Predicting it Before it Can Ever Happen

When accidents occur we are often forced to create new solutions that overcome accidents and problems. That’s where we are after the massive BP oil spill. My question is, why wait for accidents to happen? What about preventative actions and planning to make the difference? As the old 7 P’s adage goes, Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor People Performance.

What if there were tools and machines that allowed the examining of worst case scenarios and their effect? Specifically, what if this tool allowed individuals or teams to see and feel the result of a mistake and learn from it without placing people or equipment in jeopardy. This kind of tool would take planning and analysis well beyond table top exercises and presents a powerful resource to companies who are faced with challenging situations where safety and efficiency are vital.

In the offshore oil and gas industry and particularly in the shipping world, creating preventative solutions is simply essential. We don’t want to wait for the next accident, environmental hazard or tough environmental conditions to spring surprises on us that would mean loss of life and loss of equipment.

The Centre for Marine Simulation (CMS) is the largest and most comprehensive marine simulation technology facility in Canada. Through years of experience in dealing with national and international clients, CMS has grown from the training realm, to one providing the offshore and marine sectors with assistance in carrying out detailed risk analysis, and encounter what the worst case scenario could be like before the operation takes place. Its one thing to predict what could happen, it’s another to actually see it play out in simulated algorithms of cause and effect, which include weather conditions, ship structures, and people considerations!

The use of vessels and deployed equipment such as ROV’s to undertake a difficult repair of a subsea structure that sits amongst other sensitive equipment such as pipelines, is a simulation scenario worth investigating. The operation may require the vessel to maintain position in close proximity to a rig or platform. By using our marine simulation design capacity we can create the vessels, structures and environmental conditions, and let scenarios evolve.

This allows the operators involved to rehearse the operation, identify critical path items, face issues such as loss of power or position, and the effect of wind and weather in real time. Amendments to operating procedures as well as testing emergency actions can be done in a realistic and controlled forum, where the worst variables can be captured and repeated. Complementary to the technical questions CMS experiences with human factors studies can be added to examine the effects of fatigue and situational awareness under extreme conditions.

This combination of getting results from both man and machine in all situations is something we strive for, providing a range of customized simulation capabilities that predicts and prevents loss before it ever occurs!

At CMS we certainly hope to be a preventative and sustainable solution for oil spills, offshore accidents and harsh weather conditions. For more information on preventative simulation in your commercial developments please go to: www.mi.mun.ca/cms