National Maritime College of Ireland

Training – A delegates perspective

As with most of our blog posts lately we like to start with a quote. Just a little something to keep in mind while reading our blogs. So we have decided that for this blog our quote should be “Safety isn’t just a slogan, it’s a way of life”. Those few words explain just how our instructors work. Safety for our instructors is not just a slogan; it really is a way of life.

Who am I?

Before anybody goes offshore there are a number of courses which they must complete, depending on their role in the oil & gas sector, with a MIST, BOSIET and HUET being the basic requirement.

Seen as I’m the new marketing executive for NMCI Services I decided it was time for me to take the plunge and complete one of the many offshore courses we offer through S.N.O (SEFtec NMCI Offshore). When people read blogs they want to read about peoples personal experiences and know what exactly happens when a delegate arrives to do a course. So on Thursday March 12th I had the opportunity to be a delegate on a HUET Course.

My day as a delegate

As I’m an employee things were a little different. I didn’t have to arrive in reception at 8.45 am or I didn’t have to find my way or travel from a neighbouring country. So I was going doing the meet and greet at 1:30pm.

After the theoretical aspects of the course were completed it was time to get into the water. Before a delegate can get into the water you have to don your swimwear and a tracksuit and t-shirt. The instructor will then give you a pair of overalls and a transit suit. I have to admit this is a bit strange because you feel like you’re in a blow up boiler suit. Once the shoes are on then it’s time to put on your life jacket.

What happened…

After a safety briefing pool side it was time to get into the water in our environmental pool. The temperature is kept at 21 degrees so it wasn’t cold like I had expected. It was hard to stay up in the water as at no point in our pool can you stand up. This is to help simulate the idea of being in the ocean. When you’re in the suit you have to swim backwards to stay afloat and then make your way over to the unit. Out unit is manufactured by SEFtec.

Once in the unit the instructor once again goes through what is going to happen. You are so well briefed that the idea of being underwater without air doesn’t seem so terrifying. There were 2 divers and then 2 instructors pool side. Safety is paramount when it comes to any course but for somebody who wouldn’t exactly be a water baby I definitely felt safe in the hands of all the instructors.

I will admit I was a bit nervous once the 3 safety checks had been done and the briefing had been completed. Before completing the first exercise we once again completed the 3 safety checks and went into the brace position. Once the unit hit the water it was time to pull the emergency strap on the window and once the water reached chest level it was time to take that big breath of air. Depending on which side of the ditcher unit you are in you have one hand on the window and the other on your buckle. This helps ensure that you are in a position to release the buckle and to push the window out so you can easily remove yourself from the unit. The first time the unit was submerged I found I was able to hold my breath but then again I did probably get out too fast. Second time around I was more psyched up to do it and the instructors helped calm me and motivate me to complete the training. Safety checks were completed again, brace position, pull the latch, take a deep breath and then once the unit has stopped moving unbuckle and remove yourself through the window. I didn’t seem to follow the steps and when I went to unbuckle I didn’t fully twist the buckle to unlock it. This meant I was stuck. Like I previously mentioned I’m not exactly a water baby so my immediate response was to panic. The instructors and divers are on high alert and noticed straight away and released me from behind my seat. Once I reached the surface I was perfect but I had gotten a bit of a shock. Third time lucky right? Well that did work. On my third attempt I completed each of the steps. This time I even decided to stay in the unit just a while longer as I wasn’t sure if it had stopped moving. Then once I did get out I was ready to take on the “capsize” aspect of the training.

The adrenaline was obviously present at this stage because I was a nervous wreck the night before thinking about it and then I was all go. I returned to the unit and once again strapped in and completed the safety briefing then the safety checks. I was fortunate enough to do the capsize without the window in the unit, don’t know if I would even have the strength to push out the window. The unit was being submerged in the water, I placed my right hand on the window frame tightly and placed my left hand on my buckle. Once we were completely submerged and the unit began to capsize the force of water wasn’t what I was expected and I lost my grip on the windows edge which did frighten me. I had my eyes open which meant I could see everything moving really fast. I would definitely recommend delegates to keep their eyes closed if possible as it’s hard to adapt to the change in surroundings when you’re capsizing.

Overall experience

The instructors and divers really made me feel comfortable in the water. It’s not an easy task completing any training but knowing you have people, for whom safety is a way of life, by your side definitely helps you relax. From the moment I walked up the stairs to the pool to the moment I got out of the environmental pool I felt like I was in safe hands. Everything is explained numerous times and they ask questions to ensure you are comfortable. For me, even climbing up a ladder is terrifying, so knowing that I was able to complete a HUET, I can safely say it was down to the team of people who were there on the day. For some delegates it can be extremely challenging to complete courses and I can now understand the nerves they develop, but I was the same and the team here at SEFtec NMCI Offshore helped me to face my fears. If I can do it then you can too…

Thanks for an amazing afternoon Joey, Terry, Cillian & Melissa.

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Behind the scenes #BOSIET Course

Adventure Time

Today we bring you on a behind the scenes tour of a BOSIET course which was being ran by two of our Instructors- Cillian & Elizabeth today. Check out the pictures below to see the delegates and instructors in the Environmental Pool.

What is a BOSIET Course?

This 3 Day offshore course is designed to provide delegates with a basic knowledge of safety and emergency response procedures for working in offshore environments. Delegates gain a basic level of understanding and awareness of the hazards encountered when working on offshore installations, and of the safety regime and safety management systems in place to control and mitigate those hazards. The course is a mix of theoretical and practical sessions, during which delegates are required to demonstrate their level of knowledge and understanding of the training programme content.

The course covers the following elements:

– Safety Induction

– Helicopter Safety and Escape

– Sea Survival

– Fire fighting

– First Aid

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Compressed Air Emergency Breathing Systems course offering at the NMCI

There has been a very recent update in relation to the delivery of the BOSIET, an additional Compressed Air Emergency Breathing System module will be required by OPITO. For further information on this course please check out our website link at :

http://www.nmci.ie/offshore_courses/courseId/48700181/

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‘Cork Mega Port’ features BOSIET training at the NMCI

The NMCI featured in episode two of ‘Cork Mega Port’ on Monday May 5^th. The episode showed the SEFtec NMCI Offshore (SNO) team delivering a BOSIET course for delegates preparing to work offshore. Underwater cameras were used to give an exciting insight of the helicopter safety and escape training in action in the sea survival pool. Four hour-long episodes have been produced by Goldhawk Media who spent over four months filming at the Port of Cork.

The crew behind the documentary followed all port employees including management, crane drivers, tug operators, pilots, launch crew and maintenance and engineering staff. Informative, engaging and often humorous this documentary focuses not just on the port’s operations but also on the people who make it all possible. Monday’s episode can been seen on TV3 player at http://www.tv3.ie/3player/show/608/0/0/Cork-Mega-Port

‘Cork Mega Port’ airs on TV3, Monday’s at 9pm.

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Irish Examiner “Hobbs turns his fire on oil industry with campaign to maximise returns”.

Extract from http://www.irishexaminer.com/business/hobbs-turns-his-fire-on-oil-industry-with-campaign-to-maximise-returns-260729.html

“The first phase of Mr Hobbs’s Own Our Oil campaign was the launch of a book yesterday with the same title that aims to change the public’s attitude to Irish oil resources.

 The book looks at Ireland’s geology, policy, taxation, history and planning when it comes to the oil industry and is dedicated to former minister Justin Keating who developed a strict taxation regime for Irish resources in the 70s.

 The book is the first part of a campaign that is aiming to challenge the oil and gas industry in Ireland. Mr Hobbs warned that if the oil industry attempted to dismiss his campaign he would “take them apart”.

In the book, Mr Hobbs places a lot of emphasis on the difference in regimes between Ireland and Norway. Norway managed to build a sovereign wealth fund three times larger than Ireland’s national debt by effectively managing its natural resources.

 However, the chairman of the Irish Offshore Operators’ Association, Fergus Cahill, said comparing the two countries is a fundamental mistake.

“Norway produce two million barrels of oil a day. We produce none. Norway exports natural gas, we import virtually all of ours. To compare the two is a fundamental mistake,” he said.

 Mr Hobbs also drew parallels between the oil companies’ behaviour in Norway and Ireland. Mr Hobbs said that in the 1950s Norway was repeatedly told that there was no offshore oil in Norway.

 Mr Cahill said that was what the companies believed at the time and it was only with improved technology that the Norweigian industry developed.

 Mr Hobbs said they were not interested in trying to unpick any of the licensing options that are in place, but there was a need to try and maximise future returns from potential assets.

Up to a third of Ireland’s marine territory is already under licence from a period between the 1980s and 2007, when exploration terms signed ownership of various assets over to exploration companies, following then minister for energy Ray Burke’s dismantling of the tough taxation regime Justin Keating had put in place.

This means returns from these assets will disproportionately go to company shareholders and not the Irish taxpayer.”

By Vincent Ryan

Business Reporter

© Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

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