Human performance improvement in offshore specialized shipping - the operators perspective

Abstract

Offshore Specialized Vessels have various important functions to serve for the upstream Oil & Gas industry. These vessels are subjected to critical operations and are equipped with specific applications such as Dynamic Positioning System. Despite the availability of decision support mechanisms, rules, regulations, and procedures, the risk of having an accident still remains high due to dynamic operating conditions. In this context, the human is still considered to be one of the main contributors to accidents and incidents. This has direct implications on the exploration and production activities, and the high-risk conditions under which the business activities are managed.

Offshore specialized vessels are complex socio-technical systems, which have high potential to contribute to incidents leading to a major accident. Modern safety science and reliability engineering view serious accidents as a combination of several factors, ranging from organizational issues to individual human performance.

In addition to so-called action failures, the complexity of marine operations may trigger unexpected combinations of individually normal actions, resulting in variance in the system´s total performance. Resilience engineering recognized that the systems are adaptable and they tolerate variance but the variance can start resonating resulting unbearable loads towards the system. Human is the key component and more importantly it is not bimodal as the reliability analysis of technical systems tend to suggest. Performance variability is natural in socio-technical systems, and a valuable part of normal performance.

The research aimed to find factors and improvement potential in the process that enable humans to cope with the complexity and uncertainty of work. The thesis aims at identifying dominant risk influence factors with major potential to lead unwanted incidents towards major accidental risk. A detailed questionnaire was circulated among vessel operators in Norway. Data were gathered involving selected industry professional representing the highest expertise related to onboard offshore specialized vessels engaged in various operations offshore i.e. from drilling to anchor handling. The results indicated many attributes of human performance as the most powerful barrier against accidents. The research suggests principal solutions for identified challenges. Applying these solutions can create customer value and gaining competitive advantage by improving the operational safety and reliability of the total system by means of human performance improvement. Gaining a competitive advantage is crucial for Offshore Specialized Vessel owners due to the fact that cash flow, the lifeblood of the companies, is generated by providing high quality services by means of vessels or units with marine crews.