Page 91: of Marine News Magazine (November 2015)

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DYNAMIC POSITIONING “What we are going to do is to seek approval from the chartering community. We will, I am very certain, be recognized on the same level as the Nautical Institute by (IMCA). We will also seek to have an independent review done by an organization af? liated with a classi? cation society. We will also seek to have an accreditation of our program against the ISO standard for certi? cation.” – OSVDPA Executive Director Aaron Smith be more relevant. “It will also be more perience in one sector of the industry ment system ensures DPOs are trained dif? cult,” he says, adding quickly, “and were not always as competent in other to a common standard but requires quite frankly, it’s going to produce a sectors. Fundamentally, we saw the DPOs to demonstrate they’ve met better product. We view our system need to develop a service vessel speci? c that standard through an assessment as being the ‘Goldilocks’ between all scheme that included a competency customized to their boat and what other methods. The DNV-GL model assessment as part of its process.” their boat does. This system will, with- is based exclusively on simulators. It is Seacor’s Captain Summers has own out a doubt, set a new path for exist- a weeklong course, followed by a tiny spin on the process, direct from the ing DPO’s and aspiring DPOs. It will amount of sea time, and then if you vessel’s wheelhouse. “The OSVDPA’s change the way companies and DPOs pass the assessment, you are good to go. effort to set a common standard for alike think about safe DP operations.”

Then, you have the Nautical Institute DPO competency is second-to-none. Summers continued, “DP training

System which is completely different: But even more important is the OS- – and in particular, certi? cation – was it’s all based upon sea time. There are VDPA’s understanding that standard- an overnight freight train in the DP two courses, they have a very minor as- ization doesn’t mean one-size-? ts all. world. There was a time, not long ago, sessment at each of the courses, but it’s The OSVDPA’s training and assess- when most weren’t overly concerned all based on sea time.”

Using the ‘Goldilocks’ analogy,

Smith explains that the OSVDPA system is also ‘just right’ because it is based upon gaining experience and then proving that the operator has gained knowledge and ability during that experience-gathering period.

Industry Driven:

One Size Does Not Fit All

Hornbeck COO and Executive vice

President Carl Annessa last month brought the need for the OSVDPA scheme into easy to understand lan- guage, explaining, “The Nautical

Institute (NI) scheme had been the industry standard certi? cation mecha- nism for DPO’s for many years - but as the need for DPO’s dramatically in- creased, it seemed that a ‘one-size ? ts all solution’ was producing DPO’s in name only, and that as owners we were ? nding that certi? cate holders with ex- 91 www.marinelink.com MN

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