Who was in charge?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mark F Barnes on June 8, 2010 at 5:01pm

The Welfare and Legal Authority on any offshore rig is the OIM (Offshore Installation Manager) If you look at the the Maritime Licenses Posted in the Wheel House, His Name will be there, If the Coast Guard boards her, that is who they are going to look for as the Skipper of the vessel. There are plenty of arguments that the company man is in charge, but argue all you want, the OIM is the real and legal Honcho, and if a company man really pushes the issue enough, the OIM has the authority under maritime law to arrest the company man if he chooses to do so. The company man is in charge of overseeing the assets and operations of the operator, but the OIM is the ultimate authority on board. It is good practice for the two of them to get along and work together, but that rig is an Official Marine Vessel, flying under the flag of it's origin or birth. And the OIM is the Captain of that said vessel. No matter if it is a self propelled drill ship, or a towed Jack-up, Semi Sub, or Barge, it is a vessel none the less.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by William Moore on June 8, 2010 at 5:40pm

Mark,

Thanks for the clarification-nicely said. I worked many years ago as a logger on a Noble rig off High Island and there was an argument about when to evacuate when a hurricane was on the way. We got off just in time thanks to the rig skipper not waiting for the operator to make a decision. It was a rather wild ride down the lift basket to the work boat. Quite an adventure for a young geologist and engineer.

Based on some reports I have found concerning the decisions between BP and the Transocean skipper, I suspect the TODCO skipper should have overruled BP, as the situation was becoming more and more dangerous by the minute. He had the legal authority. My prayers go out to the families of those lost.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Don York on June 8, 2010 at 9:35pm

Mark,
For us unfamilar with offshore exploration/drilling, could you expound just a bit on the OIM in regards to his qualification requirements? I assume he is not "just' a skipper, but also has a pretty thorough knowldege of what's going on drill wise? Would a "Master of the vessel" of this type come up from US Maritime Academy or up the line thru offshore drilling?
Thanks

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mark F Barnes on June 9, 2010 at 12:26am

Every OIM I ever met came up through the Drilling ranks, and were basically Senior Tool Pushers that went and took the test to get their Maritime Pilots License, much like a tub boat captain working up from deck hand, except the OIM has to be certified for the excessive tonnage. But yes he is 99.9% of the time a toolpusher first. Not to say 100% because there are some of the larger drill ships, that have an OIM and an actual dedicated Skipper (Capt) as well, and then the Skipper is the last call legally. In those cases the OIM tends to the drilling aspect and all that entails and the Skipper deals with the DP crew and navigation necessities. None the less the OIM would still be a drilling based hand first and foremost. Hope I didn't murky up the water any......

Ace

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Don York on June 9, 2010 at 12:57am

Nope--no murky water, Thanks, and that's pretty much the way I had surmised--or hoped it would be.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Paul on June 10, 2010 at 9:50pm

This is just the question I wished to ask. It isn't clear from the photos just how the design of the rig could have contributed to it's loss of seaworthiness as a result of the fire alone. Did the water used in firefighting result in the instability which eventually resulted in the rig capsizing? This may not be the time for these questions to come out, but the time will come.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mark F Barnes on June 10, 2010 at 11:06pm

I would say that the rig lost ballast control, while the rig was full engulfed, and powered down, eventually the port side pontoon filled from either open valving, but more than likely from that intense heat eventually opened the skin on the port side, and when is lost buoyancy control, listed over, capsized and sank.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Paul on June 11, 2010 at 7:08am

Thanks for the reply to this question. I wasn't aware that these rigs are designed with dynamic stability control that could sink the rig if it failed. Fires happen at sea, even though we pray they don't. The design needs to be inherently stable. Spaces below waterline should be watertight. Please excuse my ignorance, It's just that I would have failed Marine Engineering 101 if I designed a rig that would sink itself in a fire. IMO, this spill isn't BP's fault, it isn't TransOcean's fault, it isn't anybody's fault. It is the result of a series of events that pushed engineering state-of-the-art to the limit. When this is all over, and the hole is closed in, it is time that everyone in and around the industry get together and improve the methods and designs. Drill On!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Overshot on June 11, 2010 at 8:06pm

And you can bet there will be a lot of (further) reviews and improvements William, in fact I'd be shocked if there isn't a whole lot of that happening right now.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mark F Barnes on June 11, 2010 at 10:13pm

Something already in the works from the scuttlebutt I have received, from no on there will be an MMS inspector assigned to every rig, 27/7. Instead of just making a visit every now and then, there will be a MMS inspector there to witness every casing point and subsequent cement job, BOP tests, etc, etc. The MMS was caught with their pants down around their ankles on this one as well, and they will be covering their a**** from now on you can bet on it.

• ▶ Reply