Aberdeen Evening Meeting – Diving – Research, Practice and Safety

Wednesday 12 February 2025 | 18:00 – 20:00hrs

Aberdeenshire Cricket Club, Aberdeen

Registration – £15 SUT members / £25 non-members (+ VAT) / £10 students

This event includes four great presentations from very experienced and knowledgeable speakers, covering topics across closed-bell resuscitation, a case study from the North Sea, and two presentations related to safety – what happens when it goes wrong, as well as a look at the systems we have in place to provide safe refuge for divers if a dive support vessel has a catastrophic failure.

PLEASE NOTE: Your ticket includes a buffet meal.  There is a bar on site where you can buy a good selection of drinks.

Commercial Diving Incidents and Lessons Learnt – Bill Chilton, IMCA

The talk will look at two commercial diving incidents (a shellfish diving fatality in Scotland and the subsea decommissioning of a North Sea oil and gas installation) that occurred during the speaker’s time at HSE.  The talk will look at what went wrong, what could have been done differently, and changes to the commercial diving industry in the UK as a result of these events.

Bill Chilton has 25 years of experience in commercial diving and prior to joining IMCA and becoming Diving Manager he worked at the UK HSE for 12 years. Regulating the safety of divers working in the offshore energy and other sectors of the diving industry is a subject close to Bill as he previously was an air and saturation diver as well as having held ‘topside’ positions including project engineer and project manager. Bill holds a BSc (Hons) in Geography; an MSc in Marine Resource Management; and an MSc (Distinction) in Decommissioning.

Hyperbaric Rescue – Graeme Robb, JFD Head of Technical Services

When a Dive Support Vessel is severely damaged there may come a time when it must be abandoned. Divers in saturation inside a diving system present a particular challenge as they cannot be safely or readily decompressed in order to be evacuated in the same way as other crew members –  this is when a Hyperbaric Evacuation Plan and Hyperbaric Reception Facility is called into action.  This presentation will cover what these facilities look like, how they function and how and when they are used.

Graeme Robb, JFD Head of Technical Services, worked with Divex / JFD since 2007 on commercial diving new build DSV projects, product servicing and after sales service support.

Closed Bell Resuscitation, The Dunoon Method – Mario Gagliardini, Diving Operation Lead, Boskalis

From the Boskalis offshore diving projects team twelve of our colleagues collaborated with specialists from Derby University Hospital on groundbreaking research that has significantly shaped the future of resuscitation protocols for saturation divers. Their dedication and expertise have been pivotal in the development of the Dunoon CPR Protocol, which now serves as a cornerstone in diver safety and industry standards.

This presentation will delve into the collaborative efforts and outcomes of this research, highlighting the critical advancements in resuscitation protocols and their implications for diver safety..

Mario Gagliardini, Diving Operation Lead, Boskalis. Mario has over 10 year offshore saturation and air diving experience in many different and challenging working environments.  Currently Diving Operations Lead at Boskalis Subsea Services, he brings valuable knowledge and experience with a vast array of tasks and tools in large scale EPIC, field decommissioning, IRM and construction subsea projects.

Clair Ridge caisson removal – a diving case study – Calum Miller – bp – Subsea Construction Engineer, and Alan Picken – TFMC – Senior Installation Engineer

A 2023 diving campaign case study at bp’s Clair Ridge in West of Shetland involved removing the C1 caisson within the jacket structure. The project combined topside activity with rope access technicians and a TFMC DSV operating in both Nitrox and SAT diving modes. This presentation will cover the project’s background, caisson removal concept, execution, and lessons learned.

This comprehensive approach ensured that the caisson removal was conducted efficiently, safely and minimising impact to the asset plan. The lessons learned from this project can provide valuable insights for future offshore operations, highlighting the importance of integrated planning, the use of advanced technology, and the effective collaboration between various teams and stakeholders.

Calum Miller – bp – Subsea Construction Engineer, was the single point of accountability for the DSV campaign, managing the interface between DSV contractor and bp asset teams. Experience –10 years of experience in the subsea industry across subsea contractors and operators

Alan Picken – TFMC – Senior Installation Engineer. Lead the technical delivery of the C1 Caisson removal scope for TFMC, with over 20 years of experience working on complex subsea construction and topside projects in various locations.

SUT Event Policy

Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable, although discretion may apply in exceptional circumstances. The SUT reserves the right to make changes to the event schedule, lineup, or venue. Attendees assume all risks associated with the event. By entering, you consent to photography and video recording for promotional purposes. Terms and conditions apply.

Contact [email protected] for enquiries.