2005 Annual Report - SBM Offshore

Report of the Board of Management
A group of newly qualified welders at the Nigerdock welding school, Nigeria
Training facility in Macae, Brazil
As the Company continues to expand in Brazil with the arrival
of FPSO Capixaba offshore Vitoria in April 2006, the fourth
major FPSO in Brazil, the need for dedicated production
operations training facilities has been recognised by the
opening of a dynamic Process Simulator within the
company’s Macae premises. This complements existing
company Computer Based Training Modules and
Competency Assessment systems and is designed to
replicate the Central Control Room of the Company’s most
sophisticated FPSOs.
A dedicated full time training supervisor is employed to run
and administer the week long courses under the coordination
of the Macae human resources department. The
courses are tailored to suit both new recruits who receive
basic training, and existing employees who receive
development and advanced training. It also provides for
refresher training for the most experienced staff.
The four large LCD monitors display the process plant
modules down to component level, and the fire and gas
systems in considerable detail. The trainer programmes
operating scenarios involving change from steady state which
the trainee is obliged to identify, diagnose by navigating
through the system, and respond to on the basis of objective
evaluation. The simulator reacts to both correct and incorrect
trainee inputs in the same way as a live panel would offshore.
The system thus gives trainees freedom to work and take
actions within the simulator without the risk of a partial or total
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production stoppage that might otherwise occur on a live
plant.
Training centre in Luanda, Angola
ESSA, Empresa de Servicos e Sondagens de Angola
Limitada, is a training centre in Luanda owned and operated
by Sonangol. Since 2003, SBM is participating in the
development of ESSA by financing investments in the
construction of buildings used for training and by having its
national staff attending various training courses and
exercises, in particular in the areas of offshore safety, such as
helicopter crash landing at sea and fire fighting. ESSA has
obtained international accreditation and certification for these
programmes.
The Company has committed to finance and manage three
further projects in ESSA: a training process simulator similar to
the one installed in Macae, the technical support of a Marine
Institute within ESSA, and the training of a group of twelve
electricians to be followed by the opening of an independent
workshop to be run by these Nationals as a business.
Welding school at Nigerdock, Nigeria
The yard of Nigerdock in Nigeria started in 2004 the project of
building a welding school to train and employ a work force
from the local communities neighbouring the yard. The
Company contributes to this skill transfer project with substantial
financing and technical assistance. Over 130 fitters
and welders have graduated since the opening of the school.