OSV Tech Forum: Safety a Major Concern of GCC’s Offshore Industry

 Major stakeholders of the offshore oil and gas E&P industry in the region gathered at the Offshore Support Vessel Technology 2013 Forum in Abu Dhabi last week. Held from 10-11 June at Le Royal Meridien, the first in its series this exclusive forum focused on the most pressing concern for offshore operating companies, vessel owners and operators: safety.

The forum opened with ADNOC Marine Expert Dr. Mootaz Khaled presenting a keynote speech on the role of artificial islands for oil exploration and production and their impact on the evolution of OSVs in the region. The presentation took the audience through a historical review of artificial islands in the GCC and their characteristics. It also spoke about the challenges posed by the artificial islands on the OSV industry and recommendations for OSV owners and operators to meet the requirements of the OPCOs. Dr Khaled stayed on to chair day one of the conference and passed on the responsibility to ZADCO Marine and HSE Consultant Ibrahim Fahmy for day two.

Etihad Ship Building, a new company in the region, formed in partnership with Fincantieri, Al Fattan Ship Building and Melara Middle East presented their products and highlighted their vast knowledge base of different partners.

Drydocks World Executive Director for Global Engineering, Manindera Paul Singh, brought to centre stage the crucial topic of eco-friendly fuel options for the shipping industry and how the region is increasingly looking towards LNG as a viable fuel option. A brilliant presentation on Lifecycle Information Integrity was showcased by AVEVA and was followed by the introduction to the region’s newest classification society Tasneef (Emirates Classification).

The last session of the day focused on offshore accidents and posed the crucial question of whether human error is the cause of each and every offshore accident. The debate started with the presentation by Crawford GTS Marine Director Capt. Terrence Robinson who expressed the need for an offshore safety forum.

During his presentation, Qatar Petroleum Assistant Manager – Marine Operations Nagi Alyami brought forward an important point about the minimal amount of expenditure on prevention as compared to the cost of pumping oil through a pipeline per day. His presentation focused on the benefits of contingency planning using Emergency Pipeline Repair Shield and the use of diving support vessels.

This was well complimented by the presentation on subsea pipeline survey techniques. Saudi Aramco Hydrographic Survey Unit Senior Engineer Fahad Al-Amri spoke about the technique, developed in-house, where Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) are used and how in the future they could deploy Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs).

ADMA-OPCO Marine Technical Team Leader Capt. Mohamed Ahmed Al Shehhi gave an enlightening presentation on marine standards developed by them and how these will need to be adopted by the various vessel owners and operators who wish to do business with the OPCOs. This was covered in greater detail during the post-conference workshop that was led by ZADCO Marine Technical Specialist Darwanto Simatupang and ADMA-OPCO Marine Standards Specialist Capt. Vincent Moran.

Gulf Marine Services Operations Director Capt. Ron McGuire discussed OSV build codes and how the modern fleet has outgrown them before Constellation Marine Services Managing Director Capt. Zarir Irani, speaking on offshore marine insurance and warranty inspection, elaborated on the need to overcome communication gaps and ensure the ability of offshore crew to speak in English.

Offshore Solutions B.V. Managing Director Lindsay Young was voted the best speaker for his brilliant presentation that highlighted the critical challenge of safe crew transfers between vessels and platforms using their patented heave compensate gangway technology.

The pre-conference workshop, hosted by ABB Automation LLC on 9 June 2013, concentrated on reducing fuel consumption and improving the maneuverability of OSVs using turbocharging and Azipod thrusters, ABB’s rendition on azimuth propulsion, which is becoming increasingly popular among vessel owners the world over.

Offshore Support Vessel Technology is organised by IQPC, officially endorsed by UAE Shipping Association and The Nautical Institute. Media partners supporting the event- Oil and Gas IQ, Oil and Maritime, Gulf Oil and Gas, Oil and Gas Directory, Worldoils and The Marine World