Overview

This book is a comprehensive guide to the wide range of tasks undertaken by emergency response and rescue vessels. It covers ERRV design and equipment, major legislation and manning and operations and includes informative case studies.

The importance of the emergency response and rescue vessel (ERRV) within the marine industry is often overlooked. This may be due to the fact that the role of the ERRV can appear to be limited to standby duties and emergency situations. However, the ERRV is a vessel that is actually utilised for many and varied tasks associated both with work onboard the installation to which it is assigned and within the general offshore environment. An ERRV may be required to perform routine standby duties during over side work from the installation or during helicopter landing and take-off operations, to perform in-field transfers or be assigned collision avoidance duties. All of these tasks require specific skills, training and levels of competence unique to the vessel type. Training, drills and exercises are, therefore, a major part of life onboard an ERRV, and the roles onboard demand a level of competence that is routinely and continually tested and assessed.

Routine operations may be performed in harsh weather conditions and the vessels must maintain station twenty four hours a day. Unlike other offshore support vessels, such as dive support vessels, platform supply vessels or anchor handling vessels, the ERRV is a constant presence at offshore platforms, semi-submersible drilling rigs and jack-ups. There is no respite from its duties and the vessel and crew must remain diligent, alert and in a constant state of readiness.

Content

1.0 INCIDENTS AND CASUALTIES

1.1 SEA GEM (1965)

1.2 OCEAN EXPRESS (1976)

1.3 ALEXANDER KIELLAND (1980)

1.4 OCEAN RANGER (1982)

1.5 PIPER ALPHA (1988)

1.6 OCEAN ODYSSEY (1988)

1.7 WEST GAMMA (1990)

1.8 CORMORANT ALPHA (1992)

1.9 ETAP PLATFORM (2009)

1.10 CONCLUSION

2.0 REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE

2.1 INSTALLATION SAFETY ZONES

2.2 OFFSHORE INSTALLATION REGULATIONS

2.3 OFFSHORE INSTALLATIONS (PFEER) REGULATIONS

2.4 ERRV CLASSIFICATION

2.5 ERRV GROUPS

2.6 EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RESCUE VESSEL ASSOCIATION

2.7 MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY (UK)

2.8 NORWEGIAN REQUIREMENTS

2.9 DUTCH REQUIREMENTS

2.10 CANADIAN REQUIREMENTS

2.11 UNITED STATES REQUIREMENTS (USCG)

2.12 AUSTRALIAN REQUIREMENTS (AMSA)

3.0 ERRV DESIGN FEATURES

3.1 PRINCIPLES OF ERRV DESIGN

3.2 HULL DESIGN

3.3 PROPULSION AND MANOEUVRABILITY

3.4 DP SYSTEMS

3.5 BRIDGE DESIGN

3.6 RESCUE ZONES AND LAUNCHING AREAS

3.7 HELICOPTER WINCHING ZONES

3.8 MEDICAL AND SURVIVOR FACILITIES

3.9 MULTI-PURPOSE VESSELS

4.0 ERRV SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT

4.1 FAST RESCUE CRAFT (FRC)

4.2 DAUGHTER CRAFT (DC)

4.3 AUTONOMOUS RESCUE AND RECOVERY CRAFT (ARRC)

4.4 DC AND ARRC CERTIFICATION

4.5 LAUNCH AND RECOVERY SYSTEMS

4.6 RESCUE SCOOPS

4.7 RESCUE FRAMES

4.8 RESCUE BASKETS

4.9 SCRAMBLING AIDS

4.10 LOCATOR BEACONS

5.0 ERRV MANNING, FAMILIARISATION AND TRAINING

5.1 MANNING

5.2 FAMILIARISATION

5.3 TRAINING

5.4 OPITO

5.5 INITIAL TRAINING SHIPBOARD OPERATIONS

5.6 COMMAND AND CONTROL

5.7 ADVANCED MEDICAL AID

5.8 CREW FAST RESCUE CRAFT BOATMAN

5.9 CREW FAST RESCUE CRAFT COXSWAIN

5.10 CREW DAUGHTER CRAFT COXSWAIN

5.12 ERRV TRIALS AND DRILLS

6.0 ERRV OPERATIONS

6.1 PRIOR TO DEPARTURE TO LOCATION

6.2 ARRIVAL ON LOCATION

6.3 ERRV HANDOVER

6.4 ROUTINE STANDBY

6.5 CLOSE STANDBY

6.6 COLLISION AVOIDANCE

6.7 PERSONNEL TRANSFERS

6.8 TANKER MOORING ASSIST

6.9 INSTALLATION CHECKS

7.0 EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RESCUE OPERATIONS

7.1 COMMAND AND CONTROL

7.2 EVACUATION AND ESCAPE

7.3 POSITIONING OF THE ERRV

7.4 SEARCH AND RESCUE (ERRV)

7.5 SEARCH AND RESCUE (ARRC/DC/FRC)

7.6 LAUNCH AND RECOVERY OF RESCUE CRAFT

7.7 RECOVERY FROM THE SEA

7.8 RECOVERY FROM THE SEA (ERRV)

7.9 RECOVERY FROM SURVIVAL CRAFT

7.10 CASUALTY CARE

7.11 HELICOPTER OPERATIONS

Details

Title: Emergency Response and Rescue Vessels (ERRVs)
Subtitle: Their need, role, design and operational features
Number of Pages: 61
Product Code: WS1395K
ISBN: ISBN 13: 978-1-85609-595-2 (9781856095952), ISBN 10: 1-85609-595-9 (1856095959)
Published Date: August 2013
Binding Format: Paperback
Book Height: 300 mm
Book Width: 210 mm
Book Spine: 5 mm
Weight: 0.30 kg
Author: Gary Ritchie