Underwater Rescue
10 April, 2013
Underwater Rescue
10 April 2013 Aberdeen Evening Meeting
Chairman Hamish Petersen
Presentations
SUT+ Pre–talk
Hamish Petersen, SUT
SUT+ Pre–Talks are targeted at developing professionals and newcomers to industry, with the aim of providing attendees with additional background subject knowledge to enhance the main SUT presentations which follow.
The presentation will provide a basic awareness of saturation diving, including the associated challenges and dangers relating to underwater rescue of divers in a hyperbaric atmosphere.
The NATO Submarine Rescue System
Commander Jonathan Powis, NSRS
The UK is part owner of the NATO Submarine Rescue System and enjoys a peerless reputation as the world leader for its skills both as operator and manufacturer of submarine rescue vehicles. How has this come about? What are the true figures for submarine accidents and losses? How have things improved? What key systems and technologies make up a Submarine Rescue System? In his presentation Jonathan (Jonty) Powis will give a short history of the subject and then approach these questions from the point of view of the acceptance into service of the NSRS and its subsequent exercises. Jonty will also discuss the problems encountered and their solutions.
Crawford W. Logan, IMCA Technical Advisor
As saturation diving becomes common in the 1970s it was quickly realised that divers living in saturation could not be evacuated from a sinking vessel (or other calamity) in the same way as the rest of the crew. Initially all that was provided was a simple chamber connected to the saturation system which had some gas cylinders attached and would float if launched. Over the years this has evolved in to the self–propelled hyperbaric lifeboats with 72 hours survival capacity that are fitted to modern DSVs. For many years all efforts focussed on simply getting the divers safely away from the danger area with little thought given to what happened after that. In recent years much more effort has gone in to the safe recovery and decompression of the divers after the SPHL is launched and IMCA has been working on a guidance note to provide advice on what is required. This presentation gives a brief oversight of Crawford’s work
Techbite Presentation – Frustration with Flanges
Chris Dunkerley, Technical Manager, National Hyperbaric Centre
Difficulties encountered during the reception of a Hyperbaric Lifeboat and the future implications of IMCA D051
David Forsyth, Risk & Business Continuity Director, Bibby Offshore
On the 18th September 2012, during diving operations within a subsea drilling template, the DSV Bibby Topaz suffered a DP system failure and subsequent loss of position. On relocating back to the bell Diver 2’s umbilical snagged on a transponder bucket on the template and severed. This is the story of his survival and rescue.