NEWS - Nautilus International

06 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | July 2010
OFFSHORE NEWS
shortreports
TECHNIP CONSULT: members serving with
Meridian Shipping Services on Technip Offshore vessels
are being consulted on a ‘full and final’ pay offer. The
package includes a 1% rise for all officers, effective from
1 October. It would also give a 10% increase in basic
salary for second engineers assigned to Orelia, and for
instrumentation technicians on Apache 2 who
undertake junior DPO duties, effective from 1 January.
VECTOR INCREASE: following consultations
with members employed by International Crew Services
on Vector Offshore vessels, Nautilus has confirmed the
implementation of a 1.75% pay increase with effect from
1 January. Industrial officer Derek Byrne said the Union
is continuing discussions with management over the
interpretation of leave entitlements when joining and
leaving vessels.
BPOS DEAL: a 3.2% pay offer for members serving
with Seacor on Boston Putford Offshore Safety vessels
has been accepted by a majority of more than 10 to
one. The increases are effective from 1 June and
industrial officer Jonathan Havard said the Union is now
seeking further talks on non-pay issues raised in the
claim, as well as on pilotage and PEC payments.
EMERGENCY SUPPORT: the UK-flagged
emergency response and rescue vessel Putford Ajax and
the Norwegian-registered support vessel Olympic
Princess went to the aid of the Grimsby-based fishing
vessel Eventide after it was damaged in a collision with
the Dutch trawler Miranda in poor conditions some
94nm NE of Spurn Head last month.
CONTACT PROBED: the UK Marine Accident
Investigation Branch last month launched a preliminary
examination of an incident in which the Norwegianflagged
platform support vessel Skandi Foula made
contact with the Panamanian-registered offshore
tug/supply vessel OMS Resolution while berthing at
Victoria Dock, Aberdeen.
SUBSEA CLAIM: Nautilus has submitted a claim
seeking an above-inflation pay rise, double-time
payments for bank holidays and a review of differentials
and pension arrangements for members serving with
Subsea 7. Industrial officer Steve Doran said a formal
response is awaited after talks with the company last
month.
MAERSK OFFER: members employed on Maersk
Offshore supply vessels are being consulted on an
improved pay offer that would give a 3% pay rise. Voting
closes on 12 July, and industrial officer Ian Cloke has
urged all members to take part.
GULF CONSULT: Nautilus is consulting members
serving on Gulf Offshore vessels after the company
made a 2% offer in negotiations on the Union’s pay and
conditions claim last month.
DSV DEAL: following consultations with members
employed on Bibby DSVs, Nautilus has accepted a 1.5%
pay offer, backdated to 1 January.
Nautilus industrial officer Gary Leech is pictured above left with Stuart
Hunter, operations and HR manager with Swire Pacific Offshore, during
a recent meeting in Aberdeen
PThe UK is increasing its
safety inspection activities
in the North Sea in
the wake of the BP Gulf of Mexico
disaster.
Energy minister Chris Huhne
has announced that the number
of annual environmental checks
on drilling rigs will double and
additional inspectors will be
recruited for the government’s
Aberdeen-based team.
The minister has also asked for
a report from an oil industry advisory
group that has been set up to
investigate the UK’s ability to prevent
and respond to oil spills.
Mr Huhne told the House of
Commons that the UK safety
regime had, since the Piper Alpha
disaster, been ‘among the most
robust in the world’ and the North
Sea’s record was good.
‘Step Change’ for
ships, says Union
The UK oil and gas industry has
Aannounced that it is extending
the scope of its Step Change safety
initiative to tackle the human and
organisational factors that can
adversely affect health and safety.
Nautilus has welcomed the move,
but says the programme should be
rolled out further to include the
support vessels that serve the sector.
‘It would have more credibility if it
was to go beyond the installations to
the vessels at sea, where year on year
there continues to be a slaughter
taking place,’ said senior national
secretary Allan Graveson.
The Step Change for Safety
‘But with the beginning of
exploration in deeper waters west
of Shetland, we must maintain
vigilance,’ he stressed.
A review carried out by
Department of Energy and Climate
Change officials had concluded
that the UK’s existing system
is fit for purpose, the
minister added. ‘But in light of the
spill in the Gulf we are strengthening
the regime further.’
Mr Huhne said the Gulf of
Mexico disaster was ‘devastating’
and warned that it will transform
the regulation of deepwater
drilling worldwide.
The UK says it will review new
and existing procedures as soon
as the detailed analysis of the factors
which caused the incident in
the Gulf of Mexico are available.
It is also reviewing the indemnity
and insurance requirements response
for operating in the UK Continental
Shelf and the European Commission
has asked companies
operating in EU waters to provide
assurances that they are able to
take on full responsibilities for
environmental and other damage
if an incident were to occur.
The industry working group
established by the trade association
Oil and Gas UK is reviewing
the UK’s ability to respond to an
incident such as the Deepwater
Horizon explosion. The Oil Spill
Prevention and Response Advisory
Group (OSPRAG) is paying
particular attention to the
arrangements for pollution prevention
and response.
Other issues being examined
include:
ztechnical issues including first
initiative sets ambitious targets for
cutting the number of fatal and major
injuries and significant hydrocarbon
releases. The latest phase of the
programme aims to address ‘human
factor’ issues, which are said to lie
behind more than 80% of incidents.
To support the programme,
organisers have published a guide
examining 12 ‘human factor’ case
histories and the lessons that can be
learned from them. They are also
planning a series of networking
sessions, and will encourage the
appointment of ‘human factors
champions’ across the industry to
reinforce the message.
UK to double safety
checks on drill rigs
Minister warns that Gulf of Mexico disaster will transform regulations
Flying visits spread
cancer care advice
Kate Synott, of the cancer
Acharity UCAN, is pictured right
helping to launch a three-month
health programme for workers in the
North Sea.
She was flying out to Talisman’s
Bleo Holm FSPO to make the first in a
series of presentations providing
advice and information on the four
main urological cancers — prostate,
kidney, bladder and testicular.
During the visits to Talisman
Energy’s offshore installations, which
run until the end of August, Kate is
explaining how to spot warning signs
and symptoms and the importance of
early diagnosis.
‘Offshore is an ideal environment
to highlight the risks associated with
these cancers as it is largely a maledominated
workforce and it is hoped
that those who attend the
presentations will then go home and
tell friends and families what they
have learned,’ she said.
UCAN was established in 2005 to
heighten awareness of urological
cancers and raise £2.6m to improve
the experience for patients and their
families.
In January 2008, it opened a care
centre at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary to
improve the care and treatment
experience for patients and their
families.
Kate visited Talisman’s Flotta Oil
Terminal in Orkney last year to
deliver similar presentations, which
inspired staff to raise £10,000 for
UCAN. The company has also
supported the charity to the tune of
£15,000 over the past three years.
for the protection of
personnel and competence
zoil spill response capability
and remediation, including
national emergency response
measures
zindemnity and insurance
requirements
zpan-North Sea issues and
response mechanisms
Chairman Mark McAllister
commented: ‘While the measures
companies take under the current
regulatory regime in the UKCS
have been effective in preventing
blowouts over the last 20 years of
operations, what is happening in
the Gulf of Mexico dictates that
we must re-assess the provisions
and procedures we employ here
and the extent of our preparedness
for oil spill prevention and
response.’