TUCF
Complete Introduction to Offshore Diving Courses For Woodside.
When it comes to planning the installation of projects offshore,
the smallest mistake can cost millions of dollars in lost time
or even create serious safety threats for divers.
That's why The Underwater Centre Fremantle and Covus Corporation
have joined forces to develop a course, which introduces engineers
and operators to the practicalities, pitfalls and constraints
associated with offshore subsea intervention. Input for the
course also came from Clough Offshore and Woodside’s Core
Subsea Group.
• To introduce the various
codes, standards and regulations relevant to diving and ROV
operations offshore.
• To introduce different diving
techniques and illustrate the abilities/limitations for each.
• To display typical diving
and ROV equipment to ensure familiarity.
The two-day course was run by TUCF at their facilities in Fremantle.
Participants are given the opportunity to-don commercial diving
equipment for simple underwater tasks under controlled conditions.
One of the tasks involves the participants diving in pairs on
to a sunken barge where they attempt to raise a small pontoon
to the surface. Inflatable lift bags are attached to the pontoon
and inflated using supplementary air before being brought to
the surface.
Another task sees participants take part in a simulated dive
to 50 m using a decompression chamber.
Woodside’s Northern Endeavour production planner Bill
Bell appreciated the course he attended in August. "I went
away with a better understanding of the legislative, logistical
and operational constraints that a dive team operates under
when working offshore," he says. "It's not just a
case of throwing on your goggles and flippers and jumping in.
There's a very detailed and safety-conscious process to follow".
"Simple concepts like needing a five-man team to safely
deploy one offshore diver helps me, as a planner, to better
evaluate the number of people we will need onboard an asset
such as the Northern Endeavour at any given time as well as
the number of beds that will be occupied".
"The practical part of the course was also an eye-opener.
The sheer physical effort involved in working underwater was
something else, even the simplest task took us five times longer
to complete than if we were in the office. It really gave me
an appreciation of the time needed when planning for a dive
project".
"The course is definitely an important learning experience
for anyone who deals with the Core Subsea Group or for any assets
requiring dive operations." The Woodside Core Subsea Group
(or CSG) Subsea Manager Oscar Steinsvaag says the response from
the first two courses has left the door open for more to be
held next year.
For more information contact:
TUCF
8 Rous Head Road, North Fremantle, WA 6159, Australia
Tel: +61 8 9336 3343
FAX: +61 8 9336 3345
Email: milly@tucf.com.au
