In this time of increased demand for qualified personnel to move rigs, Dutton’s Navigation has created a PRACTICAL rig moving school. The school’s goal is to create a realistic forum for learning the basics and peculiarities of maneuvering drilling rigs in close quarters.
To date, most experienced rig movers initially started moving rigs during actual, customer dependant conditions. This has not only cost time on the learning curve, but has needlessly put expensive contractor and customer equipment at risk. Also, the environmental impact of an accident has become a major concern in recent years.
Our rig moving school gives the student the opportunity to practice maneuvering rigs using scale replicas of tow vessels and rigs. It is our belief that understanding the ship handling aspect of rig moving is paramount. The system was developed to simulate real conditions as much as possible. Each of the three tow vessels is operated by a student. The other student acts as the rig mover on board the rig. Each vessel is sized to safely carry one person. The models are not only scaled by weight and size, but are also weight to horsepower ratio correct to simulate actual conditions. The rig moving environment has been designed to give realistic leg foundations for both soft and hard bottoms. Provisions have been made to simulate loss of communication, parting of tow wires, and current and wind effects. Each class of four individuals will rotate through the ship handling section and act as rig mover. There will be at least three evolutions per student per class.
Classes include traditional teachings as well. The classroom portion covers sections on rig move preparation, location surveys and approvals, bottom geology, rapid settling/punch-through prevention, rig construction, Rack Phase Differential Management, anchor gear, anchor patterns, towing gear, navigation gear, and communication. But the main emphasis is on the actual forces, conditions, and procedures of positioning a Jack Up Rig using both tow vessels and anchors. The simulator is set up to expose the student to the physical and mental stress associated with the actual movement of drilling rigs and the course is the only comprehensive rig moving program of its kind in the world.
On completion, each rig mover receives a class “A”, “B”, or “C” rig moving certificate, and a written appraisal of the student’s performance. This gives the student the opportunity to be evaluated by a knowledgeable rig mover, and gives the customer a valuable means of evaluating their employees.
