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Since the introduction in 2002 of the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and Pollution Prevention (ISM Code), and the 1995 revision of the 1978 Convention on Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW Code), questions have been raised about whether it is possible to develop a safety culture in a fragmented, global industry and what effects the diversity of cultures might have upon implementation of the ISM Code. This study explores those questions. Subsequent to a review of the literature, a model of the working of the ISM Code is developed and used to identify the constraints and pressures, particularly those that might be influenced by cultural values and attitudes, that impact upon the development and implementation of a Safety Management System in individual shipping organisations. From analysis of the data the study concluded that professional, vocational and safety training correctly utilised are effective in harmonising culturally influenced safety perspectives, thus improving safety performance; and culturally influenced constraints and pressures can be dealt with by the application of standard management techniques which, in a multi-cultural environment requires good cross-cultural management skills.

As a first phase in its decommissioning the Maureen Alpha Steel Gravity Base platform was refloated from Block 16/29A on the UK Continental Shelf to Norway in late June 2001. In order to carry out the decommissioning approval had to be obtained from the UK Government of a Decommissioning Programme to be executed in accordance with the UK Petroleum Act 1988 and its Decommissioning Guidelines. The following are considered: discussion of drilling history; long-term monitoring; recovering of species diversity; links to industry study work; peer and academic review; disturbance modelling; environmental modelling and the actual disturbance of cuttings at the time of refloat. The availability of historical data over the life of the field allowed the owners to develop an acceptable strategy for the long-term management of the drill cutting accumulation within the Platform Decommissioning Programme. Supported by emerging information from the industry studies of drill cuttings and the demonstration of effective measures to deal with all environmentally sensitive activities an overall plan was constructed. The programme received rapid acceptance from the UK regulator and stakeholders.

An overview of the North Caspian Project is presented. This is the first exploration project in the North Caspian. The Caspian Sea represents the biggest inter-continental basin in the world. The North Caspian is shallow in particular the eastern part. The technical solution for the first drilling exploration in the North Caspian is briefly introduced. The drilling barge Sunkar (Parker Rig 257) was designed to withstand extreme ice forces and high reservoir pressures and also to cope with a highly poisonous corrosive hydrogen sulphide gas. As the barge is drilling in a nature preserve zone the highest engineering standards have been used. The drilling program started in 1999. The technical and commercial understanding of the realistic oil potential of the North Caspian Basin is described i.e. by 2010 the Caspian should be exporting some 3 million barrels a day two thirds from the North and one third from the South. In the longer term the North Caspian production could potentially even reach 4 million barrels in 2020. The forward speed of Caspian energy development still is heavily dependent of a sustainable $20/bl oil price plus and of material improvements in both infrastructure and financing risk. In the North Caspian successful disposal of material volumes of associated gas cap gas into Russia will also dictate the pace of these new oil developments. Continued pressure by Caspian governments on energy investors that would undermine the integrity of their Production Sharing Contracts will erode long-term investor confidence. The Caspian would then become substantially less competitive for global capital with all consequences. The evaluation of the political and development risks forX35601 The North East Frigg Field installations decommissioning

The need for the use of risk assurance technology has been identified by P&O / Princess Cruises as a means to better manage their business. A risk model has been developed to implement a proactive risk management strategy. The main reasons to develop a generic risk based model for a large cruise vessel were to improve the performance of the current fleet to learn from experience in the field and to provide a mechanism for predicting loss scenarios. Because of Princess Cruises' view of risk assurance as a strategic tool it was decided to base the risk model on a top down approach. Development of the model is discussed with reference to the reference framework development of the vessel operating structure chart hazard identification translation of the risk model into practical design information management of the model incorporation of field experience identification of design modification and interface with fleet regulations. The model is designed to interface with the design building operation and disposal of a vessel. Further development of the model is projected and this is described together with how the risk based work interfaces with Princess Cruises' well established ship and shore based management procedures.

The Hudson-Raritan Estuary and the New Jersey Atlantic Ocean shoreline are densely-populated regions that provide significant economic environmental and recreational benefits to the States of New York and New Jersey and to the US nation. Issues confronting the region include safe navigation and maritime security within one of the largest ports in the world water quality concerns and beach erosion and flooding along the heavily-populated New Jersey and Long Island shorelines. Since 1998 Stevens has been developing a network of operational coastal ocean and estuary sensors that provide realtime observations of weather and ocean conditions throughout the region.As the network has expanded and experience has been gained in the operation of the sensors and in the specialised needs of the array of data users the system has evolved significantly. A forecasting component has been added and 48-hour forecasts of weather and ocean conditions throughout the region are provided via the Internet. The modelling system is based on a high-resolution version of the Princeton Ocean Model. The model employs advanced data assimilation algorithms in order to optimise the use of the real-time ocean and weather data in the forecasting system.

The sediment in mangrove swamps is highly impermeable and therefore greatly impedes the transport of porewater solutes. Subterranean animal burrows provide an alternative pathway by which porewater can be conveyed to and from deep within the mangrove substrate. Burrows have been observed to penetrate up to 1.2 m and greater into the mangrove sediment. Subterranean burrows in mangrove swamps may be located in situ by use of an electronic probe. An array of ring electrodes mounted on a rod provides an effective means of measuring the apparent electrical conductivity in sediment. The variations in the conductivity indicate different sediment characteristics. The probe is used to locate voids in the sediment; i.e. burrows formed by animals. One the burrows have been located samples of the burrow water are extracted for testing. The concentrations of dissolved nitrogenous compounds and of salt are determined to investigate the tidal flushing of the burrows. The concentrations of nitrogen-based solutes compare favourably with previous studies and show little variation with depth. The salinity data support the hypothesis that significant mixing of burrow water occurs throughout the entire depth of the burrow. Methods are described and results are presented.

The raising of the Mary Rose in 1982 made headline news. As an archaeological event it ranked alongside Schliemanns excavations at Troy or Arthur Evanss discovery of Knossos, and so much information has since been gleaned from the wreck and its contents that there is an overwhelming tendency to treat the ship as a "time-capsule", like some Tudor burial site. But the Mary Rose is not just an archaeological relic. She is a warship that was revolutionary in her time and, despite being most famous for her loss in battle, a ship that had served her monarch for 34 years, almost the length of his reign. This book tells the full story of the construction and career of the ship, placing it firmly within the colorful context of Tudor politics, court life and the developing administration of a permanent navy. However, it also brings the story down to the present day, with chapters on the recovery and the new ideas and information thrown up by the massive program of archaeological work since undertaken. Written by the Development Director of The Mary Rose Trust and heavily illustrated from the massive resources of the Trust, this is a book which will appeal to general reader and specialist alike.

The assembly process in shipbuilding essentially involves the joining of large blocks. These blocks are typically all-welded thin plate structures. During the fabrication of these blocks distortions occur due to a variety of causes including the cutting and the welding. Even through it is practically impossible to eliminate distortion completely it is necessary to produce blocks with a sufficient level of accuracy so as to avoid problems in the course of assembly. Local shrinkage is produced as an unavoidable consequence of welding. While this shrinkage is the major cause of the geometrical error in the welded structure there are many other contributing factors that cannot be ignored such as initial geometrical error in the parts root gap of the groove positioning and fixture prior to welding. The welding sequence is one of the major contributing factors to the root gap and the misalignment and hence to geometrical accuracy. Generally there are two major causes of geometrical error in the welded structure. The first cause is local shrinkage due to the thermal cycle experienced in the weld zone. The local distortion can be divided into three categories namely longitudinal shrinkage transverse shrinkage and angular distortion. All three types are strongly affected by heat input shape of penetration plate thickness and joint type. The second cause is the gap and the misalignment produced in the joint prior to welding. Contributing factors on the gap and the misalignment are the welding sequence

Intermittent riser VIV behaviour caused by vessel motions can affect both riser strength and fatigue life. Frequency domain codes are available that are used routinely to calculate riser fatigue damage from VIV due to currents. These codes are often adapted to calculations of the vessel motion VIV and fatigue damage. The adaptations reduce the intermittent VIV to steady state VIV by assuming an appropriate time invariant velocity profile over the length of the riser. However since vessel motions cause a relative velocity profile over the riser that varies with time and the VIV response is intermittent a time domain VIV code is best suited for such an analysis. The use of Technip's time domain riser VIV code ABAVIV is demonstrated to calculate steel catenary riser VIV response and fatigue damage due to vessel motions. Since time domain analysis is computer-time intensive an efficient methodology to perform these calculations is also outlined. The analysis example in the paper is based on surge pitch and heave motions which are the most important vessel motions for the riser fatigue damage near the touch down region. The ABAVIV code accounts for the non-linear structural characteristics of the SCR and the unsteadiness of the VIV phenomenon for the present application.

A trimaran concept for offshore operations has been developed. Vessel features include low response in waves low resistance for efficient transfer over long distances launching positions for intervention equipment and a large deck area. The vessel may in different versions represent an interesting design to be used for field development and for inspection maintenance and repair in Northern Seas. Efficiency in operation has been focused on in the development of this concept. To build a vessel for the future one has to study where the industry is moving and where likely work will be coming up in the future. Advances in technology both in ship design and in subsea intervention are hard to predict and the capacities and characteristics for the future are hard to foresee. Some characteristics are however likely to be desired in the future as well. These are characteristics such as low vessel motions good fuel economy a large deck area and high loading capacity to name but a few. These characteristics are in turn perhaps not easy to combine. One vessel concept that combines some of these features in an elegant way is the trimaran. Concept development and theoretical analysis were followed up with tank testing. A 1:50 scale model was built and tested in a 60 m towtank. Resistance and Motion tests were carried out and compared with computer analysis. Comparison of results shows good consistency between analysis and tank tests.

There has been a global drive for renewable energy research and development. There are a number of renewable energy sources: wind power solar hydrogen electric geothermal biomass and marine energy. Tidal energy is a form of hydropower which concerts the energy in the tide into electricity. Tidal energy systems can further classified into two groups: tidal barrages which make use of the potential energy in the different in height between the high and low tides and tidal current systems which make use of the kinetic energy in the ebb and flood flow to drive the turbines. Tidal current energy conversion is reliable and has minimal negative environmental impact is cheap and continuous and is not weather-dependent. Scottish enterprise has estimated that about 34% of UK electricity demand can be produced from tidal currents; this signifies a huge untapped resource. A typical tidal current energy system is a simple system comprising a tidal turbine supported on a structure positioned to extract the kinetic energy of the ebb and flow of the tides. An electrical grid connected system allows for the supply of electricity to consumers. The area of interest is the tidal turbine and its support structure fully submerged in high-density flow seawater. A typical site for a tidal current energy device is a challenging environment

Oil and gas operators and their suppliers reported skills shortages in the key occupations of geologists geophysicists and subsurface-reservoir engineering. Sub-sea UK also reported deficiencies for highly qualified and experienced engineers. The lead-time to 'produce' an appropriate individual (right technical degree additional expertise etc) for the operator and sub-sea sectors requires long-term planning based on sound information and intelligence. The objectives of the research were to: understand the key factors which contribute to identified problems of the availability of people to carry out jobs-roles in geology geophysics and sub-sea engineering; evaluate the current provision within the learning supply chain; capacity; capability and current action; assimilate information from employers and learning providers such that recommendations can be made to improve agreed issues and challenges. The findings are reported and recommendations are made.

The new Freon-free international standard for oil-in-water analysis EN ISO 9377-2 was formally accepted in October 2000. The method is described. External calibration is used for quantification. The technical robustness of the new method is examined. This has been demonstrated through a number of validation studies and by inter-laboratory exercises. The historical robustness is also addressed. The method has been recommended by the Norwegian State Pollution Control Agency as the new reference method for oil-in-water. OLF (the Norwegian Oil Industry Association) and IMO have tested the method and suggested it for the analysis of discharges from oil-producing platforms in the North Sea and for the analysis of discharges from ships (bilges). Further discussions are going on in OSPAR about the possibility of including volatiles and monoaromatics (BETX) in the same analysis. The problem is where to set the lower limit of the method related to the hydrocarbon boiling point and also the need for detecting aromatics (including polyaromatic compounds) by more specific methods (GC-MS). Certified oil-in-water samples may be available in the future through an EU project that will be initiated in 2002.

NIWA (the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited) integrated a 30kHz Kongsberg Simrad EM-300 multibeam echosounder on their research ship to help meet the mapping and charting requirements of LINZ (Land Information New Zealand) and to support NIWA's science and consulting activities. Installation of the hull-mounted multibeam system was carried out and it was put through a series of stringent calibration and acceptance tests by LINZ prior to its performance of hydrographic charting in the Western Ross Sea of Antarctica. The LINZ Hydrographic Survey Standards are detailed together with their specifications for the Western Ross Sea survey NIWA's evaluation and selection of a multibeam system to meet these standards and specifications and the system's integration upon the research ship. Predicted error budgets are provided for the echosounder's vertical accuracy and feature detection capabilities. An evaluation of the calibration and acceptance testing and a comparison with the predicted performance of the multibeam echosounder are provided. Conclusions resulting from the Western Ross Sea 2001 voyage together with the mapping data collected by multibeam echosounder are presented. Experiences and issues associated with surveying in the harsh Antarctic environment during the February-March 2001 voyage are also detailed.

Corpus Christi (CC) Bay in Texas USA is a shallow wind-driven bay which experiences hypoxia (dissolved oxygen (2 mg/L)) during the summer months in the southeast region of the bay. Real-time monitoring systems have been developed and installed in the bay to measure various water qualities meteorological and hydrodynamic parameters. These systems can help determine the extent and frequency of hypoxic events in this energetic bay. DO (dissolved oxygen) is an important indicator of aquatic ecosystem health. Hypoxia develops when DO concentration in the water column dips below 2 mg/l ad most aerobic aquatic organisms cannot survive under these conditions. A 3D mechanistic dissolved oxygen model has been developed to investigate the key processes that induce hypoxia in CC Bay. This model includes variable advection and dispersion coefficients so that it can be driven by real-time monitoring hydrodynamic data. The results from model simulations indicate that hypoxia may occur at the lower depths of the bay when both stratification and higher biological activity conditions exist. The water column in the southeast part of the bay becomes stratified during calm wind conditions when there is inflow of hyper-saline water from the neighbouring Laguna Madre waterbody. This condition when combined with higher biological activity during the summer months induces hypoxia at the lower depths of the bay. The simulation results also point out that physical transport processes have more pronounced effect on the DO distributX36275 Mechanistic features of short fatigue crack growth kinetics for high strength steels in sea water

The fatigue life of a welded joint is sensitive to welding residual stresses remained in the joint. A new fatigue life prediction model for welded joints is presented. The effects of residual stresses are assumed to be equivalent to those of mean stresses. The keystones of the present model are hot-spot stress equivalent stress model to take account into the effects of residual stresses and residual stress relaxation model. Hot-spot stress is a very effect reference stress because the fatigue test data from many kinds of joints can be plotted on one curve by this stress. The residual stress relaxation model decreases residual stresses cycle by cycle and the equivalent stress is updated also cycle-by-cycle by hot-spot stress and residual stress. The fatigue damage is calculated by Miner's linear damage rule with the equivalent stress. This fatigue life prediction model needs two kinds of fatigue test with different residual stresses. Once being tuned by two specific fatigue tests this model can be applied to arbitrary stress ratio and many kinds of joints. Finally the present model was conceived by a couple of experiments as promising one.

An innovative float-over topside mating concept is presented that can be applied offshore for floating platforms. Float-over topside installation enables fabrication of a fully integrated deck to proceed in parallel with fabrication of the hull and therefore provides significant improvements in the construction schedule. Moreover as the topsides are built as a completely pre-commissioned stand-alone unit in one construction yard the offshore commissioning is reduced to its minimum. The designed system has been applied to the installation of two fully integrated decks to be installed on the OCTOPLUS. The OCTOPLUS is a new generation FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading Platform) with two independent decks that weigh between 10000 and 12000 t at installation. The basic principle is to connect the Barge carrying the topsides to the offshore site with the Platform using a system of tensioned members to synchronise the two floating structures. Once they are connected together the relative movements between the Barge and the Platform disappear and a passive system can be used to carry out the final load transfer. The tension members are provided with an adjustable top connector that can move downward under its own weight but cannot move upwards again. When released it drops down the steel member to make a rapid initial connection between the Barge and the Platform. As the waves continue to induce some relative motions between the two structures the connector will continue to ratchet dX27517 New offshore tanker proposed by Statoil

It has now become paramount to find sources of sand for beach replenishment and maintenance that will be both environmentally and economically sustainable. Recent discoveries by the USGS (United States Geological Survey) and others have indicated a potentially very large source of clean sand on ancient beaches between 70-130 m deep. These beaches are part of the Makua Shelf system formed some 40000 years ago. They are outside the reef at depths below the impact of storm waves and the removal of sand should not affect the present shoreline in any way. It now appears that these deep water beaches just beyond the reef cliff might be found Pacific-wide. The depth is however considerably greater than normally anticipated and the characterisation of the deposits using traditional vibracoring tools has been shown to be time consuming and expensive. This paper describes a new tool to measure in situ the engineering and environmental characteristics of unconsolidated seabed materials particularly carbonate tropical sands as much as 15 m thick in water depths of up to a maximum of 20 m from a small unanchored vessel. Although conceived for the characterisation of offshore carbonate sand deposits

SWATH (small waterplane area twin hull) vessels are becoming increasingly popular in many areas of the marine transport industry. Their superb characteristics in sea keeping overall stability ride comfort and quality are unique and attractive to those industry professionals who seek to maintain cruise speed and comfort in rough seas. 'Pipe Dream' a model SWATH is the product of two semesters worth of design and construction. The work was done in an effort to satisfy a challenge that required first a working SWATH whose design addressed those fundamental aspects of naval architecture marine engineering and ocean engineering which pertained to the boat. Second the challenge required a demonstrated method for measuring and correcting for pitch instability while the third part involved quantifying the performance of the model boat in rejecting wave disturbances. Using a detailed analysis of the Charles River 'sea state' and the traditional engineering theory associated with ship design Pipe Dream was physically designed to operate at natural periods in roll and heave which allowed for sufficient stability in its intended environment and also to withstand the structural stresses imposed thereby. Focusing more on the implementation than the design process the construction of Pipe Dream involved the development of the SWATH structure propulsion and steering systems pitch control scheme and the electronics used to read the sensors and drive the vehicle. Complex machining was required in many areas of the construction for waterproofing and design requirements and an even more complex electronics layout was engineered in order to meX25967

Compliant offshore structures like TLPs (tension leg platforms) are usually subjected to considerable uplift forces. These structures require foundations that can anchor them to competent strata. It has been common in the past to use piles to provide such a foundation. However there are difficulties associated with the installation of the long piles that are usually necessary particularly in deep waters. Largely because of these difficulties a new type of foundation the suction caisson has been developed and used to provide uplift resistance for a variety of in situ soil conditions. An extensive theoretical investigation has been carried out of suction caissons subjected to vertical uplift loading for cases where the behaviour of the seabed soil is undrained partially drained or drained. Theoretical solutions for the uplift capacity are derived based on the results of a finite element study and then validated by previous field experiments and model test results. The expressions developed in this paper for the uplift capacity take into account the influence of the aspect ratio of the caisson the shear strength parameters of the soil the soil permeability and the loading rate. Conclusions are drawn about the behaviour of suction caissons subjected to vertical pullout loads.