Page 92: of Marine News Magazine (November 2015)

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DYNAMIC POSITIONING

Credit: Kongsberg with ‘certi? cation,’ only Trondheim, Norway. The “Hornbeck Offshore will certainly encourage our training. Training consist- latter system is relatively mariners to use the OSVDPA program - both to ed of an induction (basic) new and Smith says that course, 30 days familiar- they have issued about 100 migrate existing DPO’s to the OSVDPA system, ization, then the advanced certi? cates, and with ca- and to commence their journey toward certi? cation (simulator) course. This, of veats, he gives them high for those entering the industry as new inductees.” course, didn’t make you a grades. “It’s very simulator- competent DPO nor were intensive. You’ve got to be – Carl Annessa, Chief Operating Of? cer there any checks and bal- a really good DPO to pass & Executive Vice President at Hornbeck ances. You were simply that scheme. Is that a viable trained in a classroom and option for all of the indus-

Offshore Services placed aboard a DP vessel try? No, I don’t think so. that likely had a different DP system.” So it’ll be a question of what they see as their market.”

And, then, says Kongsberg’s Urkedel, there is the wide range of differences in driving one type of DP system or Looking Ahead: another, on a different class of vessel. “The differences in In practice, there are today only three ? ag states in the

DP between an OSV and a Rig involve the complexity entire world that have made the requirement to have DPO of the systems and the nature of the operations. An OSV training; the Marshall Islands and the Norwegian Maritime generally has less power and subsystems. A Rig is gener- Authority among them. MarineNews asked Aaron Smith ally on station for the entire operations, while the OSV who might eventually recognize their nascent system as be- is generally changing location in support of the Rig or ing relevant. Smith ? rst answered by saying that the effort other offshore operations. A Drilling rig is normally set is entirely industry driven. He continued, saying, “What up to hold position and only a few heading changes are we are going to do is to seek approval from the chartering usually made during the drilling operation while a OSV, community. We will, I am very certain, be recognized on depending on its purpose can either hold station, follow a the same level as the Nautical Institute by (IMCA). We prede? ned track, follow a ROV or another target such as will also seek to have an independent review done by an a drilling unit or FPSO or a pipelayer and the DP Opera- organization af? liated with a classi? cation society. We will tor is actively using and interacting with the DP system.” also seek to have an accreditation of our program against

Clearly, then, one size does not ? t all. the ISO standard for certi? cation.”

A look at today’s DP competency certi? cation game The OSVDPA today counts among its membership at shows that there is, in fact, much going on. The Nautical least 25 companies, consisting of the full gamut ranging

Institute, for example, has issued more than 20,000 cer- from vessel operators, training providers and DP manufac- ti? cates. The other big scheme, the Modeling and Simula- turers. But the larger market also beckons. Smith estimates tion Center (SMSC), is a DNV GL approved scheme in that as much as twenty percent of all certi? cates are going

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