recent contracts awarded to the company was a complete bridge system for Siem Offshore’s recently delivered infield support vessel, Siem Moxie, which is based on the Ulstein SX 163 design. The vessel has a Bridge Mate integrated bridge system, DP system and joystick and thruster control systems from the company. Another recent contract saw Marine Technologies selected to provide the DP system for a new class of platform supply vessel (PSV)

for Aries Marine in the US. The LDS 270 DE PSVs are diesel-electric units and are being built at Leevac Shipyard. The LDS 270 DE PSV will have a capacity of 4,000 dwt and will carry over 13,000 barrels of liquid mud. It will be powered by four 3516C Caterpillar generators rated at 1,825kW each. The propulsion drives and thrusters are being provided by Schottel. Marine Technologies will be providing a DP2 system for the innovative vessels which will also have Siemens’ recently developed Blue Drive propulsion concept. The vessels are due to be delivered in October 2014 and February 2015, respectively.

Siem Moxie is one of a number of vessels to have been fitted with DP systems from Marine Technologies

30 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

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dp solutions

Through-water technology is an offshore enabler Nautronix specialises in through-water communication and positioning technology and in providing subsea positioning solutions. As DP operations have become the norm, so the need has grown for reliable and redundant sensors feeding into a DP system. Achieving true redundancy subsea is a more difficult problem, and the installation (and choice) of antennas (hydrophones) is more difficult and expensive. There is a choice of methodologies each with pros and cons, but not all acoustic systems provide true dual redundant capability. Changing or retrofitting an acoustic system can be difficult and expensive, and operators need to be fully aware of redundancy requirements and customer specifications to ensure a vessel meets requirements. Nautronix’s product and services include: • NASNet – Nautronix acoustic subsea network • NASNet DPR – Nautronix acoustic subsea network dynamic positioning reference system • NASNet FPR – Nautronix acoustic subsea network FPSO acoustic monitoring system • NASeBOP – Nautronix acoustic subsea emergency blowout preventer • NASCoM – Nautronix acoustic subsea monitoring system • NASMUX – Nautronix acoustic subsea multiplex

• NASDrill – Nautronix acoustic subsea drilling • NASDive – a fully digital diver communication system. Among recent contracts secured by the through-water technology and survey company are a five-year frame contract from subsea contractor Ceona, with an initial one year calloff, for the supply of survey services to support

Ceona’s newbuild DP3 subsea construction vessel Polar Onyx. The contract includes the initial survey support and mobilisation of the vessel in Europe before it commences work in Brazil as a pipelay support vessel for Petrobras. Nautronix will supply personnel and equipment to provide survey services on the vessel.

Nautronix will provide survey services for Ceona’s subsea vessel Polar Onyx

Innovative icebreaker uses Navis DP system Navis Engineering is a leading developer and supplier of dynamic positioning and ship automation systems for the marine industry. The company was founded in 1992 and is privately owned. The company has its head office in Vantaa, Finland, where production is undertaken, and a

research and development site in St Petersburg, Russia. At present, Navis employs 80 software engineers, product managers, technical support staff and other staff. Among recent vessel installations completed by the company was a DP system for Baltika, an innovative multifunction icebreaking rescue

Baltika has a DP system and heading control system from Navis Engineering 32 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

and emergency vessel that was commissioned in early April 2014 and is fitted with a Navis Nav DP4000 DP system and AP4000 heading control system. Designed by Finnish company Aker Arctic, Baltika was built by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard and has a unique asymmetrical hull and asymmetrical arrangement of its three azimuth thrusters, enabling it to cut through ice at oblique angles of up to 45 degrees (forward and astern) in channels up to 50m wide – far wider than a conventional icebreaker of the same size. Baltika is also highly manoeuvrable and can transit pack ice up to 1.0 m thick at a speed of 3 knots. The DP control system supplied to the vessel by Navis can be set to automatic and semiautomatic modes, with speed and drift angle predetermined, while its DP algorithms also take into account minimising the effect of the hull’s asymmetry. Sea trials confirmed that dynamic positioning control and heading control systems met their declared performance of being accurate at 6 Beaufort Sea State and wind of 14m/s to a positioning accuracy of 1m and a heading accuracy of 1 degree. www.osjonline.com

Enhanced reference system is intuitive to use Renishaw’s Fanbeam keeps fleets at work year after year in tough conditions and is the most widely used laser dynamic positioning reference position system. Fanbeam is produced in Gloucestershire in the UK at the Renishaw plant – winner of the 2012 Best British Electrical and Electronic Manufacturing Plant – and is proven by decades of in-field use, supported by an experienced global servicing network with product on-shelf back-up and rapid response. The new Fanbeam laser radar sensor provides repetitive, high accuracy dynamic positioning to offshore support vessels and other marine structures. This next-generation system adds greater performance and stability through new control software that increases reliability of its single-target tracking capability and allows multiple operator stations for situations where control needs to be transferred between bridge personnel. The new software’s advanced target tracking and modelling prevent spurious targets from causing a drive-off, while the intelligent clutter rejection capability provides clearer signals

for a better understanding of the operational environment. A training package with a fully featured, realistic simulator is also included. The Fanbeam system uses position data to automatically hold vessels on station and is typically the primary position reference during critical short-range operations such as cargo container lifts from platform supply vessels. The system provides collision avoidance, gangway monitoring and docking assistance on vessels operating in crew supply, anchorhandling tug/supply, construction support, dive support, dredging and rock-dumping capacities. Other applications include seismic source positioning for geophysical exploration vessels and positioning of mine detection equipment. The system uses a laser sensor with a unique vertically ‘fanned’ output, allowing returns to be observed from passive retro-reflective targets despite relative movement of the vessel. Accurate to 20cm, the laser rotates horizontally in both directions via a motorised base and can be tilted ±15 degrees in the vertical plane using a built-in auto-tilt mechanism with servo-driven gearbox. The motorised yoke has a software-selectable

scanning speed up to 50 degrees per second, horizontal range of 0–360 degrees and 0.01 degrees horizontal resolution. A reflective tube target is used for short-range operations, while various prism cluster target options allow longrange operations up to 2,000m.

The Fanbeam laser radar sensor provides repetitive, high accuracy dynamic positioning to offshore support vessels

Acoustics at heart of enhanced product range Sonardyne International was formed in 1971 and specialises in enhancing underwater navigation and communications through innovation in acoustic signal processing, hardware design and custom engineering. The company has remained true to its roots as a subsea pioneer, only now it delivers underwater products for a wide range of industry sectors, with underwater acoustics remaining at the heart of much of what it develops. Among the latest products from the company are acoustic and inertial position

reference systems for all classes of vessels and rigs. Ranger 2 USBL (Ultra-Short BaseLine) is a leading acoustic DP reference, offering fast and reliable position updates in any water depth and simultaneous tracking of remotely operated vehicles and other subsea targets to beyond 6,000m. Marksman LUSBL (Long and Ultra-Short BaseLine) meets the demanding requirements of drilling applications and offers added accuracy and robustness to DP operations integrated with riser profiling and blowout prevention

monitoring capability. Complementing both Ranger 2 and Marksman is DP-INS, Sonardyne’s inertial navigation technology. DP-INS is as accurate as GNSS applications, claims Sonardyne, but is independent, allowing vessel positioning and subsea operations to be safely maintained during periods of short-term GPS and acoustic disruptions. Approximately 250 Ranger 2, Marksman and DP-INS systems are in use worldwide, operating on all vessel types and interfaced to all DP manufacturers’ systems.

Training enhances efficiency and improves safety Transas is a leading global maritime electronics company offering an extensive range of solutions aimed at increasing safety even in demanding environments such as the offshore sector or passenger transportation. Training is especially important to provide safety of navigation in such areas. Transas simulation solutions cover the most complex and risky operations, and the Transas Offshore Simulator has been designed to train teams involved in the transfer and supply of mobile offshore units (MOUs) in accordance with DNV GL, Nautical Institute and other industry standards. The system is intended for MOU personnel (oil installation manager, MOU DP master, anchor winch operator, www.osjonline.com

offshore crane operator) and anchor-handling tug/ supply personnel (AH winch operator, DP master/ navigator). Transportation of oil and gas also needs qualified personnel, which can be achieved by means of the Transas Full-mission Liquid Cargo Handling Simulator. It provides training of personnel responsible for cargo operations on board gas and liquid carriers including large crude carriers, chemical and product tankers, LPG and LNG tankers and terminals. The company’s new oil spill response simulator enables crew training in vessel and equipment handling during oil spill response operations. Command centre personnel can use the system for resource management training

including resource cost calculation. Transas provides complete offshore bridge solutions including NAUT-OSV Bridge. The solution is based on Transas Navi-Sailor 4000 Multifunction Display incorporating an electronic chart display and information system, radar, conning and alarm monitoring system. The Transas Offshore Monitoring Solution tracks vessel movements in a guarded area around subsea installation and provides full situational awareness for field operators. It ensures reliable asset and environment protection and personnel safeguard. The Transas Offshore Monitoring Solution provides security on a number of oil and gas platforms and windfarms all over the world. OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 33

dp solutions

Rolls-Royce DP3 for Farstad’s newbuilds Rolls-Royce has developed a number of dynamic positioning solutions for newbuilds and upgrades. Virtually any vessel with thrust equipment can be upgraded to a DP specification range with Rolls-Royce’s POSCON Joystick or ICON DP2. The RollsRoyce positioning product family includes POSCON (an independent joystick) and ICON DP1 and ICON DP2. Among recent contracts awarded to the company are one from Norwegian shipyard Vard for DP3 dynamic positioning systems to be installed on two new offshore construction

vessels. This was the first Rolls-Royce contract for DP3. Vessels constructed to DP3 standards are able to operate in very demanding situations where any loss of position has the potential to result in fatal accidents, severe pollution or damage with major economic consequences. Arnt-Ove Austnes, sales manager – automation and control, said, “We are very happy that Farstad Shipping is the first owner to select our DP3 system. Farstad is an important partner for Rolls-Royce in the continuous development of automation systems. “An increasing number of offshore

operations are performed with rigs and vessels having to be kept in precise position without using anchoring systems. With an increased focus on risk limitation in the oil and gas sector, we expect a growing demand for DP3 classed vessels.” The two vessels will be built at Vard Group, Langsten, Norway, and delivered during the first half of 2015. Rolls-Royce will also supply engines, thrusters, propulsion systems, steering gears and rudders. Rolls-Royce has already delivered many DP2 systems to Vard Group across a range of ship designs.

Farstad’s offshore construction vessels will be the first with an ICON DP3 system from Rolls-Royce

Positioning service offers decimetre accuracy Veripos is a world leader in satellite positioning services and software packages. These products and services, which include comprehensive training programmes, are widely used by the world’s largest DP vessel and DP drilling vessel providers. Veripos provides decimetre accuracy, highly reliable and redundant systems and outstanding service levels across the globe and offers two independent, high accuracy GPS and Glonass positioning solutions – the Apex2 and Ultra2 services. These allow users to enjoy the benefits of both GPS and Glonass constellations, two sources of corrections, 34 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

algorithms and at least two delivery satellites. The Veripos Axiom service is a recent addition to the suite of solutions provided. It was developed in conjunction with Sonardyne and utilises the latter’s Lodestar INS to complement Veripos high accuracy GNSS services. This offers the user a highly robust and stable position in times of high ionospheric noise, signal blockage or interference. As one of the early innovators in the field of precise positioning, Veripos aims to be the market leader in precise navigation and positioning solutions, through the innovative application of technology, continuous product

development and operational excellence. Veripos is totally focused on the success of the clients to whom Veripos aims to be not just a supplier but a partner for positioning. Veripos can achieve accuracy of better than 10cm for vessels working in some of the harshest environments. To ensure maximum operational reliability, Veripos operates, maintains and controls its own network of over 80 GNSS reference stations. Veripos also boasts fully redundant, diverse Network Control Centres, which supply data for two or more independent satellite beams in each region of the world. OSJ www.osjonline.com

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hanges are on the way for training and certification of operators of dynamic positioning (DP) systems. The ultimate goal is to enhance competence and improve assurance of competence of DP operators (DPOs) and eliminate the risk of failures causing serious incidents. As readers of OSJ will know, the Nautical Institute has long managed a scheme for accrediting DP operator training institutions and operates a process of checking certificate applications. It has been known in the offshore industry for some time, perhaps years, that there are imperfections in this scheme. The Nautical Institute scheme is considered as initial training towards the DP certificate that should be followed by more experiencebased training. This further training should follow guidelines laid down in the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) M 117 document and International Safety Management Code. It is therefore down to the vessel owner to ensure DP operators undertake the required initial training, including shore courses, and that operators are completely familiar with the equipment installed on the ship, both for operations and emergency situations. However, a considerable increase in recent years in the number of DP vessels has led to greatly increased demand for DPOs and a growing need to recruit new ones. There is a significant shortage in competent DPOs who have the correct

The way that DP operators obtain certification is changing, and simulators are expected to play an increasing role in future by Martyn Wingrove

certification and experience to work on offshore support vessels (OSVs). There are also delays to the certification process due to the large numbers of applicants. For example, at the beginning of this year, there was a backlog of more than three months of certificate applications that the Nautical Institute was working through. The Nautical Institute operates the certification scheme for the DP industry and is advised by the Dynamic Positioning Training Executive Group (DPTEG). This body is made up of various interested parties from the industry. Any changes to the Nautical Institute scheme are suggested and approved by the DPTEG before they are implemented. One of the recently highlighted issues with the existing certification scheme is that it covers all DP systems, regardless of the type of system to be used and the applications. Because of the growing range of operations that OSVs conduct, vessel operators feel that a ‘one-sizefits-all’ certification scheme doesn’t meet their requirements. They feel that certification doesn’t

Certification of DPOs for DP vessels is in a state of flux 36 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

ensure that DP operators are competent enough or have the experience for managing more complex vessel positioning operations. For example, DP operations on a pipelayer are very different to those on a heavy-lift vessel or an anchor handler. There are also different DP operator requirements on drillships to subsea construction, or diving support vessels. The price of failure has also increased over the years: a serious incident on a diving vessel could easily lead to fatalities among the subsurface team. Positioning failure on a drillship could mean damage to the riser and an oil spill incident. Another possibility is the failure of a DP system on a platform supply vessel when operating close to an offshore production facility. This could, potentially, result in a collision that destroys that infrastructure – something that the oil companies, and thus OSV clients, are keen to avoid at all costs. Another issue with the Nautical Institute scheme is fraud. There have been a number of incidents where DP operators have submitted certification requests with incorrect information. The Nautical Institute has to double check submissions and has found in the past that some DP operator trainees falsify DP sea time. There have been examples of DP operators claiming experience of working on DP2 vessels when the vessels they cite don’t even have a positioning system. In response to this, the Nautical Institute said applications and certificates that are found to be fraudulent may be revoked and the individual banned from the DP training scheme for a period of up to five years. Others found to be involved in the fraud cases may also have their DP certificates removed and may be banned from the system for a period of time. The combination of all these concerns has led to calls for an overhaul to the training, assessment and certification processes. Classification society DNV GL took initiative and developed recommended practice for training and assessment of DP operators. The DNV SeaSkill guidance has a heavy focus on simulator-based training and assessment. DNV SeaSkill manager of simulation certification Aksel David Nordholm explained at Riviera Maritime Media’s recent European Dynamic Positioning Conference that DP operator certification should be split into different competences that are assessed and www.osjonline.com

tested on simulators before certificates are issued. This would remove the issue of DP operators claiming time of working in DP mode and only having limited experience. Training and testing on simulators would improve DP operator competence and would allow them to experience, in a safe environment, how to cope with system failures. “The scope of the recommended practices includes all the elements that have been identified as crucial in the development and certification of DP operators,” said Captain Nordholm. “It is based on the industry’s expectations and covers competence development and assessment, certification, recertification and onboard competence building.” DNV SeaSkill recommends that DP operators go through training and assessment for general DP operations, then perform another level of courses to gain competence in specialised operations. These can include the additional competence requirements of: • auto positioning/joystick mode • approach mode (OSVs approaching rigs and platforms) • weather vane mode (involving floating production systems) • follow target mode • auto track mode • submerged turret modes (for shuttle tankers) • position mooring (Posmoor). DNV SeaSkill recommends that candidates should already possess shiphandling skills and be in the process of acquiring navigation officer competencies. The scheme should enable candidates to demonstrate DP expertise and DP time on board. The duration of sea time should be determined by the time it takes to complete all tasks within the scheme, of which a minimum of 270 hours is spent at the DP controls. However, there are methods of reducing the sea-time element though approved practical simulatorbased training. The DNV SeaSkill scheme has the backing of the Norwegian authorities. The organisation is working to gain flag state recognition for its recommended practices and is working to certify assessment centres worldwide. Another organisation has emerged this year that is expected to have an impact on the training and certification of DP operators on OSVs. The Offshore Service Vessel Dynamic Positioning Authority (OSVDPA) is developing a scheme that it considers to be more in line with the requirements of North American OSV owners. OSVDPA executive director Aaron Smith said this was because of the increasing need for competence assurance and a more rapid process of training and certificating DP operators. The OSVDPA technical advisory council had its first meeting in May to begin the process of creating their own scheme. The council includes a long list of US offshore vessel operators as well as www.osjonline.com

Regina Bindao: “scheme will be split with a separate stream for offshore vessel DP training” training academies and DP system manufacturers. Mr Smith said the founding principles were that the scheme should ensure DP operators are trained in the activities that OSVs conduct on a daily basis. That training is consistent and assessments are structured. There will be a sea-time element, probably to be set at 90 days observational and 270 hours of DP time. The measurement of DP operator competence should be on daily activities and in emergency operations, said Mr Smith. The training and assessment scheme could be a phased process with an induction course and written assessment, followed by a familiarisation time that incorporates 30 days of sea time and 90 hours of practical experience, all noted in a task book. The third phase would involve a five-day simulator course and simulator-based assessment to gain a basic DP operator certificate. A candidate could then consider doing a watchkeeping DP operator course for either DP1 or DP2 and DP3 vessels. Both phases would include 60 days of sea time and 180 hours of practical experience on these systems, followed by onboard or simulatorbased assessment. The Nautical Institute scheme is also changing from January 2015. The organisation’s director of accreditation, Regina Bindao, said the updated scheme will have less sea-time requirement and more allowance for simulator-based training and

Aksel David Nordholm: “recommended practice includes all the elements required for certification of DP operators”

assessment. It will also be split, with training for offshore vessel DP operations separated from those for shuttle tankers. The DP offshore training scheme will be a phased process. The components include an induction course followed by a minimum of 60 days of sea time and completion of a task section on a DP vessel. Once this is completed, trainees would be expected to undertake a DP simulator course and online examination. The Nautical Institute DP offshore training scheme would be split into a stream for DP1 operations and another for DP2 and DP3 vessels. There will be requirements for 60 days of sea time on DP vessels, followed by a statement of suitability signed by the master and accompanied by a company confirmation letter. An online DP application document would be sent to the Nautical Institute for assessment and verification before certificates are presented. However, as highlighted elsewhere in this guide, there is growing confusion as to which scheme DP operators should take to become fully certified. C-Mar chief operating officer Peter Aylott wants to see more clarification on what is required. He said a ‘roadmap’ was needed that provides guidance for organisations and individuals to follow to determine what is recognised as different levels of DP operator competence. He said the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) was in the best position to provide that. “A document from IMCA that already exists, IMCA M 117, would enable companies to set up competence assurance beyond the Nautical Institute certification. So this just needs tidying up,” he said. IMCA’s technical advisor, Ian Giddings, said the organisation was due to revise its guidance document IMCA M 117, which covers training and competence. “We will be beefing up the training requirements when we update IMCA M 117. We will have more on competence of DP operators, including competence of trainees that have come out of training,” he said. What this will mean is that, in future, training and certification should improve the competence of DP operators and assessment of their skills in daily operations, and in emergencies. OSJ OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 37

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legislation & regulation

Evolving sector being influenced by many changes DP legislation, regulation and guidance is evolving, as is class notation, and in many cases longstanding guidance documents are being used as the basis of new regulations and have become ‘default standards’

ith coastal authorities and classification societies taking a more active role in overseeing DP operations, the evolving regulatory landscape presents numerous challenges for vessel operators, designers and charterers. These changes will have an impact on DP vessels and operations. Changes have also taken place – and are underway – with regard to class notation and survey rules, DP operator certification schemes (see elsewhere in this guide) and measures to protect the environment. Work is also underway at the IMO on the revisions to IMO standards. In a presentation at Riviera’s 2014 European Dynamic Positioning Conference designed to help delegates understand recent rule changes, Peter Griffiths, lead, marine operations and regulatory compliance at contract drilling services company Transocean Offshore, highlighted the impact of new class notation. These include DNV GL’s Enhanced Reliability (E & ER). DYNPOS-E addresses a dynamic positioning system with: redundancy in technical design; redundant main DP control system; an independent, single alternative DP control system; and flexibility and increased availability of power and thrust by use of connected power systems, standby start and changeover. DYNPOS-ER addresses the use of a dynamic positioning system with: A60 separation in high fire risk areas; A0 separation in other areas; watertight separation below damage waterline; and operator stations for main and alternative DP control systems placed in the same space (the bridge). DNV GL rules for closed bus tie operations for DPS-3 require additional testing at construction and for the life of the vessel to include short circuits, earth faults, automatic voltage regulators faults, engine governor faults and other severe faults. ABS also issued revised survey rules in 2013. Previously, ABS required operational testing to be carried out to the surveyor’s satisfaction. This

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did not include complete performance tests to demonstrate the level of redundancy established in the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA). Under the revised survey rules, operational testing is to be carried out to the surveyor’s satisfaction and the tests are to demonstrate the level of redundancy established by the FMEA. The uninterrupted power supply (UPS) battery load test has been increased to 30 minutes from 15 minutes, and verification that the failure modes and effects of any modifications or upgrades have been considered and incorporated in the operations manual is required. Among the evolving regulations highlighted by Mr Griffiths as potentially affecting the DP sector were emissions standards (for CO2, NOx, SOx and particulate matter). It would be a challenge to comply with new standards while maintaining redundancy, he explained, noting that air pollution is also on the European Marine Safety Agency’s agenda. Other regulations that could affect the DP industry include the IMO Polar Code, which has been drafted, with plans to make it mandatory. The relevant sections were submitted to the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) and Marine Safety Committee (MSC) at IMO for inclusion in Marpol and Solas. The Polar Code is expected to come into force in 2015–2016, Mr Griffiths explained, but for the time being, it was not clear how the code would affect DP operations in the Arctic. Also at the IMO, MSC 645 is on the agenda for revision in March 2015. The 2009 Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) Code has also been revised, with new emergency power requirements. “Guidance documents and certification schemes developed by non-regulatory bodies have been referenced in new regulations or have become the default standard,” said Mr Griffiths, highlighting the Nautical Institute’s DP operators’ certification scheme. “The Nautical Institute scheme became the default standard,” he explained. Then there is the Marine Technology Society (MTS) DP Operations Guidance, which has been has been used by the US Coast Guard in a notice of proposed rulemaking and in ABS survey rules. The MTS DP Operations Guidance, which dates from March 2012, requires annual DP trials including a series of tests of fault and failure conditions relevant to a DP system. These tests should be designed to prove system redundancy, as defined in the DP FMEA. The ABS annual

Legislation and regulation affecting DP vessels and their operation is evolving survey rules of July 2013 state that the operational testing is to be carried out to the surveyor’s satisfaction and the tests are to demonstrate the level of redundancy established by the FMEA. DNV’s recommended practice also references MTS guidance in E307 Dynamic Positioning Systems Operation Guidance and E306 DP Dynamic Positioning Vessel Design Philosophy Guidelines. Mr Griffiths explained that, until the US Coast Guard publishes a DP rule, it recommends owners and operators of dynamic positioning MODUs (not leaseholders who contract MODUs) operating on the US Outer Continental Shelf to voluntarily follow guidance provided in the DP operations guidance prepared through the Dynamic Positioning Committee of the MTS. One of the targets identified by the International Marine Contractors Association marine division management committee for its 2014 work programme is the revision of IMCA M 166 Guidance on failure modes and effects analyses (FMEAs). Considered one of the division’s most important documents, a comprehensive rewrite of it is now required to modernise the content and address the considerable developments in industry practice and changes in regulation since the document was published in April 2002. Owing to the large amount of technical research and the expected size of the document, it is anticipated that the revised document will be available by June 2015. As highlighted elsewhere in this guide, IMCA M 103 Guidelines for the design and operation of dynamically positioned vessels is also being revised and rewritten. OSJ OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014 I 39

last word

BP looking at assurance, certification and use of DP Speaking at the 2014 European Dynamic Positioning Conference, John Flynn, an offshore assurance superintendent at BP Shipping, voiced concerns about a number of issues relating to the growing use of dynamic positioning

P Shipping is one of the most important players in the offshore market, so when it expresses concern at aspects of dynamic positioning, the industry should take note. Mr Flynn is offshore assurance superintendent with BP Shipping, based at the company’s offices in Sunbury, and also a subject matter expert with BP Shipping. In addition to assessing companies and contractors, he is responsible for the ownership and bareboat charter of eight BP-owned offshore vessels – five currently working from Aberdeen and three to be delivered this year from Korea. He sits on the dynamic positioning (DP) workgroup for the Oil Companies. International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and is a member of the Nautical Institute. Mr Flynn was previously a DP project manager with Global Maritime in London. A master mariner and former offshore assurance superintendent, he joined BP Shipping in December 2011 and has 25 years’ offshore experience and experience in commercial management, project management and technical design of DP projects throughout their life cycle. He also served as a master on many offshore vessels including remotely operated vehicle support vessels, anchor-handling tug/supply vessels and platform supply vessels. The marine offshore assurance team at BP Shipping assesses offshore vessel operators working for BP Shipping or tendering for BP Shipping work upstream and assesses them against the offshore vessel management and self-assessment (OVMSA) system developed by the OCIMF. The team at BP Shipping also conducts contractor assessments for consultants working for BP Shipping or tendering for BP Shipping work, conducts structural assessments on vessels working for BP Shipping that are more than 25 years old and plays a role in designing and constructing vessels for BP Shipping. It also provides plan approval and expertise for newbuild projects and subject matter expertise in dynamic positioning, so the views – and concerns – that Mr Flynn expressed at the conference were listened to with great interest.

40 I OSJ Guide to Dynamic Positioning 2014

“BP Shipping continually assists upstream colleagues in assessing offshore vessel operators, shipyards and offshore projects to evaluate their compliance and competence in line with government and industry standards,” Mr Flynn. “The team works with contractors to help develop their systems in line with BP’s expectations. This is in line with BP’s overriding goal of no accidents, no harm to people and no damage to the environment.” As Mr Flynn explained, OCIMF is a sitting member of the Dynamic Positioning Training Executive Group (DPTEG). Through the input of oil company experts, it plans to protect its members and ensure the licensing and competence of dynamic positioning operators is controlled and regularised to ensure safety and reliability throughout offshore operations. Mr Flynn said OCIMF is “very concerned” at the fragmentation in the control and issue of DP certification (see elsewhere in this guide) and feels that the formation of several issuing bodies with difference standards “is not an ideal situation”. Describing some of the potential consequences of loss of DP and position, Mr Flynn highlighted drive-off and drift-off situations. Others include unnecessary loss of DP class, non-productive time, reputational damage, a complete or partial blackout, failure of power management system blackout recovery, potential environmental damage vessel/equipment damage and potential injuries or fatalities. As Mr Flynn explained, the OCIMF DP workgroup has investigated dynamic positioning and has come up with four main issues that relate to operating DP vessels. The four issues classed as having the potential to cause incidents that may cause BP loss of or damage to people, the environment, property and reputation are: • assurance of DP vessels from design through build to commissioning and operation • the competence and certification of DP operators • use of DP systems during operations that the system is clearly not designed for • the inability of vessel masters and senior officers to operate vessels manually. “It is the responsibility of the marine authority for each region to ensure the vessels operating within our operations are manned with suitable certified and competent personnel,” Mr Flynn told the conference. “We measure against IMCA M 117. We expect all DPOs to have a marine qualification suited to the vessel’s size and area of operation.

John Flynn: “masters and senior officers on some DP vessels cannot drive a vessel manually, if required” At this time, our policy accepts only Nautical Institute and Norwegian Maritime Directorateapproved certificates, although we are reviewing and assessing with other DP certificate issuers.” As he explained, BP has come across several incidents where vessels have been using DP in what the company regards as non-appropriate operations. These include: • anchor-handling operations • heading-control operations • towing • berthing. “Normal DP systems are not designed to have fluctuating tensions/forces applied outside of normal environmental forces,” he said with regard to the above-mentioned, noting that, in one of the above cases, the tension reached 190 tonnes. As he also explained, OCIMF’s DP workgroup is currently looking at issues such as these and is expected to produce guidance before the end of 2014. “It has also been noted that some vessels are trying to use DP to berth vessels in port due to inability to manually operate the ships,” Mr Flynn told delegates. “Is this due to inability, incompetency, lack of knowledge or design issues?” he asked. Some potential solutions to issues such as these include greater use of simulators, improved design of thruster controls, more on-the-job training, enhanced assessment and verification and greater use of training records and log books to enhance competence and assess it. OSJ www.osjonline.com

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