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Training is often seen as a vehicle on the road to safety, but a recent innovatory course at Maersk Training Svendborg underlined that it contributes to reducing bottom line costs and creates the environment for personal and team progression opening up possibilities for company development. West Africa is to Maersk Line one of the most exciting and fast developing regions in the world – so much so that they have a fleet of 22 commissioned and planned vessels especially designed for the purpose. The vessels are the first part of a progression which will see new ports serving new markets.

In May MT in Svendborg hosted the initial pilots course especially for West Africa when two pilots from Ghana and four from Nigeria spent a week at desks and simulators preparing for the moment they would have to take the 249 metre long vessels in and out of port.

Ground Breaking
Five months later one of the pilots broke new ground by safety taking Maersk Cunene out of Apapa in total darkness.

The choice before the Master was to leave as normal in daylight, but without a huge number of much needed containers for the Far East, or for the pilot to attempt in real life the manoeuvre he'd previously only experienced in a simulated bridge at MOSAIC.
The pilot's ability and new found skill with this one action alone saved Maersk Line an estimated US$100,000.

Observing the course in May was Stephan Martinussen, who as Head of Capacity Management for Maersk Line in Africa Liner Operations, was there to try and evaluate the training process. Already he has recognized that more has emerged from it than anticipated. 'What we have observed in Nigeria in particular, in Apapa, is a different willingness to go onboard Maersk Line vessels from the pilots, not only the ones we had here for training but also on the other pilots because there has been so much attraction on this extra education for them. They now actually want to be taken into consideration for future training sessions so actually it is not a problem for us to get pilots anymore. You could argue that getting a pilot is fairly easy, but in some parts of the world it can sometimes be a challenge,' said Stephan on a recent visit to MT for a share and stare session – sharing what was learnt and staring at the created possibilities.

Multi-benefits
- What was achieved on that Nigerian night went far beyond the dollars saved in bunkering.

'If you look at it from the Maersk Line point of view then this supports two of our pillars, because the more skilled the pilot is, the more reliability of getting the pilot on time, means we can be in the next port on time and not damage the vessel on the way. And then there is the environmental performance since if your bunker consumption automatically goes down it means our CO2 emission will also go down, added Stephan.

The WAFMAX vessels are already designed to be 30% more environmentally efficient, but their arrival in West Africa creates new demands on ports and their authorities. Although their length at 249m doesn't appear to be an issue, channels need to be dredged to meet their wide berth and or draught, which opens up a whole new set of navigational issues.

Many of these were exactly what were tried and tested on the MOSAIC simulators and it was in getting familiar with them that allowed the pilot to work that night. Up until that exercise there was a general unwillingness for vessels to have after dusk departures.
On the human side there were also tangible positives - when on the course in May the pilots said that what they liked about Maersk vessels is because they are kept to such a high standard, that they know when they ask for something it will be there and working. Now much has been done to eradicate the one major misapprehension they had, the uncertainty of guiding such large craft in relatively confined space.

In a way the four pilots who were on the first course have become like modern-day missionaries – their colleagues are keen to follow in their footsteps and port authorities have been awoken to the possibilities and potential to their countries.

Amongst the challenges is night navigation using leading lights. The simulators at MOSAIC allowed the lights to be put in place and then conducted the operation with the precise two knot current the pilots would have to face in real life. The simulators might also have a contribution to the development of future generations of WAFMAX.

Rig Deliverer

The need to anchor, as opposed to using dynamic positioning, has lead to small teams from the semi-sub rig Maersk Deliverer undertaking a training programme not normally faced by rig crews, but one very much at home in the maritime arena. The four-day Anchor Handling course has been especially modified for the rig teams and first five participants arrived in December. Five more rig team members arrive to MOSAIC early in the New Year.

By mooring out, the rig will be able to shut down the eight engines which normally hold it in position via DP, thereby saving fuel, but more importantly further reducing emissions on a rig which already has ultra high 'green' qualities.

The arrival of the Deliverer team at Svendborg had a very natural, almost inevitable feel to it. The initiative was triggered by the OIM of Deliverer who, because a sister rig Discoverer did it in Australian waters, thought it would be a good idea to know exactly what was in front of them. Added to this the OIM knew exactly what simulated training could offer because he had been on a special new buildings course in January at MOSAIC before the team even set foot on Deliverer.

It might be said that the arrival of the trailblazing Deliverer crew way back in January 2010 put into focus the huge potential for simulator training for rig crews and help to trigger the exciting MOSAIC II development which had its ground-breaking ceremony last month.

There was one other connection, Discoverer anchored in the Indian Ocean with the help of Per Fredricksen, a former MT instructor who is now a towmaster.

The new courses are very different to the process the Discoverer crew followed.
Instructors Kenneth Kroer Hansen and Michael Toftelund have been analyzing figures for the zone of operation and mooring details for Maersk Deliverer off the Angolan coast. 'We still need the procedures to be outlined by the operating company but we are in good shape and will be able to simulate everything that will allow them to keep in position in all conditions up to and including a 100 year storm,' says Kenneth.

The first team had two days of a general introduction to anchor handling including the differing values of various types of anchors and chains. Then they had two days in the simulator in scenario-specific operations.

The DP2 series of semi-subs (Developer/Discoverer/Deliverer) are designed to work in depths of up to 30,000 feet, but off Angola it will be in waters of well under 1,000 feet. This creates a whole new environment with its own particular problems – for instance the shorter the distance between vessel and drill head the less flexibility there is in the pipe.

'It is very important to realize that because of the power and ability of the computers we have, we can simulate any of the scenarios before they come and train for a specific job,' says Michael. 'But it is equally important that the level we test them to is also realistic and that they leave here feeling confident and ready for the job. It would be stupid to create conditions which would have them leaving uneasy.'

The two instructors really enjoyed the course since there was a considerable degree of inter-job crossover between the seafarers and riggers – often the same task, but now seen from the other end of the towmaster's rope.

Press Release - Maersk cut the first sod for new and highly advanced drilling simulator

This over DKK 50 million investment enables fabrication of a very lifelike simulation and once in place the new drilling simulators offer training situations so realistic that it is expected to further improve the safety conditions onboard the rigs and to increase the operational efficiency. With its sophisticated technology the simulators will provide the most advanced and tailor-made training available anywhere in the market.

"Safety is top priority in Maersk Drilling. The simulators enable our crew to train specifically in the surroundings they find themselves in when going to the rig. Further, with a more team oriented approach it offers a more realistic training compared to any other simulator in the market today. This will increase both safety and efficiency," says Claus V. Hemmingsen, CEO Maersk Drilling.

The three dimensional drilling simulators provide a real-life experience and will be customized to incorporate the specific designs of Maersk Drilling's latest newbuilding series and existing deepwater semi submersible rigs. The drilling- and rig control room simulator is expected to be operational mid 2012 with engine- and crane simulators operational in 2013. Both will be housed in a purpose-built complex at Maersk Training in Svendborg. Kongsberg Maritime and Drilling Systems LTD will deliver the platform for the new training facility.

For further information please call:

Claus Bachmann, Vice President, Maersk Drilling Operations, T: +45 3363 3203	Claus Bihl, CEO, Maersk Training, T: +45 6321 9901
Maersk Drilling provides high-efficiency drilling services to oil companies around the world. In addition to the four drillships and two jack-up rigs ordered in 2011, the modern fleet counts 26 drilling rigs including deepwater semi-submersibles, high-end jack-up rigs and cantilevered drilling barges. Maersk Drilling was established in 1972 and employs an international staff of 3,200 people.	Maersk Training offers a wide range of course and learning activities to the Maritime, Oil & Gas and Wind Energy industries. The activities are centered around nine product lines consisting of Maritime, Oil & Gas, Emergency Preparedness & Prevention, Crane & Logistic, Wind, People Skills, Safety, Security and HR Services. The learning activities take place worldwide with training centres in Denmark, UK, Norway, India, Nigeria and Brazil.

Learning Platform - Emergency Response Course

'Timeout!'

For two days the LNG simulator suite in the basement of Maersk Training's Svendborg hotel had been turned on its head. The classroom had become the instructor's control room and the LNG control room converted into the hub of an offshore platform. With the introduction of a two-way mirror and a wall of indication lights, the scene had been set for a very concentrated series of emergencies.

For the first time a production platform CCR team, eight guys drawn from Tyra East in the North Sea, were being subjected to intense situations they had never encountered in the past and could only hope that they will never do so in the future. Should they do so then these two days might prove to be the most valuable usage of free time they'd ever had.

In a temporary suspension of reality the atmosphere was one of palpable tension as they fought to deal with scenarios which Maersk Training instructors Ole Månsson and Morten Kaiser controlled from behind the double mirror. For the two instructors it was a significant milestone in a hectic schedule which only weeks ago saw them onboard the Tyra East platform, notebooks in hand, all pages blank. For Carsten Joest Nielsen and Training Coordinator Joan Qvist Jacobsen from Maersk Oil it was an important junction on a road journey they'd set out on some years earlier in search for a specific platform culture and importantly how to train for it. What was unfolding in front of them was the realization of Carsten's contribution to Process Safety.

'On day one we found that we didn't see the situation in the same way, but by using the Timeouts we gained that. In feedback one of the guys said that in the past he always assumed that the platform supervisor knew what was going on so he wouldn't have said anything - but now by communicating in the timeouts he had the chance to create a better, fuller picture,' said Carsten.

Much of the physical picture was created in MT building inspector Claus Jensen's workshop. Claus's contribution was quiet but huge – hundreds of LED's, many meters of wire and dozens of switch boxes and buttons, meticulously joined together in a format which to the uneducated eye was impressively complicated, but to the oil man stirringly informative. It wasn't sophisticated, but for this pilot Emergency Response Training course it more than sufficed. Added to the backboard were some of the most simple of tools, a white markerboard or two.

These of course were not revolutionary, but what was most pleasing Carsten was the way they were being used. The Timeouts were in search of clarity and clarity is only achieved with focus. The logging of the incident, minute by minute, allowed platform supervisor Flemming Marxen gain a clear view of what everyone was doing and the team members in return had the assurance that they knew exactly what the situation was.

'Considering the set-up, operating on a pilot budget, a lot has been achieved,' said Flemming adding that 'there was a noticeable adrenalin flow once the exercises started – it doesn't matter if you are on a platform or in the basement at MT as long as the people who contribute provide realistic situations.'

Carsten had suggested the training method in order to get crews away from platforms and into an environment where they could properly assess progress and practices. Emergency Response training in the past has been targeted at the top decision makers but what the course proved was that without the full picture, the 360° view, any decisions could be dangerously based.

'We have found a new way of working as a team. I've tried to use this in the past out on the platforms but we needed this particular environment to implement it – to practice and to see why it is important. Somewhere without production demands where we could rewind and revise,' he said.

The mixture of technical and people skills came as a particular bonus to Flemming. He'd spent the last decade on platforms in Qatar where on a typical there would be 35 different nationalities out of a crew of a hundred. 'It's a problem because some cultures respond with a yes because they think that is what you want to hear – working with a Danish crew is very different, they challenge a lot more, but the bonus is you also get more feedback,' said Flemming.

'Seeing the ship simulators down here it would be nice if we could build something similar for platforms –what is needed is for somebody to post in some money to make it more permanent. But we are off to a very good start,' he concluded.