Russia Starts Preparation of Dynamic Position Fixing System Operators
For the first time in the Russian Federation a group of Ship's Dynamic Position Fixing System (DP) operators has been trained at the Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy on August 11, 2006. Up to now the training of the DP system operators was performed only by foreign educational institutions in Norway, Holland, Britain and Singapore. Currently such training is available for Russian seafarers and drilling platforms crewmembers at the AMSMA Makarov Training Centre.
Specialists from Gazflot Ltd (subsidiary of Gazprom Ltd) were recognized as the DP 'pioneers'. Gazflot Ltd operates a fleet of deep sea and supply vessels of its own and ships from other organizations to supply operations on the shelves of the Russian Arctic seas as well as abroad (Nigerian shelf, the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea and etc.).
Urgency of simulator training for DP operators in Russia is determined, first, by the intensive exploring of oil-fields and gas deposits on the shelf. These operations are connected with running drilling platforms, supplying vessels, pipe-laying ships and also other vessels, requiring position fixing of high accuracy. Highly valuable equipment, the specificity of the dynamic position fixing systems operation and the danger to environment require the specialized simulator training, which enables imitating different types of the vessels, sailing areas, working conditions. This is the training available at the Makarov Training Centre.
To provide high quality preparation the Academy has involved experienced instructors who have passed training at the Evolve Training Centre in Aberdeen (Britain), one of the most authoritative training centres in the world preparing DP operators, and also the Russian designers of DP systems from Navis company. The course includes theoretical aspects of training in compliance with the requirements of the Nautical Institute (Britain) and practical training at the full-scale simulator with the second class DP system installed.
