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October 2013 www.sname.org/sname/mt www.sname.org/sname/mt 3 U H G R F W R U D O 5 H V H D U F K ) H O O R Z V K L S V OCEAN ENGINEERING AND INSTRUMENTATIONThe Link Foundation will award several one year $27,000 predoctoral research fellowships to Ph.D. candidates enrolled in either US or Canadian academic institutions. The application, in the form of a research proposal, must be received by December 16, 2013. Applications and further information can be obtained at www.linkoe.org. Program Contact Information: Karl von Ellenrieder, Administrator Ocean Engineering and Instrumentation Fellowships Florida Atlantic University Department of Ocean & Mechanical Engineering 101 N. Beach Rd. Dania Beach, Florida 33004-3023 United States +1 954.924.7232 admin@linkoe.orgwww.linkoe.org admin@linkoe.org recommendations to improve safety in the North Sea including the separation of the agencies responsible for overseeing safety and production. Before the disaster, the United Kingdom Department of Energy took charge of both safety and production causing a con- ict of interests. Cullen moved safety oversight to the health and safety executive. Not surprisingly, Piper Alpha has made the North Sea a much safer place to work. Before the disaster, oshore safety was controlled by a myriad of prescriptive regulations to pre- vent the reoccurrence of an accident that had already happened. Cullen believed that many accidents were predictable and that risk could be reduced through better design and engineering techniques. is has led to safer platforms not only in the North Sea, but in other locations as well, such as the Gulf of Mexico. Similarly, procedural management of safety also has improved and these systems have been adopted across the world?saving, in all probability, many lives. But not all of Cullens recommendations have made the journey to other oshore locations. Before Deepwater Horizon, the United States Minerals Management Service was issuing drilling licences, taking royalties and overseeing, in part, rig safety. Twenty years before, Cullen had identied this practice as a major aw and, although many of Piper Alphas lessons have been successfully transferred, this was one that had to be re-learned. Today, the U.S. government has split these respon- sibilities into separate departments. Worldwide oversight Sadly, there is no overarching, worldwide body responsible for overseeing the oshore sector. But perhaps, if one did exist?in the same way that the International Maritime Organization reg- ulates shipping?good practice would be disseminated globally and more eciently. We still see variations in the application of safety procedures that dier by region, company site, and contrac- tor arrangements. ats not to say that best practice is forgotten. Oshore oper- ators are generally large companies with a global presence. e majority of these are successfully transferring their knowledge from mature locations such as the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, to the emerging elds of West Africa and other areas. Ever aware that a major incident could destroy their business overnight, these operators are keen to ensure that the strict processes insisted upon in the mature elds are replicated in less regulated locations. As exploration reaches ever-deeper waters, and harsh isolated environments such as the Arctic, the pressure to start production to cover some of the early nancial outlay becomes intense. Oil companies invest billions of dollars in exploration, design and installation and even a days delay can cost upwards of half a million dollars. Although this has the potential to result in com- promising safety and shortcutting procedures, evidence suggests that global companies insist on global standards and that these are implemented in all regions. But it is not always possible to rep- licate North Sea standards in less developed locations; therefore, an operator must assess the risk of sub-optimal operation and take steps to manage that risk. Other lessons learned from Piper Alpha include the role of the duty holder.? is entity?often the oil company, but some- times the delegated contractor?is now obliged to justify and demonstrate that operations are intrinsically safe. e safety