Greg Cauthen, Transocean’s interim chief financial officer, said during an investor presentation that in the wake of public statements by the U.S. Justice Department, the company expects that “ourselves and BP and Halliburton and other employees will be indicted.” But a Transocean spokesman later said Cauthen misspoke and that the company believes it is unlikely individuals at Transocean will be charged.

Last month, the Justice Department brought the first criminal charges in the case against a BP employee.

Halliburton Co. (HAL) couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. BP PLC (BP) declined to comment.

Cauthen said that Transocean was taking the potential charges “very seriously.” Transocean is well prepared to defend itself in court, although it is also open to a fair settlement, Cauthen said.

Transocean owned the Deepwater Horizon rig, which exploded and sank in April 2010 while working for BP in the Gulf of Mexico. The explosion killed 11 men and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Cauthen also said that Transocean, which has seen its profits squeezed by downtime related to equipment overhauls mandated by regulation that followed the blast, is working to have that downtime accounted for in its contracts with oil producers.

“We are negotiating improved contractual terms,” including tighter liability protections and downtime provisions for the maintenance of blowout preventers, Cauthen said. The company’s case is helped by rising demand for deep-water and ultra-deep-water rigs, Cauthen added.

In April, federal prosecutors charged Kurt Mix of Katy, Texas, with two counts of obstruction of justice for deleting from his iPhone hundreds of text messages about the spill that he exchanged with a co-worker and a contractor. Mix’s attorneys have said that the information in the messages existed in other forms that others still have and that Mix preserved, and that they have evidence they believe exonerates him.

-By Angel Gonzalez, Dow Jones Newswires

But what exactly is an FMEA & how was it developed?

What is an FMEA?

Learning from each failure can be costly & time consuming. FMEA is a systematic method of studying failure.  This ensures that time is not wasted & the root of the problem is quickly determined.  It is used to Identify methods to eliminate or reduce the chance of that failure occuring in the future.

It should be noted that an FMEA is a Living Document that is used to anticipate & prevent failures from occuring.  As such it must be continuously updated as changes in the system occur.

FMEA stands for Failure Mode Effect Analysis.  Failure Mode is defined as the manner by which a failure is observed.  It describes the way the failure occurs.

FMEA trials will be conducted onboard a DP vessel by a competent third party, working with the ships crew, whenever a major change has taken place.  An example would be a thruster overhaul in dry dock.  It should also be updated whenever:

▪            At the beginning of a cycle (new product/process)

▪            Changes are made to the operating conditions

▪            A change is made in the design

▪            New regulations are instituted

▪            Customer feedback indicates a problem

History

The FMEA discipline was developed in the United States Military. Military Procedure MIL-P-1629, titled Procedures for Performing a Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis, is dated November 9, 1949. It was used as a reliability evaluation technique to determine the effect of system and equipment failures. Failures were classified according to their impact on mission success and personnel/equipment safety.

Later it was used in the aerospace industry to avoid errors in small sample sizes of costly rocket technology.  The Apollo Space program is an example.

Then in the 70′s it was introduced to the automotive industry by the Ford Motor Company.

DNV & ABS adopted the requirement for FMEA in the late 1970′s – early 1980′s.

The Process

Over the vessels life it will undergo a number of FMEA’s, each with diffeen requirements.

1. As the vessel is designed, the processes & components undergo an initial Design FMEA

2. The vessel is brought into service & the FMEA is proofed.

3. That FMEA is built upon as the vessels early trials & experiences are integrated.

4. As a mature working vessel, the FMEA only needs to be updated when major changes have taken place.

Objectives

A Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is required by class for any Dynamically Positioned (DP) vessel for Class 2 or Class 3.

The objective of an FMEA, as applied to a DP vessel, should be to provide a comprehensive, systematic and documented analysis to establish the important failure modes with regard to station keeping.  The analysis must seek to determine any failure modes that can affect the station keeping as a whole and cause a position loss.  The possible modes of position loss are:

• Drive off

• Drift off

• Large excursion

The analysis seeks to find any single point failure in any of the total DP system that can cause any of the position losses stated.  The FMEA of a DP vessel is based on a single failure concept under which each system’s subsystems and parts are assumed to fail by one probable cause at a time.  It must in effect make sure that the stated worse case failure for the vessel cannot be exceeded by any single failure.

It is also customary to include a single act of mal operation as a possible single failure.  This is assessed when a mistake is easy to make due to system layout where a single act has severe consequences.  ‘Single act’ is a subjective definition and is generally taken to mean the operation of a single button, lever or switch.

The analysis must also consider hidden failures; this is a failure of a back up or standby without an alarm so that a second failure is not realized until the initiating single failure has occurred.  For instance a standby pump being faulty; or a UPS having a faulty battery and being unable to take load when required.  It must also consider that on some vessels that are in continuous operation, such as drilling vessels, will have some equipment may be down for maintenance for long periods of time.

Scope

The DP system onboard ship includes all compontents required to support & keep the vessel on position.  Each of these must be covered in an FMEA, as a failure could come from any sector.

Areas to be addressed include:

• DP Control System
• DP PRS
• Power Management & Distribution
• Thrusters & Propulsion
• Human Factors.

The Human Factor

The inclusion of the Human Factors is interesting, but that can be taken as a single point failure as well.  This can be addressed in the FMEA but looking at:

• Capability Plots
• Vessel Footprint
• Communication Systems
• Operator Training & Competance
• Operator Experience
• Working Conditions
• Checklists
• Operations Manuals
• Standing Orders

A Tool for New Joiners

Looking at the vessels most recent FMEA can aid a new joiner to a vessel in quickly getting up to speed on its capabilities & limitations.  By identifying the potential problem areas & noting the areas that perhaps have been addressed but not yet rectified, the operator will gain an nderstanding of how that vessel operates.

A Tool for Old Hands

With the ever increasing reliability of shipboard systems (due in large part to the FMEA process), the only time many personnel will see a major failure with the DP system is when it is simulated during FMEA testing.  This makes it an essential part of the training process for ships crew.

Wärtsilä and Kongsberg Maritime have been contracted to supply the power, positioning, and automation systems for two new drilling rigs ordered by Songa Offshore AS, the Norwegian arm of the Cyprus-based offshore drilling company. These so called cat D semi-submersible rigs are tailor designed for use by Statoil in mid-water segments, and are being built at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co.Ltd (DSME) shipyard in South Korea.

“The proven reliability and superior efficiency of the Wärtsilä propulsion solutions were the major factors in the award of this contract. Calculating the average load profile for deepwater drilling rigs, the efficiency is approximately three per cent better than those offered by competitors. The high efficiency enables fuel cost savings and has also clear benefits in terms of reducing carbon dioxide emissions (CO2). Furthermore, the local Wärtsilä service network in Norway will provide full support for the equipment,” says Magnus Miemois, Vice President at Wärtsilä Ship Power, Offshore.

Teekay and A2SEA will be working together to design and build a vessel similar to this one, however instead of the jackup legs, this new vessel will be dynamically positioned.

Hamilton, Bermuda, June 29, 2011 – Teekay Corporation (NYSE: TK) (Teekay) today announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with A2SEA A/S (A2SEA) to jointly develop an innovative vessel design for the installation of offshore wind foundations. A2SEA is a leading service provider to the offshore wind sector.

The MOU encompasses the key terms of cooperation between Teekay and A2SEA for the design, delivery and operation of floating transportation and installation vessels for offshore windfarm foundations for deepwater locations and harsh weather conditions, and which meet the requirements of expected future offshore windfarm foundation concepts, such as tripods and jackets.

The joint cooperation between the two companies is based on A2SEA’s extensive knowledge of offshore windfarm installation and Teekay’s unique experience of operating large vessels controlled by dynamic positioning systems. A2SEA and Teekay are jointly developing a floating windfarm installation design through a technical study with the objective of subsequently delivering an innovative vessel to the market by 2014.

“A2SEA is committed to developing an innovative vessel design that can cope with the next generation of offshore windfarm foundations,” commented Kaj Lindvig, Chief Sales Officer, A2SEA A/S. “Our aim is to provide a cost efficient concept that is unrestricted by factors that the second generation vessels coming onto the market now face such as water depth, type of sea bed, et cetera. We at A2SEA, alongside Teekay Corporation, believe that we have a floating installation concept that will be capable of transporting pre-assembled foundations straight out to the site that will drive down the time and cost of windfarm foundation installation We are very excited about this venture and the prospect of developing a pioneering foundation installation technique.”

Stein Rynning, Senior Vice President, Teekay Shuttle Tankers and Offshore added, “Teekay’s unique experience in sophisticated shuttle tanker operations and ability to access suitable existing tonnage, paired with A2SEA’s extensive experience in the offshore wind sector, provides the ideal basis to jointly develop an optimized vessel for the installation of offshore wind foundations.”

Under the terms specified in the MOU, if constructed, Teekay will own and operate the vessel while A2SEA will provide project management and operational expertise.

About Teekay

Teekay Corporation transports more than 10 percent of the world’s seaborne oil, has built a significant presence in the liquefied natural gas shipping sector through its publicly-listed subsidiary, Teekay LNG Partners L.P. (NYSE: TGP), is further growing its operations in the offshore oil production, storage and transportation sector through its publicly-listed subsidiary, Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. (NYSE: TOO), and continues to expand its conventional tanker business through its publicly-listed subsidiary, Teekay Tankers Ltd. (NYSE: TNK). With a fleet of approximately 150 vessels, offices in 16 countries and over 6,400 seagoing and shore-based employees, Teekay provides a comprehensive set of marine services to the world’s leading oil and gas companies, helping them seamlessly link their upstream energy production to their downstream processing operations. Teekay’s reputation for safety, quality and innovation has earned it a position with its customers as The Marine Midstream Company.

Teekay’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange where it trades under the symbol “TK”.

About A2SEA

A2SEA is the world’s largest and leading installation contractor dedicated to providing offshore wind farm owners and energy suppliers with safer, sustainable and cost efficient wind installations. A pioneer in its industry, A2SEA has established industry best practice techniques and methods that have been applied on many offshore wind installations. This extensive hands-on experience and know-how characterise A2SEA’s entire organisation and enables them to provide customers with seamless integration of installation and service solutions. With a fleet of specially designed vessels, including the semi-jacked up crane vessels M/V SEA ENERGY and M/V SEA POWER and the two jack-ups, SEA JACK, SEA WORKER, and the SEA INSTALLER (currently under construction due for delivery in the third quarter of 2012), A2SEA has the flexibility to carry out many types of offshore wind installations and operations. A2SEA’s vision is to stay ahead in taking wind power offshore and moving the future of energy in a sustainable direction.

On April 20th 2011, the one year anniversary of the BP rig explosion, gCaptain was honored to conduct video interviews with many survivors of the Deepwater Horizon. Today’s interview is with Senior Dynamic Positioning operator Yancy Keplinger the rig’s most veteran watchstander on duty at the time of the incident.

Yancy, along with 3rd Mate Andrea Fleytas, the 23 year old California Maritime Academy graduate, are considered heros for the calm and collected action taken in managing the emergency from the bridge. In order to continue Mayday broadcasts and supervise evacuation of the crew Yancy and Andrea, at great risk to themselves, remained on the bridge after the last lifeboats and life-rafts had departed the rig.

Yancy was the last person to depart the rig which left him with just one choice… to jump.

This must see interview is important because Yancy describes both his experiences and his outlook on changes the industry needs to make to ensure the safety of offshore workers in the future. Please use the “Email” button below to send this video to decision makers in the maritime and offshore industries.

Click for other posts in our series: Exclusive Deepwater Horizon Interviews

One of the largest offshore areas in the U.S. with shallow water is off Cape Cod, where a major wind farm has been approved.

The construction of these farms have given rise to a new class of ship:  the Turbine Installation Vessel.

Turbine Installation Vessels (TIV)

The first purpose built TIV was the TIV Mayflower Resolution, currently known as the TIV Resolution & owned by MPI Offshore.  This vessel utilizes both dynamic positioning & jack-up technology.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Equipped with 6 retractable legs, the Resolution will set up on location using DP, then elevated out of the water using the jack-up legs.  This provides a stable platform to install the turbine on top of a previously prepared foundation.  Once installed, the Resolution lowers back down to the water & moves to the next location, where the process is repeated.  She has the capacity to carry 10 wind turbines.

What are the benefits to building offshore?

Offshore wind turbines are less obtrusive than turbines on land, as their apparent size and noise is mitigated by distance. Because water has less surface roughness than land (especially deeper water), the average wind speed is usually considerably higher over open water.

What about the cost?

Offshore installation is generally more expensive than onshore, depending on the location. Offshore towers are a fair bit taller than onshore towers once the submerged height is included, making the foundation more expensive to build.

Offshore saltwater environments also raise maintenance costs by corroding the towers, but fresh-water locations such as the Great Lakes do not. Repairs and maintenance are usually more costly than on onshore turbines, motivating operators to reduce the number of wind turbines for a given total power by installing the largest available units.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Offshore saltwater wind turbines are outfitted with extensive corrosion protection measures like coatings and cathodic protection, which may not be required in fresh water locations.

Transporting the components

Transporting large wind turbine components (tower sections, nacelles, and blades) is much easier over water than on land, because ships and barges can handle large loads more easily than trucks or trains. On land, large goods vehicles must negotiate bends on roadways, which fixes the maximum length of a wind turbine blade that can move from point to point on the road network; no such limitation exists for transport on open water.

Offshore wind turbines will probably continue to be the largest turbines in operation, since the high fixed costs of the installation are spread over more energy production, reducing the average cost. Turbine components (rotor blades, tower sections) can be transported by barge, making large parts easier to transport offshore than on land, where turn clearances and underpass clearances of available roads limit the size of turbine components that can be moved by truck.

Similarly, large construction cranes are difficult to move to remote wind farms on land, but crane vessels easily move over water.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What challenges must be overcome?

Offshore wind projects must strike a viable balance between technological and economic challenges.

Offshore technology has had to adapt to operate successfully in a more challenging environment. Tough weather conditions, which can limit access for routine maintenance, and the saline environment create the need for more robust turbine parts. This in turn means higher costs, which are not always offset by the higher productivity due to the higher offshore winds.

Continued operational R&D, and policy support that recognizes the value added from renewable energy projects like offshore and onshore wind, will go a long way toward resolving these challenges.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Image: Helix Q4000 on location of MC 252 as it prepares for “Top Kill.” © 2010 BP p.l.c.

I met up with a friend recently who works as Chief Mate for Hornbeck Offshore.  He described a situation regarding one of his coworkers that I thought deserved recognition…

“The Centerline was working alongside Helix’ Q4000 providing the mud for BP’s top-kill attempt on the Macondo Well, and the Chief Mate, John Holesha, recognized that the Q4000′s engines had started revving up unexpectedly.  For one reason or another, the rig’s GPS system was telling the dynamic positioning system that it was in the wrong place and was now trying to correct itself as quickly as possible.”

The Q4000, however, was hooked up to the Macondo well’s BOP stack 5000 feet down on the sea floor.”

“Grab that reflector and get out to the bridge wing quick!”, John told the AB.

The Q4000 was now in imminent danger of severely damaging or destroying the subsea equipment that it was hooked up to, not to mention possibly colliding with one of the dozen ships in close proximity to her.

“Q4000, Q4000, this is Centerline, switch over to Fanbeam-mode on your DP system immediately and reference off me, you’re driving off station”

The Q4000 then switched it’s DP reference system from GPS mode, to a mode that kept the rig on a relative bearing and range to the Centerline. Within seconds, the Q4000 was back on station and the crisis had been averted as quickly as it had developed.

Had it not been for the quick actions of Chief Mate John Holesha, catastrophe may likely have ensued resulting in significant delay to BP’s well kill operations and further environmental devastation.

Well done John!

Any of these are great reasons for getting into the technically challenging & exciting field of Dynamic Positioning.

So where do I begin?

The first thing you are going to need is a dynamic positioning class. The DP training scheme has been conceived by the Nautical Institute in London & is the generally accepted path to certification worldwide.  It is based on the completion of a number of components & on the participation of many different people, namely:

• The prospective DPO
• The Ships Master
• The duty DPO’s on the vessel you train on
• The Training Centre Instructors

DP Basic Induction Course

The first component to be completed is the Induction Course.  This program is intended for persons already holding a marine license, but with little or no DP experience.  Depending on where the course is taken, the duration will be between 4 to 5 days.

The topics that will be covered give an overview of DP operation & will include:

• Principles of DP
• Elements of the DP system
• Practical operation of the system
• Position Reference Systems, such as Fanbeam
• Environment sensors & ancillary equipment
• Power generation, supply & propulsion systems
• DP Operations

This program is offered at numerous training centers world wide.  A list of Nautical Institute accredited centers can be found HERE.

C-Mar operates 6 centers around the globe, with their most recent being opened in Mumbai.

Bibby Ship Management also has training centres around the globe & offers DP training.

30 Days Sea Time

The next portion to be completed is a MINIMUM of 30 days at sea onboard a DP equipped vessel.  Here you will get a chance to get some hands on experience in an operational environment.

Your NI issued DP logbook has a number of tasks that the potential Operator must complete during this time, which are to be signed off by the Master when he is satisfied they are understood.  Examples of these tasks are:

• Setting the vessel up on DP
• Maneuver vessel in Auto-DP mode
• Control vessel movement using Joystick Control
• Understanding DP computer system
• Understanding of PRS is use

In many cases, the company that you are currently employed with will send you for the induction course & then have a spot on one of their DP vessels to get the requisite 30 days sea time.  However, with the increasing popularity & use of DP on vessels world wide, many sailors are choosing to fund the training themselves in an effort to get work on a DP vessel.  In this case getting the 30 days required is often one of the most frustrating aspects of the entire training scheme, as employers often will not hire an Operator without experience, but you can’t get the experience unless you get hired!

However there are some resources to assist you in finding that elusive berth.  There is the active Dynamic Positioning Operators group on Facebook, which has an active discussion board & wall where all types of topics of interest are discussed.  It should be noted that you must have at least completed your Induction to be accepted into the group & that employers or recruiters will not be accepted.  This ensures an open forum where sailors can speak freely with no fear of reprisal.

Additionally there is a great new program in the works by the IDPOA to assist budding DPO’s in their quest to find a berth.  Check out their proposed Training Initiative.

Once all the familiarization requirements are met & signed off, then the candidate is ready for the next stage.

DP Advanced Simulator

Once again its back to school!

The Advanced simulator course is again 4 to 5 days in duration.  This time the theory will play a smaller role & the focus will be on practical drills.  This will aid in job planning & risk assessment, with a number of operational problems to be studied.  The following topics will be covered:

• Practical operation of the DP system
• DP Operations
• DP alarms, warnings & emergency procedures

Equipment failures such as loss of thrusters or partial blackouts will help the Operator develop situational awareness & trouble shooting skills.

Final Sea Time Requirement

At this stage you are officially a Junior DPO.  Now the final sea time requirement needs to be completed.

The fastest way to complete your time at this point is to do 6 months on a Class 2 or 3 DP vessel.

If working on a Class 1 vessel, 2 months of experience is only equal to 1 month experience on a Class 2 or 3.  If you are moving between ships & can get 2 months of time on a Class 2 or 3 vessel, then you will require 8 months on a Class 1 to fulfill the requirement, instead of the 4 months required if on Class 2 or 3.

Finally, if you get 6 months of time on a Class 1 vessel followed by a Statement of Suitability form the ships master, you will be issued a LIMITED DP certificate.  The full certificate will not be issued until you serve an additional 3 months, where the 2 for 1 for Class 1 time is still in place.  2 of those months however MUST be served on a Class 2 or 3 vessel.

Statement of Suitability

As previously mentioned, the Master must sign off in your book that he feels you are properly trained & ready to stand an unsupervised DP watch.  This is relatively straight forward & as the potential Operator will have between 6 to 10 months experience under their belt at this point, it should hopefully be only a formality.

Getting your Certificate

Now that the logbook is completed it may be submitted to the Nautical Institute for the issue of a certificate.  It should be noted that some companies may first require the logbook to be submitted to the office, where it can be verified that the requirements have actually been completed to their satisfaction.

>As you need to send in the actual logbook it is a good idea to go through & make copies of every page, just in case it gets lost in the mail!

When it is sent back the Award of Certificate page will now be complete & you will have your very own Certificate Number.  There will also be an additional paper certificate.  In order for the certificate to remain valid a minimum of 6 months DP experience must be completed every 5 years.  If this is not completed & you let the certificate lapse, then you will be required to start over from the beginning.

The Future

These days the number of certified DPO’s & accredited training centres have increased exponentially since the training scheme was first put into place over 20 years ago.  For a look at how the training scheme is being re-examined, take a look at The Future of DP Training.

These systems have long been in use by submarines and the basics are simple. Using technology similar to the motion sensor in your iPhone, but significantly more advanced, inertial navigation tracks real time vessel motion outputting an accurate dead reckoning position of your location.

The latest implementation of this technology, Kongsberg’s DPS 4d, was recently tested by an Ocean Rig semi-submerisble on a transit through the busy Bosporus Strait. They tell us:

Ocean Rig’s semi-submersible drilling rig Leiv Eriksson has successfully navigated the Bosporus Strait using the sophisticated new DPS 4D Differential Positioning System developed by Kongsberg Maritime’s specialist position reference and satellite positioning division, Kongsberg Seatex. Leiv Eriksson is one of the first vessels to apply DPS 4D, which uses the latest advances in GPS/GLONASS technology, aided by inertial technology utilizing Kongsberg Seatex’s new high performance Motion Reference Unit, MRU 5+, to optimise signal tracking, integrity and availability for Dynamic Positioning (DP) applications under challenging GNSS conditions.

Ocean Rig reports that DPS 4D provided continuous, accurate position data during the transit of the Bosporus Strait, demonstrating integrity and availability of position data at all times.
“The Bosporus Strait is well recognised as being a hazardous area for navigation. Despite the bridges and other obstacles, which actually interrupted other satellite-based reference systems onboard, we were able to reference our position continuously, only because we had DPS 4D. The availability of position data helps to improve safety and efficiency of operations and I’m confident that DPS 4D will enhance future navigation and manoeuvring operations for Leiv Eriksson,” comments Stein Egil Svendsen, Marine Manager at Ocean Rig.