Page 30: of Marine News Magazine (May 2014)

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REGULATORY REVIEW deadline, to be reviewed by the Coast Guard as they de- velop the new regulations.

The Coast Guard estimates that such a regulation would affect approximately 2,200 foreign and domestic vessels engaged in OCS activities, including 1,800 offshore sup- ply vessels (OSVs), 150 lift boats, 125 MODUs, and 125 other vessels.

Auditing Contractor Compliance

For 2013, companies had the option to conduct SEMS audits internally with their own designated and qualifi ed personnel (DQP). The BSEE has now moved to an ex- panded regulation known as SEMS II, which is designed to enhance existing SEMS programs to include additional requirements related to employee participation and ad- ditional empowerment of fi eld-level personnel with stop- work and other safety management authority. SEMS II also requires that operators have an independent third- party audit conducted by an audit service provider (ASP) that has been accredited by the COS. While the operator may have members of its own internal organization on the audit team, a representative of the third-party fi rm must, at a minimum, lead the audit.

The fi rst contractor to pursue SEMS certifi cation was

Pacifi c Drilling (PD), a specialist in ultra-deepwater drill- ing services. Pacifi c Drilling selected Bureau Veritas, the global testing, inspection, and certifi cation group and

COS-approved audit service provider (ASP), to conduct the audit in accordance with Center for Offshore Safety (COS) audit protocols. “Pacifi c Drilling is dedicated to maintaining a safe working environment. We seek ways to engage the industry by participating in the various organi- zations that support safe work through the development of standards, policies and procedures, such as the Center for

Offshore Safety (COS). As a subscribing member, Pacifi c

Drilling has committed to have its management system audited against the SEMS Rule and API RP 75 as a ‘stand- alone’ Safety and Environmental Management System,” said Tony Seeliger, VP Americas for Pacifi c Drilling.

The Bureau Veritas SEMS Audit team conducted an on- shore assessment of Pacifi c Drilling’s management system at their corporate offi ce and an offshore audit of one of their drillships in the Gulf of Mexico to verify conformance with the applicable SEMS requirements. As RP 75 SEMS is de- signed primarily for production operations, there are sev- eral components that are not fully applicable to contractor activities. Thus, it was a joint effort to agree on the most effective customized framework for Pacifi c Drilling. Today, a full range of stakeholders are working in unison to review protocols to address contractor activities. The effort is ongo- ing and hopefully it will yield fi ndings that can be utilized as a best practice by the offshore community moving forward.

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