Sebastian to train crew for Songa Offshore’s Cat D rigs

Norway’s Sebastian AS will train the crew of new semi-submersible drilling rigs to be operated by Statoil in Norway.

The rigs, built in South Korea, are owned by Songa Offshore drilling contractor. The first of four rigs, the Songa Equinox, will arrive in Norway in mid-October.

According to the rig’s radar data on Tuesday, it is currently sailing past the coast of Mauritania, on its way to Las Palmas, Spain.

The assignment calls for Sebastian AS to provide Dynamic Positioning training to the crew before the rigs start operations at the Troll field in the North Sea in November.

Sebastian AS CEO, Johannes Kristian Bjøringsøy, said: “Our task now is to create the content of a training programme for the crew on board. These rigs are so different from other rigs that, although the crews hired by Songa Offshore have a high level of expertise and operational experience of modern rigs, they will require training in how to use the CAT-D rigs. It is naturally the Dynamic Positioning (DP) part that is our responsibility.”

“We have to use a lot of our staff for this project in order to make the project deadline. The training is to be provided as e-learning via Songa Offshore’s e-learning portal. Our task will be to deliver the content of the training. Our goal is to create a course that is interesting, good and effective, says Bjøringsøy.

The training is module-based and the use of e-learning makes it all more cost-effective for Songa Offshore. The crews on all four rigs – a total of 12 shifts – will undergo the training.

Two of the rigs will be employed at the Troll field, while the remaining two will work elsewhere on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

Offshore Energy Today Staff