.. The FULLPICTURE...OSV. With increased capacity for deck load, fuel, drilling mud, drinking water,...

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

FOR USERS OF KONGSBERG PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

THEME Dynamic positioningWhen time is of the essence The upgrade of Safe Caledonia

John May Designing Power Management Systems

Tidewater – prepared for the future Interview with senior project manager

Charlie & Chuck Goodwill ambassadors for Kongsberg

It's all in the family at Donsötank

The 'Resurrection' of an East Indiaman

NORNE – Norse goddess of fate

02/05

TheFULLPICTURE magazine

"The DP system is critical to the operation of the vessel."Tim M. Clerc, Manager of engineering, Seacor Marine LLC.

THEME Intelligent EnginesTHEME Dynamic positioning

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

02/05

In the early 1970s, Kongsberg developed dynamic positioning

systems to increase the efficiency and safety of diving operations

in the North Sea. Today, DP systems are deployed on a wide

variety of vessels, enhancing safety wherever they are installed.

Please take a few moments to join us in pondering the impor-

tance of being a global player and of doing so by acting in close

collaboration with local partners. Karl-Johan Bakken, director

of Market and Operations at Farstad Shipping, explains his

company's strategy for international operations. This issue also

offers insight into joint operations in the US, not least for

companies working in the Gulf of Mexico. The interviews show

the importance of the trust generated by long-standing col-

laboration. Such collaboration also lays a foundation for effective

maintenance and upgrades throughout the life cycles of products.

Flexibility and the ability to work under pressure comprise

another key theme. Jan Helge Furnesvik, Statoil's head of

operations on the Norne field, paints a picture of the Norne

FPSO vessel upgrade and tells how potential perils were avoided

when the upgrade was achieved without interrupting production.

Another case in point is the Safe Caledonia, which was subjected

to a far-reaching systems upgrade while being towed to its next

assignment – a prime example of how outstanding cooperation

reflects favourably on everyone involved.

The combination of topics in this issue of The Full Picture

Magazine gives a sense of the diversity inherent in the collabora-

tion Kongsberg enjoys with key players in the maritime industry.

In developing Kongsberg System Technology, we have ushered in

a new era of shipboard integration, with multiple benefits ranging

from cost and installation to operation and support. Our most

salient point, however, is that Kongsberg has a global reach,

allowing us to be there for our customers whenever and wherever

we are needed.

GUNVOR HATLING MIDTBØ

Kongsberg Maritime, Vice President Communication

EDITORIAL STAFFGunvor Hatling Midtbø – KongsbergMaritime, Vice President [email protected] Toril Kasin – Kongsberg MaritimeEditor in [email protected] Risan – Kongsberg MaritimeCommunication [email protected] Sivesind – [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSHenning [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Trewern – SaltwaterCommunication [email protected]

DESIGNAnisdahl, Sand & Partnere [email protected]

PRINTERNor [email protected]

PHOTOSBjørn-Owe [email protected]ørn Grø[email protected] Aas [email protected] Toril [email protected] [email protected]Øyvind Hagen / Statoil ASAKongsberg Maritime ASLars Arvid [email protected] photoAnders [email protected] Officer David MosleyTed [email protected]

COPYRIGHTKongsberg Maritime AS

ADDRESSKongsberg Maritime ASKirkegårdsveien 45P.O.Box 483 NO-3601 KongsbergNorwayTelephone +47 32 28 50 00Telefax +47 32 28 50 [email protected]

THEME 1 Dynamic Positioning

2 Crewboats / Lars Kristian Moen

4 INTERVIEW / Tim M. Clerc / Seacor Marine LLC.

6 INTERVIEW / Charlie & Chuck / C.A. Richards company

12 INTERVIEW / Luis A. Sanders / Tidewater Marine, L.L.C.

14 PORTRAIT / John May

20 The upgrade of Safe Caledonia

28 PORTRAIT / Joe Glass / CalDive

INTERVIEW 8 Karl-Johan Bakken / Farstad Shipping

PRODUCT 16 Norne – Norse goddess of fate

24 The 'Resurrection' of an East Indiaman

27 The visual reality of full mission training

30 Simrad SP90 Sonar development – A Fisherman's world

32 Galileo – The Future of Positioning and Navigation

34 It's all in the family at Donsötank

36 NEWS / Kongsberg System Technology

37 NEWS / Tank Gauge

39 U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker

TRAINING 37 LNG courses enjoy the wind in their sails

38 Mariners in the mountains…

38 Setting a fast pace in Brazil

HINTS & TIPS 40 Kongsberg support 24 / Kongsberg Maritime in Korea

41 Expo

THE FULL PICTURE MAGAZINE

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

FOR USERS OF KONGSBERG PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

THEME Dynamic positioningWhen time is of the essence The upgrade of Safe Caledonia

John May Designing Power Management Systems

Tidewater – prepared for the future Interview with senior project manager

Charlie & Chuck Goodwill ambassadors for Kongsberg



NORNE - Norse goddess of fate

02/05

TheFULLPICTURE magazine

"The DP system is critical to the operation of the vessel."Tim M. Clerc, Manager of engineering, Seacor Marine LLC.

Contents Keeping you informed andafloat – whenever, wherever

..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

2

THEME Dynamic Positioning Article by LARS KRISTIAN MOEN / Photo: TOR AAS HAUG / SEACOR MARINE LLC

Dynamic Positioningand Crewboats

When offshore activities first began in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), crewboats werebuilt and used to transport personnel and cargo to and from offshore installationsjust off the coast. Unlike Offshore Supply Vessels (OSV), crewboats were usuallyoptimised for speed more than manoeuvrability, cargo capacity and station-keepingcapability. Crewboats traditionally operated like high-speed ferries for personnelbetween shore terminals and offshore installations.

Gradually the size of crewboats built in the GOM increased,

narrowing the gap between a traditional crewboat and an

OSV. With increased capacity for deck load, fuel, drilling

mud, drinking water, and dry cargo in addition to added

crew capacity and a transit speed of more than 30 knots,

this type of vessel is now challenging the OSV, especially

for remote deepwater support. The crewboat's development

into an OSV-type vessel has lead to the introduction of the

term Fast Support Intervention Vessel (FSIV). The FSIV is

optimised for the time-sensitive transport of cargo and

offshore workers to remote deepwater fields. Originally, the

term 'intervention' was used to indicate that the vessel

could intervene quickly by delivering urgent cargoes. Today,

the term Fast Supply Vessel (FSV) has probably superseded

the original FSIV.

In 2000, the first GOM crewboat installed a Dynamic

Position control system (DP) and was later upgraded to be

ABS DPS-1 compliant. The motivation for the vessel owner

was to optimise operations alongside offshore installations

with respect to time, regularity and safety. The Phillip A.

McCall, operated by the McCall Boat Company and owned

by Seacor Marine, was the first DP crewboat ever. The

aluminum vessel has six propellers, four rudders and

a small bow thruster.

Offshore crewboats are found in Far East, Middle East,

West Africa, Brazil, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. Today,

approximately 200 crewboats operate offshore in the US

sector of the GOM.

DP crewboats

One of the major offshore crewboat operators in the GOM

states: "Our initial motivation and the motivation that still

Crewboats from Seacor

Marine LLC – like an

elegant flock of swans.

3

drives us to use DP on a crewboat is to have safer, more

efficient vessels for our clients. With multi-engine vessels

and the need to stay on location longer, DP has proved to

be a very efficient tool for holding the vessel in position."

As crewboats become larger and carry more personnel and

cargo, more attention is being devoted to on- and offloading

next to the offshore installation. In the OSV industry, DP

and joystick systems have been used for this kind of opera-

tion for more than 20 years. OSVs normally have plenty of

bow thrust and stern thrust capacity to obtain thrust forces

and rotational momentum in all three (surge, sway and yaw)

degrees of freedom. Crewboats, however, are still built

for transit speed more than excellent maneuverability in all

degrees of freedom. With four to six main propellers featur-

ing 1200-2000 BHP each, and one 100 to 300 BHP thruster

in the bow, the station-keeping strategy needed to be

adjusted.

All DP control systems need position measurements.

Just as for OSVs working close to offshore installations, the

availability of accurate absolute measurements and relative

measurements requires attention.

As in all critical DP operations, attention should be de-

voted to the vessel's DP capability and Failure Mode Effect

Analysis. The USCG DP memorandum dated January 2003

defines requirements for support vessels involved with the

transfer of hazardous material. Crewboat operations along-

side offshore installations resemble OSV operations more

and more and the USCG requirement also appears relevant

for new crewboats and FSVs.

Since the first DP crewboat was commissioned, Kongsberg

Maritime has worked with Seacor Marine on the challenges

inherent in station-keeping without the bow thruster,

using just the main propulsion and rudder. Because of the

tight operational schedule for these vessels, the testing of

recently developed DP algorithms has been delayed several

times. However, in February 2005 during the sea trial of

Gulf Craft hull 459, time was planned to test this on Jenny

McCall. Vidar Sønderland has been responsible for the

preparation of this software and was also in charge of the

seatrial. The experience from seatrial and feedback from

Seacor is very positive.

DP operation for crewboats

The crewboat DP system is used when approaching the off-

shore installation and during offloading. When approaching

the installation, important factors include the position of

cranes and other on- and offloading infrastructure, together

with the environmental situation. If possible, a location on

the lee side of the installation featuring environmental

forces that will make the DP vessel drift away will normally

be used. The selected location will usually involve a compro-

mise between optimising these factors and the positions of

cranes and cargo on deck.

The FULL PICTURE magazine 02/05

Lars Kristian Moen,

technical sales manager,

Kongsberg Maritime.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Acknowledgements

The following Kongsberg Maritime team has been

onboard:

Ted Murphey, Nick Van Overdam and Jon Holvik,

Houston Sales & Marketing

Bjørnar Realfsen, Øyvind Løkling,

Lars Kristian Moen, Vidar Sønderland and

Odd Ivar Haugen

4

THEME Dynamic Positioning Article by ANNE TORIL KASIN / Photo: TOR AAS HAUG

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Seacor operates one of the world's largest fleets of diversi-

fied marine support vessels dedicated to supporting offshore

oil and gas exploration and development world wide. The

company's many crewboats carry personnel and supplies

out to rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2000, dynamic position-

ing (DP) systems were installed on these vessels to make

them far safer and more effective. Tim M. Clerc, manager of

engineering at Seacor Marine LLC, recounts the collabora-

tion with Kongsberg that resulted in new DP solutions that

are tailor-made for Seacor and its crewboats.

Seacor world wide

Seacor's fleet encompasses a broad range of equipment to

accommodate the varying needs of its customers and their

vessels. Seacor provides all services related to exploration,

development and production activities, including towing

and anchor handling, the delivery of cargo and supplies to

offshore rigs and platforms, transportation for offshore con-

struction and maintenance work, ocean towing, transporta-

tion for personnel and standby safety. Right now, however,

we want to focus on crewboats. These swift, efficient ves-

sels do not bear the least resemblance to the huge supply

vessels seen in the North Sea. Crewboats are used in the

Far East, the Middle East, West Africa, Brazil, Mexico and

The customer knows bestSeacor, Crewboats & Dynamic Positioning

Tim M. Clerc,

manager of engineering,

Seacor Marine LLC.

Interview

"DP helps optimizeoperations in termsof safety, regularityand time."


5

the Gulf Of Mexico (GOM). Today, approximately 200

crewboats operate offshore in the US sector of the GOM.

"We run one of the largest fleets of crewboats", says

Tim M. Clerc, explaining how the vessels are used.

"Crewboats were originally intended to carry oil field

workers to the platforms and rigs offshore, and to move

urgently required equipment around the oil field at high

speeds. Older crewboats were generally designed for speed

and to transport personnel. Newer crewboats, also referred

to as fast supply vessels 'FSVs', are generally larger and

have more cargo capacity. They are primarily used to trans-

port cargo on a time sensitive basis."

DP on crewboats

As crewboats became larger and carried more personnel and

cargo, on- and offloading next to the offshore installation

became more of a challenge. In the offshore supply vessel

industry, DP and joystick systems have been used for this

kind of operation for more than 20 years.

That was why we thought of putting a DP system on-

board crewboats. The idea eventually grew into collabora-

tion between Kongsberg and Seacor.

"Our cooperation in developing a DP solution specifically

for these vessels started a few years back", points out Clerc.

Kongsberg had broad experience of DP from supply boats

in the North Sea, but these vessels behave differently from

crewboats. Kongsberg invited us to engage in a dialogue,

and showed us what a DP system could do. However, there

was still something missing in terms of how to make this

work for us. The system had to be adapted to our crewboats.

"Kongsberg engineers closely studied how Seacor's

highly skilled captains operated and manoeuvred the vessels

learning exactly how they are used. They did this so that

they could replicate the operations. Kongsberg listened to

and worked closely with Seacor to develop an optimized

solution for our crewboats. DP helps optimize operations

in terms of safety, regularity and time. That is the main

reason it has been such a success."

Flexibility

Tim Clerc gets enthusiastic as he outlines developments in

the crewboat world. Customer-centric is a term he likes, and

not only when he represents the customer.

"Seacor defines itself as an enterprise that delivers

services and solutions, not merely vessels. Our objective is

to help solve the challenges facing our customers. On that

account, we require complete flexibility. This applies not

least to testing new solutions with the help of our suppliers.

Having the capacity to adapt to change is a basic necessity

in this industry. Flexibility, diversity and being there for

those who need us are important values for Seacor. These

are also among the reasons we have installed DP on all our

vessels. It gives us flexibility in terms of applications and is

of great importance for safety.

"Kongsberg and Seacor are currently testing the new

reference system, RADius. There is more to come, but we

still have a long way to go. Nonetheless, we plan to pioneer

this innovative path together", announces Clerc.

"Using DP, we further increased the operational efficiency

of these vessels by coming a little closer to the rig, building

vessels that were just a little bigger, taking more passengers

and cargo and operating more safely."

Safety

"Safety is a big issue these days, and there is a very strong

safety culture at Seacor Marine. It is perpetuated and

encouraged by initiatives led from the very top of the

organisation. Management and staff are fully committed to

the aim of zero accidents", continues Clerc. "We rely on our

systems and we need our people onboard to do the same.

It is important to build confidence in the system.

"The DP system is critical to the operation of the vessel.

As our experience operating these systems has developed

we have been able to extend the operating paramenters of

these vessels working in all kinds of weather, 24/7 all year

round. We are committed to giving our Captains the very

best equipment so that they have systems they can rely on

100%", concluded Clerc.

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Seacor – Fast Support Vessels & Crewboats

World's Largest Fast Support Vessels

Up to 8100 BHP

190' (58 m) length overall

32 Knots top speed

350T deck load capacity

Up to 102 passengers

Large capacities for cargo fuel and water

Deck-mounted bulk tanks

Fire fighting capability

Dynamic ride control

Dynamic Positioning

Controllable Speed Propellers & Monitoring System:

CSP-proven in support of deepwater operations

FACTS ABOUT

"Kongsberg's engineers threw themselves into the lives of ourships' masters, familiarising themselves with our vessels andlearning exactly how they are used."

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

6


We are proud to be part of Kongsberg. The company has become a world-class supplier of maritime electronics in all business areas.

Charlie and Chuck Richards, The C.A. Richards company.


7

The C.A. Richards company, with father Charles and son

Chuck at the helm, has been in business since the early

1970s. Conveniently located in Texas, the US heartland of

offshore and oil-related activities, the company offers its

services as 'Manufacturer's representatives specializing in

marine electronics'. Few people know the maritime markets

involving "academic, diving, geophysical, government,

navigation, oil and gas exploration drilling, and underwater

robotics", better than these guys. As a result, Kongsberg's

sales office in Houston cooperates closely with the

C.A. Richards company on plans, strategies and advances

in respect of new customers and markets.

"We started representing some of Kongsberg's product

portfolio in the early 1980s", recounts Charlie. "However,

since 1993 we have been involved in the sales and market-

ing of all Kongsberg's products, a fairly extensive list

these days!

"We've enjoyed good collaboration with Kongsberg right

from the start. Of course, business really picked up during

the boom in the mid-1990s, not least for Kongsberg. We've

enjoyed watching the enterprise grow into today's healthy

business, featuring a service and support department in

New Orleans and sales offices in Houston."

"Kongsberg has acknowledged the need for a local face

in this geographic area, and we believe we are an important

success factor in that context", Chuck takes over. "Not all

enterprises have understood this. When push comes to

shove, the maritime world is a small community that calls

for a great deal of local knowledge and an understanding of

local culture. This is where we can help Kongsberg. 'We are

small in geography, but large in scope'", he laughs.

Charlie and Chuck underline the need for maintaining an

open and honest dialogue with Kongsberg. Information has

to be shared freely, for better or for worse, to achieve good

results. Mutual trust is an important factor when several

players are working towards a common goal.

"We have monthly sales meetings where we review our

status and objectives", Chuck points out. "All items are put

on the table at these meetings, and that is useful."

"We are proud to be part of Kongsberg", comments

Charlie. "The company has become a world-class supplier

of maritime electronics in all business areas. Of course, that

was not always the case", he says seriously, but with a

twinkle in his eye. "Today's enterprise takes customer feed-

back very seriously. We agree completely with Kongsberg

that the customer come first. That also means customers

can be confident that we will always solve their challenges,

and that is reassuring."

Old memories suddenly start popping up, and the con-

versation takes off. Memories of mistakes that were made,

mainly linguistic and cultural misunderstandings and jokes,

in addition to stories of rewarding experiences and contracts

won. Given their long experience of collaborating with

Kongsberg, few people have so much knowledge about the

parent company as these fellows. You might say that they

really have 'the Full Picture'.

They say they have learned to live with 'the northern

attitude', as they call it. They are referring to Norwegian-

style communication and willingness to understand each

other. "The only thing we still don't understand is why the

entire country of Norway closes down every July. It must be

really nice in Norway at that time of the year", they laugh,

referring to Norway's general factory holiday that more or

less brings the entire country to a standstill. However, they

are quick to point out that Kongsberg recognized the need

for customer support regardless of the season and have for

many years kept their 24 hour service and parts depart-

ments open 'even in July'."

Charlie & ChuckGoodwill ambassadors for Kongsberg

Given the size of the planet Earth, it is ideal for an enterprise headquartered inNorway to have local goodwill ambassadors here and there. Kongsberg has a num-ber of these indispensable helpers, including Charles (also known as Charlie) andChuck Richards, who operate in the US states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

C.A. Richards and

the Kongsberg team

in Houston.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

8

Farstad Shipping– Gazing outacross the seaAn international operation with modern offshore service vessels


Interview

"Once we choose a supplier, we establish a sort of symbiosis. We work together to achieve good results."

Karl-Johan Bakken, director, Market and Operations, Farstad Shipping.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................


9

"Our strategy is to be a major international, long-term operator of large,modern offshore supply vessels."

Norway, a seafaring nation, a long coastline, fjords and high

mountains. The country's history is closely intertwined with

the sea. Fish, oil and access to the rest of the world through

extensive shipping activities have had a tremendous impact

on Norway and the country's trading activities. Situated

about halfway up the length of Norway is the charming

west-coast city of Ålesund, a city founded on the basis of

fisheries and shipping. Ålesund is also the home port of

Farstad Shipping, a world leader when it comes to AHTS

(anchor handling tug supply vessels) and PSV (platform

supply vessels).

The company is centrally located, with a panoramic view

of the North Atlantic. It is the heart of an administrative

system that oversees 47 vessels and seven newbuildings. In

Farstad's venerable premises, skilled individuals coordinate

activities aimed at offshore rig operations and other off-

shore-related activities the world over. Karl-Johan Bakken,

director, Market and Operations, gazes out his office

window and sees other oceans, markets and opportunities.

Farstad operates on the international arena. The company's

strategy is 'to be a major long-term international operator

of large, modern offshore supply vessels'.

Growing ever since the 1950s

The Farstad family has been in the boat business for many

years. Like so many of Norway's family-controlled enter-

prises, the shipping company got its start on the tanker and

cargo carrier markets in the 1950s. The Farstad family was

smart, however, and sold its entire fleet in 1972. That pro-

vided capital and fertile conditions for moving into offshore

activities in the North Sea back in 1973, making the com-

pany a pioneer in the industry.

"The family reinvested in the offshore industry, and was

the first to order a UT 704 AHTS design from the Ulstein

Group (now Rolls Royce, ed. com.)", Bakken points out.

"That turned out to be a very prudent move. Expansion

continued and the company went public in 1988. Up to

then, the company had handled most of its operations on its

own. Being a listed company involved having more owners,

and had a certain disciplinary effect on the company, not

least with a view to communication and structures. Several

vessels were acquired from other shipping companies before

the oil industry ground to a standstill in 1986-87. Activities

picked up again in the 1990s, leading to more orders and

more hustle and bustle. The company also took part in that

expansion. Farstad was in the offshore supply vessel market

early, and has always done its share to do what needs to be

done", remarks Bakken.

The company expanded further in the 1990s. Farstad

developed its international activities through partnerships

in Australia and Brazil. Bakken recalls several initiatives that

turned out to be lucrative. Roughly 25 per cent of the

world's supply fleet is in the segment in which Farstad

operates. Well-equipped, sophisticated vessels are the key

to this success.

Newbuildings and cooperation

"There are exciting things going on these days", continues

Bakken. "We currently have 47 vessels and six newbuildings

under construction. Three of them are being built in Brazil,

while the other three are being built at Norwegian ship-

yards. Most of our vessels have been built at Norwegian

shipyards and we carry a lot of Norwegian equipment. This

is a deliberate choice. One of the main reasons the Norwe-

gian shipping industry has been successful over the years

has been cooperation and interaction, not least as regards

development projects. The Norwegian maritime cluster and

Norwegian seamen are important if the industry is to con-

tinue to develop. Although we're in the shipping industry,

we also provide services, not merely transportation."

Atmosphere for feedback

Bakken grows enthusiastic as he explains the importance

of having good product quality, and tells about how close

dialogue between the various players in the industry is

a prerequisite for achieving good results. He mentions the

value of the human resources on board, discussing how

important it is that the crew dares to provide feedback for

the people who work in the office. "It is absolutely essential

for our future development that we work in an atmosphere

that enables people to make suggestions about what can

be done better", he underlines with a serious demeanour.

"Good communication with employees is crucial to our

further success."

A multi-dimensional enterprise

"We have become a multi-dimensional enterprise in many

respects", reports Bakken. "In terms of marketing, our

'home market' spans the globe. Culturally, we have roots

in several countries. Moreover, Norwegian culture has

10

changed in recent years. The market as such is also in

flux. From being a Norwegian-based international exporter,

we are now an international player. The phase we are

currently in requires that we build structures to meet these

challenges."

One cannot help but feel optimistic when talking to

Bakken. With determination, zeal and infectious enthusi-

asm, he speaks with pride about the company of which he

is part. Identity is a word he mentions emphatically and

repeatedly. A sense of belonging and commitment on the

part of those who work for the organisation, combined with

a common corporate culture, is far more than a necessity.

It is the very platform we stand on for dealing with future

challenges.

Clear objectives

"Strategically speaking, we aspire to continue to be a strong

player in the high end of the market for offshore supply

vessels. We want to operate in the segment that needs the

largest, most sophisticated vessels".

Bakken is well aware of the tasks facing Farstad. Tech-

nology, safety and people are all intertwined, and all of

them are vital for Farstad's activities. "Focusing on health,

safety and the environment is a method that, historically

speaking, has been of the utmost importance in the North

Sea. That, in turn, has had an impact on the technology

carried on the vessels and subsequently had an effect

on international offshore activities. Our main role is in

the segment for high-technology vessels concerned with

safety", remarks Bakken.

Farstad's culture

Stability and a strong platform are key to Farstad's business

operations. The goal is long-term chartering, but that is

not always easy in a market in flux. Given these objectives,

you have not exactly chosen the easiest pathway to success.

What do you see as the real explanation for your interna-

tional success?

Bakken pauses for thought. "I think it is related to our

attitude to people, no matter who we are dealing with.

Farstad has its own culture, which is very open. We are

open for people to be non-conformists and different; we are

open to the idea that expertise must be built up over time,

i.e. that everything and everyone is not completely

'evolved' to perfection when they first come into contact

with Farstad. We focus on our fleet and on overall product

quality. Our sailing crews contribute to that quality; team

spirit is important on our vessels."

Good vendors are important

"The Farstad people have chosen to work with a cluster of

players in the industry that are all concerned with making

safe products. Kongsberg is part of that group. We are con-

cerned with transparency across the board, and we choose

our suppliers accordingly. An agreement is an agreement.

Businesses must stand for what they say and do", Bakken

points out with conviction. "We invariably look for the best

in the market with a view to price, quality and performance.

Once we choose a supplier, we establish a sort of sym-

biosis. We work together to achieve good results.

"We are an international company, meaning access to

services is very important to us. We need to know that we

can get help whenever and wherever we need it, so that is

an important criterion when we choose suppliers.

"Kongsberg and Farstad have traditionally been two

enterprises that have a great deal in common when it comes

to image", continues Bakken. "Quality, performance and

the best solutions distinguish both companies, and what

we demand of our suppliers has not changed, i.e. good rela-

tions, a presence and high energy will continue to be of

significance for the choices we make."

When we ask about the prospects for the future, Bakken

suddenly breaks out laughing and gives the shortest answer

of the day – but insists it remain off the record. A guy has

to be allowed to have a few secrets! But as he gazes at the

ocean outside his office window, he says very frankly:

"The future? Well, it will be nothing if not exciting!"

"We want to operate in the segment that needs the largest, most sophisticatedvessels."

11

PRODUCT Article by ELI STRINDEBERG / Photo: JØRN GRØNLUND

The Full Picture Magazine accompanied representatives

of Kongsberg Maritime and the sister company Kongsberg

Defence & Aerospace (KDA) for a demonstration of the

mineclearing equipment deployed on the KNM Karmøy.

The vessel carries tactical systems, bridge and navigation

equipment, automation systems, sonars, dynamic position-

ing, surveying and mine clearing equipment, all made by

Kongsberg.

"Given the range of equipment we can offer for this type

of vessel, we have further developed the concept and can

offer complete systems", says Ivar Flage, marketing manager

for Naval Defence Systems at KDA. Kongsberg Maritime's

capability within ship systems and hydroacoustics and

KDA's capability in minehunting make Kongsberg unique

in this context.

Demonstration on the KNM Karmøy

Representatives of the Australian Navy had contacted

Kongsberg's department for naval defence products. They

were interested in minehunting technology in general, and

the autonomous underwater vehicle, HUGIN 1000, in

particular. The Norwegian Navy made the minehunter KNM

Karmøy and its crew available for the customer demonstra-

tion. In the grey light of dawn on the quay in Bergen, the

Australians first got a demonstration of the Minesniper.

Then the group set out to sea to test the surveying vessel

HUGIN.

"We are beginning to lean towards this kind of tech-

nology", stated Commander Wesley Heron of the Royal

Australian Navy. "We are currently travelling the world to

examine different types of AUVs (autonomous underwater

vehicles), and we have heard many words of praise for the

HUGIN", he continues.

Naval assistance

The crew of the KNM Karmøy demonstrated all aspects of

operating the HUGIN. The Australians got to witness first

hand the rigging, launch, and retrieval of the vessel and the

processing of data. The crew, under the command of Captain

Jo Tidemann, willingly answered questions and recounted

their experience with HUGIN.

"The Royal Norwegian Navy has made tremendous headway

in operating these systems, and the officers are very proud

of that. This makes them good ambassadors and first-class

sales representatives for our equipment", says Svein Otto

Schjerven, marketing manager for naval defence products

at Kongsberg Maritime, who has 30 years in the Navy to his

credit. "We are very grateful for the support we get from

the Navy. We appreciate that they are there for us and are

willing to demonstrate our equipment", Ivar Flage adds.

Useful day

"This has been a most useful and informative day for us",

observed Dr. Stuart Anstee of the Australian Department

of Defence, once back on terra firma. "It is one thing to read

about the equipment in journals, and another to see it in ac-

tion at sea. It was worthwhile to see the entire process and

to talk to people with first-hand experience", he continued.

"We also couldn't help but be impressed by the consis-

tently professional seamanship demonstrated by the crew",

concluded Lieutenant Commander Peter Johnson of the

Royal Australian Navy.

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

HUGIN is an autonomous underwater vehicle that surveys the seabed and objects

located on the seabed or in the water.

Developed through collaboration with the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment,

the Royal Norwegian Navy and Statoil.

HUGIN is number one on the commercial market.

To date, six HUGIN vessels have been sold:

1997 – The first HUGIN was put to commercial use in the North Sea

1999 – C&C Technologies Inc. purchased a HUGIN 3000

2002 – Geoconsult purchased a HUGIN 3000

2004 – The first prototype of the HUGIN 1000 was installed on the KNM Karmøy

2004 – Fugro purchased a HUGIN 3000 and C&C Technologies Inc. bought a HUGIN 4500

2005 – C&C Technologies Inc. purchased a HUGIN 3000

In its class, HUGIN is the only operative AUV made for military applications.

In autumn 2004, when on assignment for the standing NATO minehunting forces in

northern Europe, the KNM Karmøy demonstrated HUGIN's functionalities. HUGIN 1000

has also participated in a number of exercises and demonstrations in Norway and abroad.

FACTS ABOUT

Minehunting with KNM KarmøyThe autonomous underwater vehicle, HUGINMineclearing vessels in Norway are loaded with Kongsberg equipment.One fine day in February, it was time for a demonstration.

12

THEME Dynamic Positioning Article by ANNE TORIL KASIN / Photo: TOR AAS HAUG / ANNE TORIL KASIN

During the 49 years of Tidewater's existence, the company

has grown and changed along with the energy exploration

industry it serves. It has maintained a leading position as a

premier offshore support vessel operator by expanding its

scope of operations to encompass virtually every corner of

the world where offshore oil and gas exploration takes

place.

Kongsberg is one of the companies that contributes to

Tidewater's growth and development. A number of the com-

pany's vessels carry equipment that displays the Kongsberg

logo.

The Full Picture Magazine met with Luis A. Sanders,

senior project manager at the main office of Tidewater

Marine, L.L.C. in New Orleans, Louisiana. On a busy Friday

afternoon, he took the time to answer a few questions.

He gives a spirited account of the company's efforts, which

are almost unparalleled.

Please give us a brief description of:

…the development of Tidewater

In 2000, Tidewater Inc. launched a new construction pro-

gramme that cost between USD 300 to 350 million in an

effort to position the company to fill a new market niche

for deep water exploration. Since then, Tidewater has spent

an additional USD 1 billion toward the replacement of its

fleet. A large number of these vessels are equipped with

Kongsberg Dynamic Positioning Systems.

Tidewater Prepared for the future

Interview


13

…what is important when choosing vendors?

When we choose vendors, it is very important that their

product solutions are trustworthy. We cannot afford fail-

ures. Having said that, nothing is 100 per cent perfect. On

that account, we are also very interested in the support our

vendors can offer. We are engaged in worldwide activities,

and we require the same of our partners. A good support

system is therefore important when we choose our vendors.

Finally, a good track record is essential. It is worth mention-

ing that we assess our partners continuously, and we invari-

ably seek the best solutions for our company.

…Tidewater's relationship with Kongsberg

I have a good dialogue with several of the company's

employees in the US, Norway and Singapore. We have

constructive discussions, and always achieve results. Good

support and help are essential for a good dialogue. I'm also

pleased that Kongsberg has offices around the world, which

means that we maintain local relationships wherever we

happen to be, and that is essential for a worldwide opera-

tion like ours.

…about Tidewater's attitude to safety

Tidewater's safety philosophy is that employees' health

and welfare should be among the main considerations in any

undertaking. Additionally, the protection of company assets

and the environment are also primary concerns. No job is

so important that we cannot take the time to do it properly,

and therefore complete it safely. This philosophy enables

Tidewater to deliver the highest quality services to its

customers and the best possible returns to its shareholders.

One key to Tidewater's success is 'customer service'. There-

fore, Tidewater provides initial and ongoing training for its

people, stressing safe operations and professional service.

Our company's philosophy is that having the best equip-

ment won't help if that machinery isn't controlled

and operated by professional, knowledgeable and skilled

employees.

As you know, safety is of paramount importance to

Tidewater. We take pride in the fact that we are the safest

company in the industry.

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Tidewater

In 1955, ten investors put up money to build the

Ebb Tide, designed exclusively as an oil and gas support

vessel. Those ten individuals helped launched Tidewater

and set in motion what later was to become a worldwide,

multibillion dollar offshore support industry.

Now, nearly 50 years and over 560 vessels later,

Tidewater remains the industry leader, following oil and

gas exploration around the world into increasingly deeper

waters off of six continents while continuing a proven

record of safety and service. The Company has its head-

quarters in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Kongsberg on Tidewater

"Tidewater Marine owns and operates the world's largest

fleet of supply and anchor handling towing supply vessels,

serving virtually the entire international offshore industry.

We are therefore very pleased to have been chosen as

a vendor for such a trendsetter in this market. This also

corroborates our role as a world leader in dynamic posi-

tioning systems", concludes Tor Erik Sørensen, executive

vice president, Sales & Marketing, at Kongsberg Maritime.

FACTS ABOUT

"When we choose vendors, it is very important that their product solutions are trustworthy. We cannot afford failures."

Luis A. Sanders, senior project manager, Tidewater Marine, L.L.C.

14


John J. May is such an individual. He is known for his love

of and dedication to designing and building power / power

management systems for the offshore drilling industry.

These days he is a busy pensioner who runs his own consul-

tancy, Engineering Services, PLLC.

The superlatives flow freely when we ask people in the

industry to describe John May. "He is a first-rate engineer,

a very capable specialist, practical, solution-oriented and

highly respected", they say. These words make us think of

a know-it-all businessman, but we couldn't be further from

the truth. Sitting before us is a modest, level-headed man.

He has not been driven by the desire to cash in on a quick

profit, but quite simply by his ambition to design and build

dependable and reliable power systems for the drilling

industry – 'power systems that will not black out'.

Ultimate power systems

John May's strength lies in his expertise and his work has

always given him great joy. He reports that he has been in

the oil business since the early 70's and that his grandfather

on his mother's side worked for Mobil Oil for 39 years

and his grandfather on his father's side worked for Sun Oil

Company for 29 years.

John's very extensive CV reflects a long career featuring

a wide range of responsibilities. He acquired his interest in

power systems while studying electrical engineering at Texas

A&M University, who helped him land summer employment

with the Houston Lighting and Power Company. After

graduation John worked for the General Electric Company,

Powell Electric Company before starting his offshore drilling

career at Reading and Bates in 1973 which continued more

than 30 years ending in John's retirement from Transocean

in 2003. Reading and Bates was merged into Transocean in

2000. His work has been motivated by the desire to create

the ultimate power system. That was the dream that brought

John May into contact with Kongsberg for the first time in

the late 1980s.

First Kongsberg system

We bought our first Kongsberg vessel management, power

management and dynamic positioning system in 1996.

It was our first foray into the drilling dynamic positioning

business and Kongsberg's willingness to spend time with

our engineers describing their systems and the options

available was truly an educational experience for everyone

on our project team", recalls John May.

Memories stream in, and May talks about different

projects in connection with the drill ships, 'Deepwater

Pathfinder', 'Deepwater Frontier', 'Deepwater Millennium',

and semi-submersibles 'Deepwater Nautilus' and the

'Deepwater Horizon' in addition to some other large vessel

modification programs. Kongsberg was the system suppliers

for all these vessels.

"'Deepwater Pathfinder' was the first major Kongsberg

system I worked with. That was also where I gained a

genuine appreciation for the importance of a power system

that is 100 per cent reliable. A blackout can have disastrous

consequences on a drilling dynamic positioned vessel, so

there was motivation to design a power / power manage-

ment system that would be immune to blackouts."

"In order for a fully dynamically positioned drilling rig

to perform safely in deep water, the design of the power

generation and distribution plant, along with its controls

and protection systems must be reliable and redundant.

On the drill ships, the power system was divided into three

equally important sub-systems and the Kongsberg power

management controls would operate the power system as

one, and if there were problems in one subsystem this

John MayDesigning Power Management Systems

Portrait

.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Some individuals have professional integrity far beyond the reach of most ordinary mortals. Such people make their mark on an industry by making the rightdecisions at the right time. This refers to individuals with the knowledge andauthority needed to drive an industry forward by challenging their surroundings.

15

would be isolated from the healthy subsystems by the

Kongsberg controls. This was of vital importance to the

design and the implementation proven when the industry's

top FMEA provider pronounced, "This is the first vessel

I was unable to blackout".

"During the quotation stage, a schedule was developed.

It encompassed system integration meetings between the

major vendors, the shipyard and of course, the owner's

team. These system integration meetings continue about

every 6 to 8 weeks up to and including the customer factory

acceptance test. The vessel systems we used at that time had

been modelled on the first cut of our system software, inter-

active operator screens had been developed, and the tests

were carried out at the plant in Kongsberg. The acceptance

tests were attended by the major vendors, the shipyard en-

gineers, the owner's engineers, and the key operating per-

sonnel, including the captains and first mates.

"The next phase was the shipyard installation and on-site

commissioning. The Kongsberg project manager continued

to work in the factory making trips to the construction site

every four to six weeks to coordinate installation and com-

missioning with the Kongsberg lead on-site servicemen.

Our shipyard team was a key participant in the commission-

ing and testing conducted by the shipyard acceptance

testing team.

"Then along came the first sea trials. We had the normal

or usual problems, e.g. systems that needed tweaking

– some more than others. Kongsberg's ability to track and

revise the documentation to keep-up with the system

changes was outstanding, and it continued right up to de-

livery. The first system was delivered on schedule. The ves-

sel departed Korea and headed for the Gulf of Mexico with

one Kongsberg general purpose engineer on board, more

for security than to satisfy a work schedule.

"The second drill ship was contracted before the first one

was completed. The second was started in the summer of

1997. A third vessel was scheduled that autumn. All the

vessels were delivered, each requiring less and less tune-up

work during commissioning and sea trials than the one

before."

Communication essential

"As an engineering manager, I have always tried to establish

a direction, and to be clear with everyone about the philoso-

phy underlying the project. I have trusted and depended on

my design engineers and our construction team. I try to give

them as much design responsibility as possible within the

parameters of the design philosophy and objectives we have

defined. This is the same philosophy used in working with

the vendors as well as the shipyard. I believe in taking a

positive approach to most situations that arise. Things often

boil down to personal preference for design details and as

long as these can be intelligently discussed, the best solu-

tion for all parties can be selected. The owner, the vendors,

and the shipyard must have and strive to achieve a com-

monly agreed target."

Still going strong

In one sense, John might be called a pensioner, but that

wouldn't be entirely accurate. He really is still going strong.

"I try not to work as much as before and have cut back to

working 40 to 60 hours a month. That leaves me time for

the family, golf, jet-skiing and boating.

"As long as work is fun, I want to continue. I work so that

I can continue to learn. Kongsberg has so many smart engi-

neers", he laughs: "You can't help but learn something from

your association with them. That makes it all worthwhile."

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

16

Article by ANNE TORIL KASIN / Photo: LARS ARVID OMA, STATOIL AND ØYVIND HAGEN

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Norne was the collective name for three goddesses of fate in Norse mythology. The three Nornes could spin the threads of people's destiny, determining birth, life and death. What an exciting inspiration for an oil field and a ship that bears the same name!

NORNENorse goddess of fate


17

Far out in the North Sea, 200 km from land and at a depth

of 380 metres, we find Norne. At present, it seems as

though the fate of this oil field is in the hands of the god-

desses whose name it bears. And the goddesses are

obviously optimistic with a view to the future. Phrases such

as further development, upgrades, new discoveries and

initiatives are applied to the Norne field as well as the vessel

known as the Norne.

"If you live a good life, you have a good Norne spinning

your fate", says the myth. Jan Helge Furnesvik is Statoil's

head of operations on Norne. His name is supposedly syn-

onymous with development and new initiatives on Norne.

Might he be the good Norne?, we wonder. We met him one

busy morning at his office in Harstad in northern Norway.

It didn't take long before we realised we were dealing with

a goal-oriented man dedicated to the best interests of the

vessel, the field and Statoil."

Only good enough is good enough!

Furnesvik comes to us straight from another meeting.

He cuts straight to the chase, and moves on to yet another

meeting right after our interview is finished. However, you

would never know it to look at Furnesvik that his responsi-

bilities are multi-faceted and his days long and hectic.

His tranquillity and focus are striking. That is what Norne

is all about.

Norne is known as a successful project. Would you explain

the secret of this success?

"A little hindsight goes a long way when discussing the

secret behind Norne's success", explains Furnesvik. The

Norne field was discovered in the Norwegian Sea when an

exploration well was spudded in 1991.

"A delineation well the following year confirmed that

Norne was Statoil's largest oil discovery for many years.

The Norne field came online in November 1997. The field

was developed using the Norne, an FPSO (Floating,

Production, Storage and Offshore Loading) vessel linked

to subsea templates.

"The unique feature of the vessel is that it was purpose-

built on the basis of a concept that only what is good

enough is good enough. This was a new idea in the offshore

industry", continues Furnesvik. "We got everyone involved

to think in terms of a minimalistic, perhaps even futuristic

infrastructure. Simplicity was essential, and the need for

extra equipment and investments was assessed constantly.

Those of us at Statoil and our customers were challenged to

think differently. As a result, Norne was a pioneer for a new

type of development project intended to usher the Norwe-

gian offshore industry into a new era, where smaller fields

became profitable", he reports.

"Norne represents a new generation of field development

on the Norwegian Continental Shelf in every respect. Statoil

has succeeded in reducing costs considerably on this project

compared with earlier ones. Accordingly, Norne is ranked

as one of the most cost-efficient projects ever, thanks to

a 30 per cent reduction in costs relative to earlier projects.

"As regards earnings, Norne is literally in a class of its

own. We operate in deep water, 380 metres down. In ad-

dition to the demands of the briny deep, there was a wish

to use a production vessel rather than a fixed platform.

Stationary installations were quite simply too expensive.

"The planned upgrades we need now offer some rather

exciting possibilities. We are still convinced that only good

enough is good enough, at the same time we have to be

prepared to meet the technical challenges of tomorrow."

New solutions wanted

The challenges seem infinite. The Norne field is now mature

and oil production is diminishing. Two new discoveries,

Svale and Stær which is commonly known as Urd, have

been made 10 km north-east of Norne. Several other pro-

spects/satellites have been found in the area, increasing the

probability of a find after the discovery of oil in the Urd

field. An overall study of the area indicates that it will be

more profitable to phase Urd into Norne than to build

a new installation in the area. The satellites will be expand-

ed using subsea installations hooked up to the Norne. The

project will have a budget of roughly NOK 3.5 billion (2004).

The amount will cover the subsea facility, including pipe-

lines and control cable, the drilling and completion of the

wells, as well as the requisite modifications to the Norne.

"Obviously, the new finds are motivating the desire for

better solutions", continues Furnesvik. "We believe it will

pay to develop existing infrastructure rather than building

completely new facilities. However, today's Norne does not

have the capacity required for the new satellite project. The

equipment has to be renovated. We want the very latest in

new technology to be equipped for the future.

"In recent years, the electronics revolution has been as

far-reaching on board as onshore. It is high time to upgrade,

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Jan Helge Furnesvik,

head of operations,

Norne.

but that is no mean feat. Just think of how hard it is to

throw out a computer at home. Here we are talking about

a whole platform", laughs Furnesvik.

What areas will you be focusing on now when you make

changes on the Norne?

"There are several important elements that come into play

in connection with the upgrades on the Norne. First, I want

to mention Statoil's 'zero harm philosophy'. An injury is

far more than a number or statistic for us. The philosophy

is an extended safety concept that underlies everything we

do. Another important factor is our long-term 'colleague

programme for better safety', designed to achieve enduring

safety improvements in conjunction with Statoil's activities

and operations on land and on the Continental Shelf. It calls

for a commitment on the part of Statoil's employees as sup-

pliers. Statoil's partners and employees are called upon to

assume ownership of the safety concept itself. It is essential

for each individual to make up his or her own mind about

what part an individual plays when it comes to safety."

Human Factors are often defined as "the body of scien-

tific knowledge about people and how they interact with

their environment, especially when working." This phrase

is also mentioned by Furnesvik with enthusiasm. He talks

about the interface between people and the systems they

operate, and the challenges inherent in increasingly more

extensive system solutions, with ever more information.

"Take a clock, for example", he says. "Clocks used to just

tell the time. Now many offer a number of other informa-

tion parameters as well. The poor control room operators on

the vessel are exposed to some formidable challenges. They

are subject to information overflow. This is why we demand

that the systems present results from the different processes

in an alarm hierarchy that is systematic and comprehensible

for the user."

Partners in new roles

Furnesvik grows animated when talking about the chal-

lenges of the future. He emphasises that Norway has a rela-

tively mature, safety-conscious petroleum industry that is in

the vanguard of technological development, but we should

never use that as an excuse for complacency.

"In future, we will pose strict requirements on our sup-

pliers. We have to dare to open up in relation to each other",

he says. "It's all about creating a trusting environment and

having the confidence to share the odd secret. In other

words, it is about cooperation."

Furnesvik describes Statoil's cooperation with Kongsberg

as good as well as challenging. Kongsberg's job has been to

replace control and steering systems without stopping the

vessel. The new technology has to replace the old without

interrupting operations. This Unix operating system will be

replaced by XP. The existing HW platform will be replaced

by Remote IO.

Furnesvik explains. "The general idea is to make the

information in the system available at several levels of com-

petence. New technology will also give us a better possibi-

lity to engage in fault finding by other means, as well as to

transmit data from the vessel to shore. That way the infor-

mation can be shared with more people than those on

board. It will increase the speed of decisions, and improve

interaction between sea and land.

"We have good collaboration with Kongsberg. Now we've

reached the halfway point in the project, and so far so good.

There is a potential in Kongsberg's new system that we are

looking forward to putting into place and using. But tech-

nology isn't everything", he adds. "After all, it is ultimately

people who make or break a project. In my eyes, the role of

manager is the most important one for the future of Norne.

Technological development and organisational development

are closely related. The technology is ahead of us relative

to what we had envisaged. It will be necessary to turn to

other forms of cooperation and working groups than today.

We are poised on the threshold of the future", concludes

Furnesvik, who has convinced certainly us that a good

Norne is spinning the fate of Norne.

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

18

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The Norne field is located in a licence that was awarded in 1986 and encompasses

blocks 6608/10 and 6608/11.

The distance from the field to the coast of Nordland County is roughly 200 kilometres.

The distance to the Heidrun field is 85 kilometres.

The Norne field is at a depth of 380 metres.

The field has been developed using a production and storage vessel hooked up to

subsea templates.

Flexible risers lead the wellstream to the vessel.

The vessel revolves around a turret anchored to the seabed.

The risers and control cables are also hooked up to this.

The vessel has processing facilities on deck and storage tanks for oil.

Shuttle tankers can hook up to the aft end of the production ship and load oil.

FACTS ABOUT

Only good enough is good enough!

19

These days, the Norne vessel is being prepared for a new

future as its steering and automation systems are to be

upgraded. The technology must be brought up-to-date to

deal with the new opportunities and tasks appearing on the

Norne field.

"It is a challenge to install upgrades without interrupting

operations", says Ivar Gjertsen, Statoil's project manager for

the Norne upgrade. Tormod Holmslet is his counterpart at

Kongsberg. Both have lived and breathed Norne for ages

and have the project under their skin, although from dif-

ferent points of view. Teamwork is nonetheless a key word

and a common goal for both of them. The project will be

carried out with the least possible loss of production time

for the Norne, i.e. to keep it in full operation.

"We are actually making a whole new control room

system, with all that implies. New hardware technology will

have to be installed to prepare the vessel for the larger

satellite fields of the future. Meanwhile, it is important that

we improve the human-machine interface and working con-

ditions for the control room operators when we first under-

take changes. Operators will have to deal with ever larger

volumes of data in future when new satellites are hooked

up, so simplification and adaptation to facilitate better

screen images are important."

Holmslet confirms that the upgrading of the automation

system will ensure a more smoothly functioning control

room design, improving the working environment as well

as the ergonomics of the work stations.

"The latest equipment offers all these advantages.

Kongsberg's latest software technology facilitates a much

better human machine interface. We can also offer extended

functionalities in the new software. This can improve the

way work is done on the Norne. In other words, our new

solutions will give the Norne a better technological future",

explains Holmslet.

Cooperation between Kongsberg and Statoil

The Norne was put into production on the Norne field in

1997. The Norne was equipped with a Unix-based control

system, the AIM 1000, upon delivery. The project was

delivered with solutions intended to be simple and reliable.

Since then, the Norne has undergone an evolution based

on the AIM 1000 up until today. Now the time has come to

make the transition to AIM 2000, Kongsberg's Windows

XP-based solution.

"We will also be replacing the hardware with KM's new

RIO technology", reports Holmslet. "We'll replace the hard-

ware without interrupting production if at all possible

within the parameters of safe operations. Where there are

redundant solutions, replacements will be made while

online. Obviously, safety will always be the decisive factor

when critical systems are replaced during planned shut-

downs for audits."

The Norne to get anuninterrupted upgrade!

Ivar Gjertsen (right),

project manager for the

Norne upgrade and Tormod

Holmslet, his counterpart

at Kongsberg Maritime.

Article by ANNE TORIL KASIN / Photo: LARS ARVID OMA

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

20

When time is of the essenceA story about the upgrade of Safe Caledonia

Article by CLIVE ADSHEAD – Technica l manager, Prosafe Offshore Ltd. / Photo: PROSAFE OFFSHORE / ANNE TORIL KASIN

Background

Safe Caledonia is a Pacesetter design semi-submersible

vessel built in 1982. She is employed as an accommodation

and support vessel, capable of providing 550 beds to

potential clients, able to moor using a 10 point wire mooring

system, or maintain station using Dynamic Positioning (DP)

being classed as a DP1 vessel. DP is provided by four

Azimuth Thrusters and powered by six diesel generators.

When on contract she is connected to the clients facility

using a purpose built electro-hydraulic gangway which

provides pedestrian access and, if required, can supply basic

services (Water, Fuel, Air, Fire Water).

In May 2003 Safe Caledonia commenced an 11-month

contract with Conoco Philips at Bayu Undan in East Timor

where she was predominantly moored but conducted short

periods on DP at the clients request. In early 2004 with the

end of the Bayu Undan contract in sight and no confirmed

contract thereafter the newly formed Technical Department

of Prosafe Offshore was asked to conduct a study to convert

Safe Caledonia to a DP2 vessel with additional Azimuth

Thrusters, Diesel Generators and associated systems.

A study project was initiated and discussions with two

leading suppliers of DP systems commenced, followed by

a survey of the vessel and a subsequent scope of work.

Opportunity and Challenge

In March 2004 the opportunity to bid for a replacement

vessel for MSV Regalia working for Shell on Bonga arose.

It was decided to offer Safe Caledonia as a DP2 vessel as the

replacement. The challenge was to modify the scope of work

required to convert Caledonia to DP2 and convince the

client that the scope could be achieved within the time it

took to transit Caledonia from East Timor to Nigeria.

To complete the challenge, Caledonia also had to be

mobilised to meet the client's requirements. This included

installing a longer gangway at a different height, converting

store rooms, coffee shops' and recreation rooms to office

facilities, installation of equipment and systems to meet the

ISPS requirements and continuation of the vessel Inspec-

tion, Repair and Maintenance (IRM) program; all had to be

completed before commencement of the contract.

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The upgrade of Safe Caledonia

THEME Dynamic Positioning

Safe Caledonia was chartered by Shell to replace MSV Regaliaon the Bonga field. During thetransit from the Bayu-Undanfield in the East Timor Sea to theBonga field off the coast ofNigeria, the rig was converted toa Dynamic Positioning (DP) class2 vessel. This challenging project,with an extremely tight schedule,was completed successfully.

Safe Caledonia in Cape Town harbour.

21

The DP work scope alone included:

Removal of the old DP control system and installation

of a complete new system and all associated reference

systems (Gyro, Wind-sensor, Fanbeam)

Removal and replacement of the Power Management

System

Modifications to HT, LT and SW Cooling Systems

including installation of new pumps and switchgear

Modifications to the Fuel Tanks and system including

new pumps, filters and switchgear

Additional Engine Room Ventilation

Commissioning, testing and approval of the new DP

system

Perhaps the biggest challenge was logistics. Equipment had

to be delivered for installation, personnel had to be available

to carry out the work and visa's had to be obtained to allow

the personnel to enter and leave countries.

The proposals were accepted by Shell and the challenge

undertaken by Prosafe Offshore – it involved the majority

of the onshore personnel in Aberdeen and the crew of Safe

Caledonia – a tremendous team effort was called for in order

to achieve the goal.

Bayu Undan to Lagos via Cape Town

The plan was ambitious, load the equipment required

for construction at Bayu Undan, complete the structural,

pipework and electrical cabling modifications during the

passage to Cape Town, load the remaining equipment at

Cape Town, then complete construction and system com-

missioning before arrival at Bonga. Finally, allowing 7 days

for final commissioning and approval before gangway

connection.

First Leg

To enable the conversion work to be undertaken the main

generators and associated systems had to be shut down and

isolated. With a full crew plus contractors onboard – all

requiring food and water, temporary generators and water

making facilities were installed on the main deck. With air

temperatures over 30 deg C HVAC was important and a tem-

porary solution was provided from more deck equipment.

All this had to be installed before the vessel systems could

be shut down for the modification.

The majority of the work centred in the engine rooms,

boiler room and fuel purifier room where 600 metres of pipe

ranging from 1" to 14" was installed. To provide a location

for additional pumps and coolers a new 'pump room' was

created on the port side and the existing access stairway

repositioned further forward into a newly created access

lobby. The creation of an additional fuel tank within the

existing fuel tank configuration proved to be one of the

biggest challenges, requiring the existing tanks to be fully

cleaned out and 'gas-freed' before the tank bulkheads were

cut and repositioned.

The new Kongsberg DP system and Power Management

system (PMS) installations involved substantial cabling

extending to all areas of the vessel terminating in the focal

areas of the Bridge and Engine Control Room.

With 65 contractors working 12 hour days 7 days a week,

1000 Permits to Work (PTW) were issued prior to Caledonia

reaching Cape Town (the only delays encountered at this

time were due to adverse weather when certain work had to

be suspended for safety reasons).

The transit of Caledonia was undertaken by 'wet tow'

with two powerful ocean tugs with 180 ton bollard pull

each, undertaking the work. An innovative towing arrange-

ment utilising the SC 'fairleads' was initially, not approved

and the approved 'offset' tow eventually parted 8 days from

Cape Town. The tow was speedily reconfigured and both

fairleads were utilised, providing a balanced tow that proved

to be very efficient for the remainder of the tow, reaching

speeds of 9 knots. For the majority of the time the weather

was ideal with only a heavy swell to contend with for some

of the time. Good fortune did not continue and just a few

hundred miles from Cape Town Caledonia had to 'heave too'

for two days as a storm hit the area. The vessels eventually

arrived at Cape Town on the 31 May after 39 days at sea,

just 5 days behind the initial estimation.

Cape Town

The target was a 5 day turn round during which time; the

contractors and crew had to change out, the main hydraulic

gangway had to be replaced and tested and a significant

amount of equipment for the upgrade required being

loaded. These tasks were exacerbated by the need to con-

duct critical inspection and maintenance in port, the client's

requirements and the request to load the caterer's stores

and provisions for the forthcoming contract at Nigeria. Over

70 containers were lifted on and off the vessel and in excess

of 150 lifts conducted.

The replacement gangway, shipped from Norway, was in-

stalled, commissioned and certified by the manufacturers

and witnessed by DNV in an exceptional time considering

the quayside facilities and work area; the only mobile crane

large enough for the task (440t SWL) had to come in seven

trucks from Johannesburg approximately 1500 km away.

Safe Caledonia departed Cape Town 4.5 days after arrival.

With 65 contractors working 12 hour days 7 days a week,1000 Permits to Work (PTW) were issued prior to Caledoniareaching Cape Town.

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................


Clive Adshead (right),

technical manager,

Prosafe Offshore Ltd.

and Jim Tait, technical

superintendent,

Safe Calidonia.

...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The upgrade of Safe Caledonia

THEME Dynamic Positioning

22

Second Leg

Final modifications and installation of the systems and

equipment commenced after leaving Cape Town, followed by

substantial commissioning works to ensure that the vessel

was generating her own power and the deck equipment shut

down by arrival at Bonga.

The extensive commissioning works for the DP and

PMS involved engineers of all disciplines to ensure the new

systems interfaced with each other successfully.

The evening of the 15th June saw Caledonia cross the

Equator and she was duly visited by his highness

'King Neptune' who granted further passage in his oceans

and awarded certificates to those 'crossing the line' for the

first time.

The final leg of the transit was completed in 13 days at

an average speed of 8.4 knots, arriving on 17 June.

Arrival at Bonga

This was perhaps the most intense phase of the project,

as the pressure to complete and start the contract mounted.

The initial task was to release the tow vessels; this could

only be achieved once the Caledonia's own thrusters were

operational and controllable utilising the modifications and

new systems. Once released the proving trials and tests

commenced

Additional 'specialist' contractors where embarked

accompanied by 'fresh' Prosafe Offshore Management to

supervise the trials and final contract preparations. As ex-

pected a substantial 'team' from the client arrived to witness

and approve the activities.

The extensive commissioning, trials and tests culminated

in a full 'Failure Modes and Effects Analysis' (FMEA) DP

trial which was conducted by Poseidon Engineering and

witnessed by DNV and the client. DP2 classification and

approval was awarded on 2 July. The gangway was connect-

ed to the Bonga FPSO on 3 July.

Approximately 1250 PTW were issued for over 50,000

contractor manhours, worked by 100 personnel from 15

companies. All assisted by a full marine crew, supervised by

Prosafe Offshore Management, and witnessed by 'class' and

client representatives, achieved a 100% safety record with

no lost time accidents or incidents.

Future Operations

Now fully operational, operating in DP2 mode gangway

connected to the Bonga FPSO, Safe Caledonia has 590

'guests' onboard from three different continents – North

America, Europe,and Africa. The Marine Crew and Caterers'

are predominantly British and are having to adapt to the

local weather conditions. Although Prosafe Offshore does

not have a local manager in Nigeria at present, the Vessel

Manager and frequent visits from other members of the

management team in Aberdeen, including an efficient local

agent are providing support for Safe Caledonia.

Safe Caledonia is now a versatile semi-submersible

Accommodation and Support Vessel and can conduct opera-

tions utilising the mooring system or Dynamic Positioning

(DP2) system. She has proved capable of working world

wide with a 'CV' that includes the North Sea, Mexico,

Australasia and now West Africa

Team Work

To achieve the transition from East Timor to Nigeria and

from DP1 to DP2 required considerable work. It has only

been made possible by the tremendous team effort from

everyone in Prosafe Offshore, both in Aberdeen and the

crew onboard. The choice of the right contractors with the

right frame of mind and positive outlook completed the

team.

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Prosafe is the world's leading owner and operator of

semi-submersible service rigs, a leading platform drilling

contractor in Norway and a major owner and operator

of floating production- and storage vessels outside the

North Sea.

Operating revenues reached NOK 2.9 billion in 2003.

The company employs approx. 2 000 persons. Prosafe

operates in the North Sea, South-East Asia, India, Egypt,

West Africa and the Gulf of Mexico.

The company is headquartered in Stavanger, Norway.

Prosafe is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

FACTS ABOUT

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Interview


23

"In October 2003, Prosafe were approached by the oil giant

Shell with regards to a possible contract in offshore Nigeria",

says Mr. Reid. "At this time our 550-bed flotel, 'Safe

Caledonia', was located off the coast of East Timor. It's

assignment there was coming to an end in April 2004.

However, this next contract was an attractive long-term one

for Shell available on the deepwater Bonga field, 120 km

south east of Lagos in Nigeria. The challenge was obvious if

we were to secure the contract, 'Safe Caledonia' would have

to be upgraded to a DP class 2 vessel in an extremely short

time scale, numerous technical adaptations would have to be

made, the vessel had to be moved across two oceans, literal-

ly and, not least, we had to convince the operator, Shell,

that all this was possible by July – 3 months after departing

the Timor Sea".

Time was of the essence. We faced extremely challenging

problems. We made several enquiries to find suppliers to

help with the upgrading. The following order of priority was

imperative: Product quality, on-time delivery, technical sup-

port and, ultimately, price. Time was definitely the most

critical factor. The upgrading of 'Safe Caledonia' had to be

done whilst on the transit voyage from Timor to Nigeria, not

in a harbour, as is usually the case. There could be no depar-

tures from our timeline. Kongsberg accepted this challenge.

Kongsberg's people went out of their way to do absolutely

everything they could, and that was, quite simply, every-

thing possible. Their attitude was: "Together, we can do this."

How do you see customer care developing in future?

"Customers are an important asset. That applies to everyone.

It is demanding and implies obligations in every context.

Consequently, I believe it is becoming increasingly important

to be motivated by the same attitudes and values when

working together. The 'Safe Caledonia' project exemplifies

cooperation based on trust. We barely had time to draw up

formal agreements. Further, we had to resolve a myriad of

problems as we went along, without spending time at the

negotiating table. All those involved in the project, from

our suppliers to the crew on board 'Safe Caledonia', as well

as DNV, had a positive attitude and were cooperative.

To invest that much time and money, you have to be

confident that it will generate the correct result. We experi-

enced that Kongsberg and Prosafe are driven by the same

attitudes and values and by close co-operation, we achieved

a very good product."

What do you feel is important for Kongsberg to consider

when developing good customer relations?

"Primarily, I believe it is imperative that Kongsberg can

provide help and support to its customers throughout the

life cycle of the product. Moreover, Kongsberg needs to

meet customers' challenges quickly, and to make them their

own. It is also becoming more and more important to be

able to adapt rapidly to changes in the market. But first and

foremost, this is a question of mutual trust, and that can

only be built up by the experience of working together."

John Reid,

Vice President Operations,

Prosafe Offshore Ltd.,

Aberdeen, UK.

Upgrade in a short time scale

Article by ANNE TORIL KASIN / Photo: ANNE TORIL KASIN

Kongsberg's customers are valuable assets for the company. Customer care calls for dedication and commitment in every context. Loyalty, trust and the ability tocooperate are the major building blocks of good customer relations. Cooperatingwith Prosafe Offshore Ltd. of Aberdeen in the UK put all these qualities to the test.John Reid, Vice President of Prosafe, tells the story of a special upgrade.

24

Article by ANNE TORIL KASIN / Photo: BJØRN-OWE HOLMBERG

..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The air reeks of tar, turpentine and linseed oil. Eighty people are working awayfrantically on deck. You can almost envisage what life at sea must have been like inthe 18th century on board the East Indiaman whose replica so accurately reflectsthe golden age of sailing. Mind you, the new vessel hides a secret or two, whichmay explain the difference between being an 'exact' replica and a 'perfect' replica.For example, the entire lower deck of the replica is crammed with state-of-the-artmachinery and technology.


18th meets 21st century

The Full Picture Magazine called on this graceful vessel just

a few weeks before she was scheduled for her maiden test

voyage. As is the case on most construction sites just prior

to delivery, the vessel was a showcase of goal-oriented

chaos. People were working high and low. Equipment and

materials were all over the place. Chief Engineer Sture

Arvidsson was nonetheless calm and optimistic, assuring us

that the vessel will be accorded the respect and pride she

deserves when she sets out on her great voyage to China.

The ship has a fascinating history. In the 18th century,

Sweden's commercial and maritime activities were heavily

reliant on the Asian trade. Long voyages on the high seas

were a risky business, with lives and formidable treasures at

the mercy of the whims of Mother Nature. Indeed, the orig-

inal vessel met her destiny when she foundered on a rock

and sank to the bottom of the sea in the very entrance

to her home port of Gothenburg, Sweden. The vessel's tragic

fate was forgotten for a long, long time, until a diver re-

discovered the wreck in 1984.

"Someone came up with the crazy notion of building

a full-scale replica of the vessel, but I don't think they had

any idea what they were in for!" laughs Arvidsson in

retrospect.

However, those first enthusiasts must have been con-

vincing, because they had no trouble finding sponsors and

partners. Roughly MSEK 350 were collected, and sponsors

and partners have donated equipment and specialist work

worth who knows how much. The idea was to reconstruct

the ship and make her into a proud symbol of Sweden's

international trade, industry and culture.

The propulsion system – a challenge (to put it mildly!)

"The greatest challenge we've faced has been to find tech-

nical solutions that meet the current requirements of the

international maritime authorities, while retaining the classic

historical appearance of the East Indiaman", Arvidsson

points out.

"Naturally, the vessel also has to meet today's standards

for health, safety and the environment, areas where

the world has, in fact, made a wee bit of progress since

the original vessel was sailing the bounding main. Today's

requirements and standards have been quite difficult to

combine with the desire to retain the vessel's carvel con-

struction, but we have generally managed to find solutions

that satisfy all parties. In consequence, however, most of

the vessel's technical equipment has been placed deep down

in the vessel, along with a full-scale, modern engine room.

While the vessel is an exact replica of the original on the

outside, her 'innards' contain the very latest technology.

"The vessel is equipped with five waterproof bulkheads.

They are intended to optimise safety at sea, but presented

challenges in terms of where cables and pipes were to be

placed", smiles Arvidsson. "Despite the vessel's space

constraints, she is now equipped with systems comparable

to those on major merchant vessels."

Arvidsson discloses that the engine alone has required

80 000 hours of work by the shipyard personnel. He has no

idea how much time the various equipment suppliers have

invested.

The three main engines have an output of 100 HP at 'all

ahead full', and top speed is eight knots. Power is supplied

by two main generators, and the vessel carries a fairly

heavy-duty emergency back-up generator. To ensure safety

on board, there is a double fire and bilge pump, as well as

a fully automatic sprinkler system that remains functional

even if the ship's power supply fails.

The vessel's engine room is designed to be unmanned

for long periods of time. The surveillance and alarm func-

tions are located in the navigation bay, allowing the duty

engineer to monitor all relevant readings from there.

"The team that has worked together to accomplish all this

has been absolutely amazing", continues Arvidsson.

"Specialists, boat buffs and idealistically-inclined pensioners

have worked side by side. The quality of their craftsmanship

is exceptional. Being allowed to help re-create this vessel is

a dream come true for many of them, like winning the jack-

pot in some huge lottery. I believe I speak for many people,

when I say that it will be a thrill to see the vessel set sail,

and know that I helped it happen", concludes Arvidsson,

who is busy putting the final touches on the replica of

Sweden's proud vintage flagship.


25

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Chief Engineer

Sture Arvidsson.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Kongsberg – official sponsor of the Swedish

East Indiaman

Building one of the world's largest wooden sailing

ships in modern time calls for tremendous resources in

terms of materials, funding and personnel. This project

could never have been undertaken, let alone completed,

without generous support from 'outsiders'. This help

included materials for the ship, support from local,

regional and national authorities, and financial support

from sponsors.

26

Founded in 1731, the Swedish East India Com-

pany was headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The company was granted extensive privileges

by the Swedish Crown with a view to customs

and other levies. Sweden exported goods such as

timber, tar, iron and copper in exchange for pay-

ment in silver (pieces of eight) from Spain. The

silver financed the purchase of luxury items such

as tea, porcelain and silk in China. Tea was intro-

duced into Western Europe in the mid-17th

century, and the demand for such luxury items

then accelerated exponentially.

On 12 September 1745, the East Indiaman the

Götheborg (the Gothenburg) was approaching the

entrance to her home port after nearly two long

years at sea. The vessel had been battered by

numerous storms and the crew was exhausted.

Sadly, their eagerly anticipated homecoming

ended in disaster. Fully laden, right in view of

the people of Gothenburg who were in small

boats and onshore, the vessel ran aground at the

entrance to Gothenburg harbour and sank along

with her cargo.

Fortunately, no lives were lost. Efforts were

made to save the precious cargo, worth as much

as that year's entire national budget for Sweden,

but only a small part was recoverable. The specu-

lation was endless. Insurance fraud. Mutiny.

A drunk captain?

The voyage had not been without problems.

Currents and winds had carried the vessel far off

course, causing great delays. The delays in turn

caused the vessel to miss the southerly monsoon

that was to have carried her from Java to Canton.

Instead, she had to wait out six months of calm

seas, a tough life for the crew.

The vessel was heavily laden on her return

home, causing further difficulties. Storms and

high winds damaged her rigging. Against all odds,

they were finally approaching the end of their

long voyage when the accident happened.

The East Indiaman Götheborg sunk into the

harbour, then into oblivion. She was simply for-

gotten until a diver rediscovered her 240 years

later! Marine archaeological expeditions excavat-

ed the site of the wreck, while divers brought

back vestiges of the once exalted vessel. It was at

that point the idea of building a gigantic model

on a 1:1 scale of the ship was born.

They say that all ingenious ideas contain an

element of madness, and this one was no excep-

tion. It is good to see that fairytales can still

come true and that it is possible to breathe new

life into past glory. Sponsors and partners have

played a very important part in bringing this

particular dream to fruition. The desire to see the

East Indiaman sailing the high seas again burns

strongly in many hearts.

Consequently, the keel of the 'modern' East

Indiaman was laid on 11 June 1995. Production

began a year later with framing (the frames form

the vessel's ribs).

The vessel has three decks and has been built

using traditional crafting techniques, but with

modern equipment. On 6 June 2003, the vessel's

hull was ready for launch. That took place with

plenty of pomp and circumstance and in the

presence of the King.

Immediately after the launch, the forecastle

mast was put in place. Work now continues 'all

ahead full', and the vessel is now being made

ready to meet her next challenge, a two-year

voyage to China in the autumn of 2005.

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The Götheborg is a replica of a vessel owned and operated by the Swedish East India

Company, founded in Gothenburg in 1731. In 1984 the Swedish Underwater Archaeology

Society made its exciting rediscovery of the 18th century trading ship. The SOIC (Swedish

East India Company) was founded in 1993 to make a replica of the foundered vessel.

The Götheborg is being built with generally the same dimensions, alignments, hull

and rigging as would have been used for a Swedish East Indiaman in the 18th century.

The vessel will also have to be approved by the Swedish maritime authorities for ocean-

going ships. Ultimately, she will be a teaching ship with a crew of 80, comprising

30 officers and 50 pupils.

The sheer size of the ship is impressive: She is some 50 metres long and 11 metres

wide in the beam; she is 47 metres high and displaces 1250 metric tonnes of water.

She has been built entirely on the basis of 18th century craftsmanship and using materials

available at that time. She is 75 percent oak, while pine and elm account for the rest.

Her maiden voyage is scheduled to depart from Gothenburg later this year, and will

take about two years.

FACTS ABOUT

The history of the East Indiaman

27

The visual reality of full mission trainingOffshore Simulator Centre open

A Crown Prince with maritime experience

During his opening remarks, the Crown Prince Regent men-

tioned that it was especially exciting for him to be part of

the opening of a simulator community since he has a marine

education from the Norwegian Naval College. The Crown

Prince Regent emphasised the importance of practising on

simulators to improve safety at sea.

He recounted that his naval training showed him how

simulator training leads to safer operations of ships and pro-

tects the human capital involved in the operation of the

vessels.

Joint project

The OSC website tells about the new simulator concept for

advanced offshore operations and anchor handling. The

simulator systems will allow 'full mission' training, meaning

deck crew and the operators of ROVs, cranes, rigs, etc. can

also engage in simulator training, just as navigators do. This

means that whole crews can be trained to handle a wide

variety of incidents and emergency situations.

The new anchor handling simulator was developed

through collaboration between the university college, and

local suppliers, the new centre is in a class of its own.

Several different types of simulators

Norvald Kjerstad, professor of Nautical Science at Ålesund

University College, tells The Full Picture Magazine about the

different simulators at the institution's Offshore Simulator

Centre (OSC). The facility is equipped with four visual ship's

bridges, each with a different area of application. The ship's

manoeuvring simulator is one of them. The professor guides

us elegantly on a voyage through narrow Norwegian fjords

without a single accident. The equipment simulates an

impressive reality, intended to train maritime personnel. The

neighbouring room houses a Dynamic Positioning simulator

supplied by Kongsberg, but the proudest attraction of all on

this particular day is the new anchor handling simulator.

Captain Øystein Uksnøy of Farstad Shipping reports that

he has been following the construction of the new simulator

for the past year. He gives an impressive description of

technical equipment and specifications about how horse-

power, propellers and cranes work together in realistic inter-

action unparalleled anywhere else in the world.

His Royal Highness

Crown Prince Haakon at

Ålesund University College,

and Project Manager

Øystein Uksnøy.

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Ålesund University College is a State-owned institution for higher maritime education

located in Ålesund, Norway. It offers bachelor's degrees and advanced studies in more

than 20 subject areas.

Ålesund University College is known internationally for its simulation facilities and

excellent training programme. The university college features a cluster of full ship's bridge

simulators, all visual, engine room simulators and several DP simulator systems, including

Kongsberg's DP simulator.

The university college is also home of the world's only full cockpit high-speed craft

simulator featuring a motion platform. Ålesund University College is also one of 28 inter-

national DP training centres, certified and approved by NMD and the Nautical Institute for

all levels.

The university college currently offers several courses in navigation and ship's handling,

and tailor makes courses for oil companies, shipowners, and ship operators. See the

website at: http://www.hials.no

FACTS ABOUT

It was a very festive occasion at the university college in Ålesund, Norway, whenHis Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway opened the school's OffshoreSimulator Centre (OSC) and then received demonstrations of anchor handling andvessel manoeuvring on the various simulators.

PRODUCT Article by ANNE TORIL KASIN / Photo: SCANPIX

28

THEME Dynamic Positioning Article by ANNE TORIL KASIN / Photo: ANNE TORIL KASIN

The view is overwhelming, as are the swampy marshlands

on both sides of the road from New Orleans to the Gulf.

The waterways that wend their way into the bayou are the

key that allows access to maritime operations and the very

ocean itself. Morgan City is located in the very heart of this

special topography. It is one of those towns where people

have long traditions of being open to new ideas. Another

tradition is that oil money has fuelled a steady evolution in

boat design and boat building in the surrounding bayous.

Several shipping companies have opened offices here.

Cal Dive International, Inc. is one of them. The company

is 'a leading marine contractor and operator of offshore oil

and gas properties and production facilities'. Its base of

operations is in Morgan City and the Marine Department

is headed by Joe Glass, an Englishman. He is known as the

most laid-back man in the business. Even the most insane

chaos never knocks this fellow off his perch.

"Yes, I am relaxed", says Glass. "What good does it do to get

all riled up about things?"

Perhaps his vast experience is the source of his tranquil-

lity? His resume is impressive, but then the man has been in

the business since 1968. He has served as engineer and

chief engineer on a number of vessels, including the DSV

Shearwater Aquamarine, the DSV Shearwater Sapphire and

the DSV Highland Reel. He has been involved with training

and project management, and worked as marine technical

superintendent, operations manager, general manager, etc.

A versatile background can be a very good thing to have

when things get hectic.

When we ask whether he is always so calm, that is, if

nothing ruffles his feathers, he pauses for thought before

replying. "I always try to appear calm, although I do not

always express my inner feelings. It takes a lot to make me

angry. I've always been willing to teach the people who

The rigs and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico are all lined up in a row, one after the other. They tower on the maritime horizon – monuments commemorating aninnovative, modern industry that makes use of every single drop of the important,inaccessible natural resource that oil represents.

Portrait

Joe Glassa quiet Englishmanin the marshlands

CalDive's man in Morgan City

"Kongsberg is definitely my DPsolution choice."


29

work for me and I try to support their efforts and decisions.

When people take advantage of this and mistake kindness

for weakness, then I get angry."

This man exudes reassurance, expertise and experience.

This is true not least with a view to dynamic positioning

(DP). Joe Glass has worked with several generations of

Kongsberg's DP equipment.

"I was chief engineer on the Aquamarine, a diving sup-

port vessel equipped with the DP 502 system. Those were

interesting times", recounts Glass. "The Aquamarine (known

as Shearwater Aquamarine in those days) was my first job

as chief engineer. It was also my first experience of a DP

diving vessel, having had a career on ocean-going cargo

vessels prior to that.

"I joined the vessel in Aberdeen with absolutely no

understanding of DP, diving or any of the terminology

associated with such vessels. The first hurdle was coming

to grips with the abbreviations: DP, HPR (Hydroacoustic

Position Reference), etc. We sailed the following day and

my learning curve was almost vertical. I was awakened the

next morning by a phone call from the bridge announcing

that we had arrived at our destination and were about to

'go into DP'. A look through my port hole revealed our

location to be the Ninian Central platform, one of the largest

North Sea oil platforms at that time. Having never seen

a platform close up, I was absolutely paralysed with terror

at the sight. The amazing thing was that we set up in DP

and had divers in the water within the hour. The job went

off without a hitch. I still keep in touch with many of the

'pioneers' who were involved in those early days of DP.

I am grateful to have benefited from their professionalism

and 'can do – will do' attitude. Thankfully, this type of 'on

the job training' is no longer acceptable these days. "I've

worked with the DP system since 1982. Kongsberg is def-

initely my DP solution of choice. Kongsberg's equipment

works very well. Naturally, there have been tremendous

changes in the technology since 1982. I wish I had had more

time to familiarise myself with all the various subtleties of

today's systems. But I have to keep my eye on 21 vessels,

so there isn't much time for that."

Time on board the vessels is devoted to office work,

logistics and administration. However, Joe Glass has numer-

ous stories to tell just the same: "I recall one time when

the client's representative appeared on the bridge to 'take

a look at what was going on'. That particular vessel had its

DP console placed centrally on the bridge with no view of

the surroundings. The client came up just as the DP opera-

tors were changing shifts, so both DPOs were standing at

the DP console. The look on the client's face when he

thought nobody was driving from the forward bridge was

priceless", laughs Glass with a twinkle in his eye.

Although many years have passed since Glass has actually

lived in the UK, his dialect is unmistakably English.

"I was asked to go to Brazil on an assignment for two

weeks, but it turned into 15 years", he laughs. "Then I went

back to my home town of Blyth before ending up here in

CalDive and Morgan City in the 1990s."

In response to a question about what a typical day at

CalDive is like, he says: "There is no such thing as a typical

day. Every day brings new challenges, and new demands.

It is precisely the fact that every new day brings new

opportunities that is the best thing about my job", he

clarifies. But one man can't do everything. The Morgan

City Marine Department is staffed by a team consisting of

13 individuals who deal with queries from the different

types of vessels and customers in the area. There are many

companies located close to here. "We are definitely 'where

it's at", he says.

"In your opinion, what makes Cal Dive different from other

similar companies?" we ask. Glass thinks through what

he wants to say. "I would say the biggest difference is their

willingness to listen to ideas from everyone and to be pre-

pared to support those ideas by using their resources.

"We have to be able to depend on our partners if we are

to be prepared to face the future. We have to have suppliers

that will be there for us. He raves about Kongsberg,

"We get all the support we need from them. Now that they

have set up a support office in New Orleans, we'll get help

quickly too", he adds.

To the question of what drives him, i.e. what makes his

work interesting, he explains: "Doing a job well. In the mar-

itime industry you never know what tomorrow will bring,

and I find that fascinating."

Even a tranquil Englishman needs peace and quiet oc-

casionally. When Morgan City's heat and relative humidity

get excessive, his dreams are of Scotland, the Loch Ness and

salmon fishing. Joe Glass has small boats for hire on the

Loch Ness, where anglers are usually pleased with their

catch, but always have the nagging feeling that maybe, just

maybe, Nessie the Loch Ness monster will take their bait.

"Wouldn't that just take the cake?" asks Glass with a

dreamy look in his eye. "A quiet day of salmon fishing in

Scotland bears no resemblance to deep-sea fishing in the

Gulf, by the way!"

"We have to be able to depend on our partners if we are to be prepared to face the future."

En bildetekst til hva

vi ser her, hvor er han for

eksempel?

30

PRODUCT Article by SAUL TREWERN / Photo: KONGSBERG MARITIME

Sound Navigation and Ranging. Or Sonar, as you may know

it, is one of the most important tools in a fishing vessel's

toolbox. Though if it wasn't for Simrad, it's possible that

the everyday fisherman just wouldn't have access to this

formidable hydroacoustic technology, that in just over 50

years has helped to revolutionise the fishing industry. In the

late forties and early fifties it was Simrad founder Willy

Simonsen's goal to transform expensive Naval sonar into an

affordable tool for the civilian fisherman. And in the fifties

he released the first sonar for fishing. The rest as they say

is history…

Fast forward through fifty years of sonar development led

by Simrad and we find a technology that is fathoms deeper

than when it was first introduced. Take the case of the SP90

Sonar, Simrad's flagship detection tool for seiners in the

Southern hemisphere. It's original use was for the catching

of tuna, which requires the ability to detect weak and scat-

tered targets.

The SP90 became a hit in 2000 when it was introduced to

the tuna fleet, obtaining more than 50% market share in

two years. In 2003 Simrad recognised that it's power could

be used in the North Sea and North Atlantic to the benefit

of mackerel and blue whiting fishermen. Though Simrad

has virtually cornered this market – nine out of the top

NORTH & SOUTHSimrad SP90 Sonar development – A Fisherman's world


31

Transducer structure of a Simrad Sonar.

The pelagic trawler

'Krúnborg', uses the Simrad

SP90 sonar to increase its

catch efficiency.

twelve blue whiting vessels in 2003 used Simrad Sonar

– the company strives to provide fishermen with even bet-

ter, more cost-effective tools.

So Simrad set about adapting the SP90 for operation in

what is to fishermen, a completely different environment.

Though a tough technical challenge, Simrad's hydroacoustic

division, based in Horten, Norway was more than set-up for

it, being that it is one of the most advanced hydroacoustic

centres outside of the Naval industry in the world.

Though Simrad is the first to admit that it can and will

always continue to improve its equipment – the 10% of

turnover channelled into R&D shows this commitment – the

SP90 is now more than ready for the challenges that north

sea fishing vessels will face. It has been installed on trawlers

and purse seiners from Denmark, the Faroe Islands,

Northern Ireland, Holland and most recently Norway and

Ireland.

The first Norwegian vessel to take an SP90 was the F/V

Havdron at the beginning of 2005. "It was like a 'coming

home' for those involved in the project", comments Inter-

national Fishery Sales Manager, Thor Bærhaugen.

"This fantastic product, designed and made in Norway had

been helping the fishing industry on the other side of the

world. But with some effort, Simrad managed to adapt it so

that it would work anywhere in the world, so we are more

than happy to see it on our doorstep!"

The SP90 has already had its fair share of success stories.

Simrad reported in February that a Faroe Islands trawler

recorded the biggest ever catch of blue whiting, at 3200

tonnes over a two-day day period. The pelagic trawler

'Krúnborg', utilised the Simrad SP90 sonar to increase its

catch efficiency through its excellent range, and its ability to

determine exactly where the most dense schools are.

In March, Les Smith from Simrad in the UK reported that

following completion of installation of an SP93 (an SP90

with an elongated shaft) onboard the 65m pelagic trawler

Conquest, the crew were able to detect small schools of blue

whiting at ranges never seen before. "This kind of perform-

ance," says Les, "will be sure to improve catch efficiency as

the vessel can detect where the best schools are at long

range."

The SP90, Simrad's most requested sonar for large

trawlers and purse seiners is proving itself in both the

southern and northern hemispheres as a sophisticated solu-

tion providing the best underwater picture for many fish

types. It has helped to improve catches of everything from

tuna in the southern hemisphere to herring, capelin, blue

whiting and mackerel in the North Sea.

Simrad continues to develop sonars which emphasize

the fact that you will always have the latest technology

available and not be left behind by today's ever evolving

state-of-the-art sonar technology.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

32

PRODUCT Article by HENNING LANGLETE / Photo: JØRN GRØNLUND / ESA

Galileo

The existing American Global Positioning System (GPS) and

Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) are

both owned and operated by the military, meaning that it is

possible, and indeed has happened, that sometimes service

can be restricted.

Satellite positioning has become the standard way of nav-

igating at sea, in air and on land. This demands availability

of the satellite signal, independent from military situations

and national crisis whereas both GPS and GLONASS can be

turned off or at least downgraded to much lower accuracy

in order to avoid possible aggressors taking advantage of it.

And as satellite positioning continues to expand in use,

a sudden loss or degradation of signal in a few years time

could prove catastrophic.

How will Galileo improve this situation though?

We asked Bjørn A. Fossum, President of Kongsberg Seatex,

the division of Kongsberg Maritime that is heading up

Galileo activities:

"The reality of a civilian GNSS of equal, if not greater

accuracy and application to the existing military systems is

something that is very exciting for the marine industry.

Once Galileo is operational, navigators will have a guaran-

teed signal and equipment manufacturers will be able

to develop and market new and improved navigation and

positioning systems to make best use of those signals."

Integrity and accuracy

Galileo will improve all forms of onboard navigation for all

sectors of the industry including ocean and coastal naviga-

tion, port approach and manoeuvres and even inland water-

ways. Together with GPS and GLONASS Galileo will create

the 'backbone' for navigation purposes.

Galileo benefits greatly from its interoperability with

other systems and sensors, which makes it an ideal comple-

ment to inland waterway navigation even in critical envi-

ronments. This has already been recognised by the EU as

Galileo will form a crucial part of the European River Infor-

mation System (RIS) – the planned Europe wide 'traffic

picture' of rivers and inland waterways.

Galileo has many years of technological advancements

over GPS and GLONASS and will diverse from the systems

through its ability to broadcast different kinds of data,

for instance, integrity information. Here, users will receive

a warning if the system ever fails to obtain stated accuracy,

which is especially important for Safety of Life (SoL)

operations where slight deviations in accuracy could mean

the difference between life and death.

Huge benefits

According to Bjørn A. Fossum, when the Galileo service

is fully up and running, it will benefit the maritime com-

Galileo is the first civilian Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and has anestimated cost to the European Community (EC) of Euro 3.6 billion. It has beencreated to provide a highly accurate positioning and navigation service designedspecifically for civilian purposes and run solely by civilians. Kongsberg has beeninvolved in the Galileo project as a key contractor and is promising to ensure that the maritime community can make the most out of this expansive project.

The Future of Positioning and Navigation

Bjørn A. Fossum, President

at Kongsberg Seatex AS,

is very enthustiastic about

the new possibilities in

Satellite Navigation when

Galileo goes live duing 2008.

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

33

munity in several sectors and many different ways:

"The oil and gas sector will have the ability of greater

accuracy during seismic exploration through a positioning

service for both the seismic vessel, the seismic streamer and

the gun arrays. Rigs and anchor handling vessels will also

benefit due to more accurate and safer positioning,

increased by the integrity information inherent in Galileo."

With the trend in the oil and gas sector of moving into

deeper waters and harsh environment, the importance of

the role that positioning and communications play in opera-

tions is drastically increased. Oil companies need to make

sharp decisions in these areas so real-time data transmission

combined with position determination is a must.

Interoperability

Kongsberg will make use of all these benefits to provide

equipment that makes use of not just the Galileo signal, but

will also be interoperable with the other GNSS services.

This will ensure that the maritime community has the best

of all three sevices to make satellite positioning and naviga-

tion the strongest, safest, most accurate and reliable ever.

Though there may be competition between the services,

users will benefit as companies like Kongsberg will be

developing equipment that can receive and process all of

the signals.

"With navigation systems capable of utilising the different

signals, precision and safety will be at it highest ever. If one

signal becomes degraded the technology will compensate

by using an alternate signal. Additionally, in areas where ex-

isting satellite positioning is not as efficient, due to shading

for instance, the increased number of overall satellites will

provide better operational performance," concludes

Bjørn A. Fossum.

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Galileo will provide the first highly accurate, guaranteed global positioning services

under civilian control. The fully deployed Galileo system will consist of 30 satellites and

associated ground infrastructure and is scheduled to be fully operational by 2008.

Galileo's new technology will revolutionize transport systems, increase safety and

improve efficiency. Galileo will also bring benefits in other aspects of everyday life, with

precision farming raising yields, improved information for emergency services speeding

up response times, and more reliable and accurate time signals underpinning the most

vital computer and communications networks.

Galileo will together with GPS and GLONASS create a backbone for all navigation

equipment utilising satellite signals.

FACTS ABOUT

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

34

PRODUCT Article by ANNE TORIL KASIN / Photo: BJØRN-OWE HOLMBERG

There is a unique maritime metropolis located in the

Swedish skerries outside the city of Gothenburg. On the

idyllic little island of Donsö, population 1400 and hardly

even a discernible dot on a world map, there are nine ship-

ping companies that operate a total of roughly 35 modern

vessels with cargo capacities of between 5 and 25 DWT. In

addition, the island is home to a fishing fleet consisting of

several modern steel trawlers and a large number of other

fishing vessels.

The Full Picture Magazine visited the family-owned

shipping company 'Rederi AB Donsötank' and talked with

the next generation of shipowners, i.e. Birger and Olle

Nilsson. Their no-frills lifestyle is based on their love of the

sea, healthy competitive instincts and genuine pride in the

family's vessels.

An early start

Even the pathway leading up to Rederi AB Donsötank gives

the impression that this shipping company is different from

other shipping companies. A little boy stares at us, toy

shovel in hand, and big brother Anton, age four, is right

behind him. The four-year-old obviously sees our surprise

because he states in no uncertain terms: "I work here too".

And so it is with the passing of the generations at Donsö.

New generations accept the legacy of their forefathers,

giving today's modern enterprises a strong grounding that

is the envy of many.

Rederi AB Donsötank was established in 1953 by the

Kristensson and Olsson families, but its roots date back to

the early 1900s. The Lorensson family joined the group with

their business in the 1970s. Eight co-owners are almost all

active in the company either onshore or at sea. Fewer than

10 individuals work in the administration, and they are also

family members. They run the company's one bulk carrier

and four tankers, in addition to two tankers and a general

cargo carrier on order with the Shanghai Edward Shipyard.

They also administrate roughly 100 employees at sea.

"When I started working here?" Birger Nilsson, age 33,

technical manager and son of managing director Roger

Nilsson, smiles and explains with a twinkle in his eye:


Today's modern young

shipowners from Donsötank.

Birger and Olle Nilsson

know what it means

to shoulder responsibility.

It takes hard work!

35

Shipowner with innovative solutions


"When I learned to walk." Little brother Olle, age 21, nods

in corroboration. He also has a technical education and is

now working onshore after spending January at sea. He too

carries a lot of experience in his duffel bag.

It has always been like that. The children of the owner

families have taken on responsibilities at an early age. In so

doing, they have had the opportunity to learn the secrets of

the maritime industry. This practice has given rise to numer-

ous funny stories. Birger tells about when they were rough-

ly 25 years old and had an important meeting with a suppli-

er who simply refused to take them seriously. After all, how

could such young fellows have enough experience to answer

questions that stumped highly qualified engineers? But the

young fellows were right, offering proof positive that young

people from Donsötank should definitely be taken seriously!

The adult relatives in the shipping company have always

given young people a chance. The coming generations have

been encouraged to spread their wings, be it in relation to

finance, administration or technical assignments. On Donsö,

there is no rule against relatives working in the same place.

For an outsider, it is nigh onto impossible to keep track of

how everyone is related to everyone else. While we try to

envisage what it must be like to work with so many family

members, Birger points out that they want to remodel the

administration building. They want to work even more

closely together.

"We sit too far from each other today", Birger says, point-

ing to the spacious offices down the hall. An open office

landscape would make it easier to communicate. That's why

we want to remodel."

How can a tiny island community and Donsötank build

ships that feature far more innovative technology than the

industry in general?

"First and foremost, we derive satisfaction from developing

new products, which puts us in the vanguard in many

respects. We are eager to find technical solutions. Our orga-

nisation also benefits from excellent communication with

those who are at sea. We also have a number of innovation-

oriented officers. If we didn't have input from the people

at sea, further development would be more difficult", com-

ments Birger.

"Have you noticed, by the way", he laughs and nods at

the building across the courtyard, "that the eight other ship-

ping companies on the island we 'compete' with are located

right there? We all want to be best in terms of technology

because we don't talk about commercial issues. We are,

after all, neighbours. That results in a bit of healthy com-

petition for the best solutions", he says, adding: "We also

help each other. We share ideas and experiences."

The shipping company is currently building three new

vessels at the Shanghai Edward Shipyard. The ships will

feature technical solutions that will be a step ahead and

have an eye to the future.

Do you ever dream of working somewhere else?

Birger pauses for a moment before responding: "You see

how we live – on an island in the sea. More than that,

though, we live with the sea and all of us have been born

with a profound interest in boats. Being fortunate enough

to work with boats is almost like a gift." Birger even spends

his spare time building boats as a hobby. Although his

'products' are built on far smaller scale than the vessels

commissioned by the company, they are yet more evidence

of his love of the sea.

"I couldn't imagine working with anything else", declares

little brother Olle, adding: "Once in awhile, I try to cleanse

my brain by moving in another direction. Then I work with

clothes", he laughs.

Notwithstanding, life is not always as uncomplicated as

on this particular sunny day on Donsö. Feuds have split

other large family-owned companies, causing hard feelings

for generations.

"We have discussions occasionally, but we try to keep

them in the family", explains Birger. At times, however,

there are disagreements with suppliers. The most difficult

aspect is actually that we talk boats constantly, since we

are all family, colleagues and owners of the same enterprise.

On that account, I try to do my best to talk about other

things at home".

"Of course, it's easier when we're all involved in the same

business", explains Olle. "We have a great deal in common,

and we can discuss our work with each other. All families

aren't that fortunate."

The youngest generations at the Rederi AB Donsötank are

ready for duty. With a love of the sea and pride in family

traditions, they will most certainly cherish the past while

taking the company into the future.

"I work here too", explains

family member Anton (4).

At the front left on the

moped along with little

brother Olle (1). Olle Nilsson

behind the boys.

36

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Product news

Kongsberg Maritime is proud to announce the

dawning of a new era in shipboard systems.

Kongsberg System technology was developed in

close co-operation with experienced users. By inte-

grating high user competence with technological

excellence our new ship-wide technology platform

really does make a difference to vessel operation.

A wide range of standard and operational specific

functions are available, all designed to optimise

operational and commercial performance.

Kongsberg System Technology is the key to an

entire range of integrated sub-systems based on

tried and tested Kongsberg Maritime solutions for:

Navigation K-Bridge

Prop and thruster control K-Thrust

Dynamic Positioning & Joystick K-Pos

Automation K-Chief

Tank Gauging K-Gauge

Safety K-Safe

Within each application, Kongsberg Maritime will

offer numerous solutions and equipment types,

catering for the same diverse markets and ship

specifications that we are world renowned for. Our

customers will know our new systems by the prefix

of 'K' as in K-Bridge and K-Chief.

Kongsberg System Technology provides benefits

across the board. With better technology, enhanced

functionality and improved life-cycle support,

Kongsberg System Technology furthers safe, effi-

cient operations, reduces the overall costs of owner-

ship, and is scaleable to suit individual operational

and customer needs.

The distributed and open system design of this

sophisticated technology platform utilises a system

wide standardised communication network. The

redundant network facilitates easy integration of

other vessel systems and free flow of information

from all sub-systems, with vessel wide information

available on multi functional work stations.

Additionally, real-time processing has been taken

a step further by providing standard distributed

process units (DPU) with embedded software,

resulting in increased reliability and reduced mainte-

nance costs.

Integrated Vessel Management

The Integrated Vessel Management concept pro-

vided by Kongsberg Maritime supports seamless

integration of all vessel control systems. Bridge

systems, that is navigation, manoeuvring, propul-

sion and thruster controls, are linked to machinery

and cargo automation and safety systems by means

of a system-wide communication highway. The

system-wide communication network enables free

flow of information within the Integrated Vessel

Management system.

All operator stations, controllers and interface

units are linked together via the redundant com-

munication network and a common user interface

reduces the risk of human error and the cost of crew

training. Though Kongsberg System Technology

provides for more integration than ever before, each

sub-system of the Integrated Vessel Management

forms an autonomous system which is not affected

by a failure in other sub-system, therefore in-

creasing safety and reducing the risk of possible

downtime.

In addition to the standard operational modes

and functions, various operational specific functions

are available to optimize operation for a wide range

of applications and vessels. The mode control for

machinery and propulsion plants is a good example;

operational data for the machinery, propulsion and

cargo equipment is programmed into the mode

control. Standard and special operational modes are

predefined, standard mode such as manoeuvring,

transit and harbour modes and special mode such

as station keeping, loading/offloading and drilling.

When a mode is selected, the mode supervision

module will alert the operator in case of any

abnormality with respect to the condition of the

involved machinery (alarm or status) including

standby equipment.

Similar embedded decision support (operational

guidance) functionalities are also available for ship

handling, manoeuvre and DP operations

High performance, flexibility and ease of use,

together with common data management, com-

munication and configuration guarantee that pres-

ent and future requirements for vessel control are

met. Kongsberg System Technology is the key to

safer, more efficient operations and is the culmina-

tion of our challenge to provide The Full Picture.

Kongsberg System TechnologyIndividual systems – one solution

37

In April 2003, tests were initiated on a new type of

radar-based tank gauge developed by Kongsberg.

The test site was the MT Bonito, owned by Rederi

AB Donsötank. Two antenna designs, one in a horn

shape and the other in a dish or parabolic shape,

have been tested on the vessel under real condi-

tions. The radar-based tank gauges have been in

constant operation, reporting measurement data to

Kongsberg's development department ever since

the tests began.

"We've received volumes of crucial, very useful

data from a real site installation and the results are

excellent. We are very pleased with the perfor-

mance, accuracy and reliability of our new 24 GHz

radar-based tank gauge", says Øyvind Tømmerås of

Kongsberg Maritime.

"We are also very grateful for being allowed to test

these products over such a long period of time with

one user in a real situation. In such tests can have

entirely different results than lab tests at the plant.

These tests have given us the chance to read the

test logs on a daily basis, providing large volumes

of useful information. The tests are decisive for our

future product development", explains Tømmerås,

pointing out the advantages of good cooperation

between supplier and user.

New radar-based tank gauge

"The new parabolic radar-based tank gauge will go

into series production in the spring of 2005, and

be marketed under the name Kongsberg Radar Tank

Gauge type GLA-120/P", continues Leif Kristian

Weum of Kongsberg Maritime.

"The new horn-shaped radar-based tank gauge

will go into series production this coming August.

The horn antenna will be used for clean chemical

liquids and still-pipe installations (in very narrow

tanks and for draft measurements). The new pro-

duct will be marketed under the name Kongsberg

Radar Tank Gauge type GLA-120/H.

"The products will be the first marine radar-based

tank gauges to employ 24 GHz technology. The

new frequency has the advantage of using a very

narrow radar beam that can be detected even with

a small antenna. Complete information about and

documentation on the new radar-based tank gauges

will dispatched as soon as the tests are finished",

concludes Weum.

The M/T Bonito is equipped with a cargo level

measuring system from Kongsberg.

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

TRAINING & COURSES

Fore more information about Kongsberg courses, see www.kongsberg.com

Tank GaugeReal time test of new equipment


LNG courses enjoy the wind in their sailsOperator and technical training

TRAINING

Lately, Kongsberg has sold numerous Integrated

Automation systems (IAS), i.e. systems to control

the processes on board LNG carriers. That being

said, good systems require operators who know

how to use them to get the full benefit of the solu-

tions. Accordingly, Kongsberg offers training

packages that include how to operate IAS systems.

There are courses for operators and technical

courses. The LNG Operator Course targets the per-

sonnel who will be operating the IAS system on

LNG carriers. The course is also a prerequisite

for taking the LNG Technical Course.

The course covers:

Introduction to IAS

Main system components

Screen pages

Basic operation

Access rights

Alarm system

Module definitions

• Application specific theory

..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

TRAINING & COURSES

Fore more information about Kongsberg courses, see www.kongsberg.com

Mariners in themountain…Hoping to strike it rich

TRAINING

Kongsberg Maritime's training department has a

record numbers of people signed up for courses.

Large teams from the Thunder Horse drilling rig

and the FPSO vessel (Floating Production, Storage

and Offloading) and the Norne field have enrolled

in comprehensive training programmes.

"Ordinarily, course participants are here for a

week or so, but this time some of them will be in

Kongsberg for almost a month", points out

Elin Hanheide, course co-ordinator. "We wanted

to leave course participants with a favourable im-

pression from their stay with us, not only in terms

of product knowledge, but also when it comes to

human relations and forging ties with Kongsberg.

Being both a training department and a supplier,

we always try to give a little something extra to

those who visit us. This time, we wanted to show

them the fantastic silver mines here in Kongsberg",

she reports, adding: "After all, the silver mines laid

the foundation for today's technology community

in Kongsberg."

Consequently, 40 course participants, accompa-

nied by their instructors from Kongsberg, made

the 2 300 metre trip into the mountain to the

King's Mine, once the silver work's largest. Deep

in the mountain, roughly 340 metres beneath

the earth's surface, the group disembarked from

the little mine train. Ably assisted by guides from

the Norwegian Mining Museum, they were given

a historical, dramatic and possibly even rather

exciting look at the sub-surface lives of miners in

days past.

"We prospected for silver too", laughed one par-

ticipant, hoping to strike it rich when he discovered

something shiny on a rock face. Whether it actually

was silver or just mica will remain a mystery since

the mountain has to have some secrets.

Following the guided tour, traditional Kongsberg

fare was served with all the trimmings. The mood

relaxed as the aquavit was passed around the table.

Since being deep inside a mountain can be a rather

tense experience, the noble drops were soothing

for body and soul.

The participants were satisfied: "This is a wonderful

break in anotherwise hectic schedule", says one.

38

Setting a fast pace in BrazilComprehensive course activities in Macaé

TRAINING

Course activities have reached a feverish pace at

Kongsberg Maritime's Training Centre in Macaé,

Brazil. The classrooms are filled with enthusiastic

course participants enrolled in a variety of training

programmes for HPR & HiPAP Acoustic

Positioning, Artemis, Fanbeam, Seatex DARPS and

Dynamic Positioning.

The high pace of offshore activity in Brazil, com-

bined with ever more focus on safety, translates

into burgeoning activities at the Training Centre.

"We know that competence pays, and we always

strive to offer our course participants a standard

of training and quality of service that are second

to none", says course coordinator Elin Hanheide.

The course calendar for autumn 2005 is sched-

uled for publication right about now. If you are

interested in a course, see www.kongsberg.com.

Course participants have taken a course

in Dynamic Positioning at Kongsberg's Maritime

Training Centre in Macaé, Brazil. From left:

Felipe Pinheiro Vieira, Marcos da Luz Alves,

Claudia Aparecida de Souza Ferreira and

Leandro Timm Maltz Junior. (Photo: Anders Hovde).

3939

2 April 2005 was a special day for the U.S. Coast

Guard and Kongsberg. The 240-foot U.S. Coast

Guard Icebreaker MACKINAW (WLBB-30)

was launched from the ways at Marinette Marine

Corporation (MMC) in Marinette, Wisconsin, on

a beautiful Saturday morning. Congressman

Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. House of

Representatives gave the address and his wife,

Jean, christened the vessel. The "new" MACKI-

NAW will replace the existing USCG MACKINAW

which has been in service in the Great Lakes

since 1944.

Onboard systems supplied by Kongsberg in-

clude the Integrated Ship's Control System (ISCS)

and Dynamic Positioning System (SDP). The ISCS

includes the SEAMAP 10 Electronic Chart

Display and Information System (ECDIS), DGPS,

LORAN-C, Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA),

Dynamic Positioning with SDP/SJS Operator

Terminals (OT) for remote use.

Kongsberg was also selected as the Single

Source Bridge Integrator (SSBI) by Marinette

Marine. This included the responsibility for the

overall bridge layout and integration with other

on-board systems. The vessel's bridge is designed

in accordance with Det Norske Veritas Watch One

(DNV W-1) to the extent possible.

The Coast Guard also chose Kongsberg to

interface its POLARIS Simulator System with the

onboard equipment. MACKINAW crewmembers

received training in the use of the POLARIS

Simulator System at Kongsberg Maritime Simula-

tion Inc. in Mystic, Connecticut, with further

training provided on the system at the Pre-

Commissioning Office in Marinette. To round out

the training regime, bridge watch standers of the

MACKINAW also received DP Operator Training

at the Kongsberg Maritime Inc. Training Center

in Houston, Texas.

The POLARIS simulator and DP trainer console

are currently at the Pre-Commissioning Office

located next to the shipyard while the ship

is being completed by Marinette Marine. This

arrangement enables the crew to train on the

navigational equipment and maintain crew pro-

ficiency in ship handling, DP operational and

navigational skills. Actual transits have already

been set up on the simulator and watch teams

stand "real-time" watches with realistic scenarios

specific to Great Lakes transits. Once commis-

sioned, an onboard training room will be used to

continuously hone the crew's skills. This room

will have both the ship simulator and DP trainer

console.

Kongsberg employees traveled to Marinette

to attend the launching, including Olav Stein

Liavaag, Overall Project Manager, Ted Murphy,

Senior Sales Manager, Jimmy Coker, Sales Mana-

ger, Angel Rodriguez, Training Instructor (all from

the Houston, Texas Office) and Dudley Baker

(representing Kongsberg Maritime Simulation

Inc. in Mystic, Connecticut).

For Kongsberg, this project represents the

first time we have been a lead system integrator

on a USCG vessel. Whether it was at the launch-

ing or at the follow-on reception, Kongsberg

representatives were offered accolades for the

advanced technologies provided and the dedica-

tion by Kongsberg personnel. Kongsberg is well

positioned with the U.S. Coast Guard!

U.S. Coast Guard icebreakerLaunched with Kongsberg Maritime on board

PRODUCT Article by DUDLEY BAKER / Photo: PETTY OFFICER DAVID MOSLEY / TED MURPHEY

Dudley Baker, Angel Rodriguez, and

LCDR Jim Morrison prior to the launch.

...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

40

The staff of Kongsberg Maritime in Korea is part

of the company's global network. As such staff

members are deeply committed to providing

innovative, reliable marine electronics to ensure

optimal operation at sea.

"Networking with Kongsberg's global organisa-

tion makes us a partner in the Group's world-wide

24/7 service. We are proud to offer strategic co-

operation that includes providing our Korean

customers with Korean-speaking engineers", says

Hwang-Jong Park, Customer Support Manager.

Product support throughout ships' life cycles has

high priority at Kongsberg. Consequently,

Kongsberg in Korea is eager to maintain all instal-

lations, offer system upgrades and, in some cases,

even to propose retrofits and the installation of

new products into old vessels locally.

"Since our success inevitably depends on the

success of our customers, we try to listen to and

learn from them. We also strive to translate active

cooperation and a genuine understanding of

customers into successful installations and services.

Kongsberg Maritime Korea can place 65 English-

speaking Korean marine engineers (45 of whom

regularly work with the commissioning of new-

buildings and service) at its customers' disposal.

All these hardworking engineers are dedicated and

determined to provide each and every client with

the best possible service. All employees have the

deepest respect for Kongsberg's sound corporate

values", says Mr. Park.

Mr. Park began working at what was then

Norcontrol Korea in March 1994. In 1997, he was

promoted to Service Manager. "My job is to co-

ordinate all service engineers and provide technical

advice to shipowners and shipyards in Korea.

I also spend time coordinating service and warranty

jobs with the head office, and get out into the

field to do some ordinary service jobs myself", he

continues.

"Finally, I would also like to mention that

through our training centre here in Busan office,

we offer crew training programmes to ensure that

the operators have a thorough understanding

of Kongsberg products. That offers tremendous

advantages for us as well as for our customers.

Training allows us to speak the same language,

whatever it might be."

A local partner with world-wide supportKongsberg Maritime in Korea

KONGSBERG support 24

................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Kongsberg Maritime Korea Ltd. is the

premier supplier of Machinery Automation,

Propulsion Control, Voyage Data Recorders,

Cargo Automation, Sensors & Instrumentation,

Integrated Navigation, Dynamic Positioning

and Integrated Automation Systems to the

Korean shipbuilding and shipping industries.

Kongsberg has local offices at major ports

in Korea. Kongsberg has operated in Korea

for more than two decades, and has approxi-

mately 65 Korean-speaking engineers who

deal with project management, assembly,

testing, system integration, commissioning and

onboard services.

For assistance or more detailed information:

Support Korea

Telephone: +82 (0) 11 9325 9230 /

+82 (0) 0118779230

E-mail: [email protected]

FACTS ABOUT

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................


Oslo, Norway7–10 JuneNor-Shipping,stand no C01-26C

Aberdeen, Scotland6–9 SeptemberOffshore, Europe

Plymouth, UK12–15 SeptemberShallow Survey

Washington, USA19–23 SeptemberOceans 2005

Aberdeen, UK20–24 SeptemberICES Fishery ResearchConference

St. Petersburg, Russia26–29 SeptemberNEVA, 2005

Houston, USA27–28 SeptemberDP Conference

Almaty, Kazakhstan4–7 OctoberKIOGE

Busan, Korea5–8 OctoberKorMarine

Mumbai, India5–8 OctoberINMEX

Dubai UAE6–9 OctoberDubai Shiprepair

Manila, Philippines16–18 OctoberSimulator Users Conference

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam27–29 OctoberVietnam Oil & Gas Expo

Dubai, UAE6–9 NovemberOil, Gas & PetrochemicalOn/Offshore Industry

Ljubljana, Slovenia14–16 NovemberICERS 7

Rotterdam, Netherlands1–5 NovemberEuroport Maritime

Orlando, USA28–1 DecemberI/ITSEC

New Orleans, USA30–2 DecemberWorkboat Show

Shanghai, China6–9 DecemberMarintec

Support 24Call +47 815 35 355

E-mail: [email protected]

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Expo

................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The FULLPICTURE magazine

02/05

Kongsberg Maritime AS

Kirkegårdsveien 45

P.O. Box 483

NO-3601 Kongsberg

NORWAY

Date post:	05-Apr-2020
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	0 times
Download:	0 times

.. The FULLPICTURE...OSV. With increased capacity for deck load, fuel, drilling mud, drinking water,...

Documents