Walk-a-bout at work with a camera. No more off shore for me.

[DaveR]

Hi Ya Swaggers.
As I have found my self reading lots of interesting things here, from many interesting folks, i thought I'd try my bit to add to the collection by sharing some pics etc from here at work.
It will take a while to put it together, but will try it out.
Work, where is it exactly?
Here


It is a DPDSV, that is, Dynamically Positioned, Dive Support Vessel.
Looking at the above pic, the vessel can be divided into 3 parts, the very forward is accommodation etc for just over 120 crew. The center section is the Dive System, with the aft end being the back deck for project related work.




Here is the bridge, no steering helm to be found up here.


Now the aft control, where the crew typically control the DP operations from.




Now for the Meals area.



Now some lounge areas. We have 4, plus thearter room and internet room. Also a gym.



Now for the Dive System. there are 4 x chambers, each with a shower toilet. the 2 x larger chambers are for 6 guys, and 2 x smaller are 4 each. Maximum of 18 guys in all.




All aspects of the living environment must be controlled, the breathing gas for the divers is Helium and Oxygen, so yep, they sound like the chipmonks.
We store the helium mixtures in 200 bar gar tubes, each is 3 cubic meter in volume and there are 32 of them.
The gas tubes, Brown and white, are at the end of this next pic. Before it is the gas management panel.


This next pics shows some of the machinery we use for the gas management. There are 4 x compressors in this pic, each can move about 110 cubic meters per hour at 200 bar (rounded figures).


Now the control room for the chambers and gasses, all aspects of the divers living environment is controlled from this control room.


When the divers go to work, they transfer into the diving bell which is lifted of the dive system and lowered through the middle of the vessel into the water to the depth they are working at.
This is the bell when locked onto the system.


Now the other side, and in the lower section is the Moonpool, this is where the bell is lowered into the water through the center of the ship.


Now what the bell hanger looks like when the bell is in the water. In the foreground is the special clamp which connects the bell to the dive system on the deck below.


Here is is out the bottom of the ship. This pic was taken when the ship was in a dry dock.


Edit, got a key board now that works a bit better.

[DaveR]

I got more to come, but the seas are getting higher at the moment and needed to post the above before the internet was lost, and I lost it all, a 2nd time......
To be continued.......

[DaveR]

Here is what the bell looks like at depth. Photo taken by a ROV.



Now for the Dive control room.
We have 2 x diving bells, with this picture, the guy on the left is talking to the 2 x divers in the water, the monitors show what the divers see and he can track the position of them to the nearest 100 mm on the survey screen.
The guy on the right is preparing to launch the bell and going through the rigerous pre dive checks with the bellman inside the bell. We have 3 man bell runs, that is, 3 guys are in the bell when launched.
 


Some more of the control room, and showing the bell launch controls also.





Now the helmet they wear, it is a bit different to the usual SCUBA divers gear. Cost for this is about $50,000 Aussie..... Just 1 helmet, we have 9 here.


So, what is all the fuss about? On this project we're altering existing 24 inch gas pipes buried below the sea bed. The are being dug up, cut open, new joints added, and new sections bolted on.
This next pic shows some bolts, each with the 2 x nuts on weigh 50 kilos, that is my glove in the pic for scale.


Now for a spanner to hang on the nuts, this is driven by hydraulics, not arm strength.


When the pipe work is done, they then need to bury it all again and cover it with the concrete mattresses stacked on deck. When this lot is in, we going key side to get more.


Now an action pic of the 150 tonne crane in action.


That's it for now, shall try to get more of what the divers are doing and post up.
Cheers
Best do a bit of work now.

[Cracka]

Very interesting, thanks for posting.

[GGV8Cruza]

A great view of a working ship, thanks for taking the time to put it up. Would be great to see some photos of the divers at work

GG

[SteveandViv]

I got more to come, but the seas are getting higher at the moment and needed to post the above before the internet was lost, and I lost it all, a 2nd time......
To be continued.......

Awesome dude 

[oldmate]

That's awesome dave. Beats my job by a long shot. Thanks for sharing mate

[GaryV]

Gee mate looks like ya got all the comforts of home . Must admit I was startin to break out in a cold sweat lookin at those chambers. I think I would get the heebie jeebies locked up in them. Thanks for sharin.

Gary

[JCOJ]

WOW - never seen anything like that before - thanks for posting!!

[baldheadedgit]

TOP STUFF...
Bugger this concreting game.... get me a job on that thing will ya.!

[Swannie]

I say that's a good place for a national meet 
Swannie

[Isa Brown]

I reckon thats fascinating, the engineering is incredible. Thanks for posting. Any idea what the charge out cost is?
 Isa B

[Proudy]

Hi DaveR

Good pics I've been at sea 21 years this December. I'm an IR/GSO on the FPSO Ningaloo Vision off Exmouth. At the moment thought we are Kepler Dock yard in Singapore for a refit.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Robbo]

That's awesome Dave, thanks for sharing those pics and details.

Cheers

[DaveR]

Hi DaveR

Good pics I've been at sea 21 years this December. I'm an IR/GSO on the FPSO Ningaloo Vision off Exmouth. At the moment thought we are Kepler Dock yard in Singapore for a refit.

From what I know of FPSO's in that ship yard, your going to know Singapore well by the time you leave. 
My Fav city to be stuck in

[wazboz]

Nice work! I spent over 10 years offshore in Seismic Survey. Was great fun. The last boat I rode on:




Wazza.

[champin]

 Thanks for sharing that Dave. It blows my mind the amount of knowledge and training that goes into designing and operating such systems.

[DaveR]

We sailed in the River Forth earlier this year, here we are under the bridges at Edinburgh.





Now some numbers.
Length is 115.4 m
Beam is 22m
Aft deck area, 1120 meter square. Room for lots of CT's. We'll put the fire pits up on the Helideck.
Displacement is 12,565 t
Fuel capacity = 1,440 meters cubed. Times that by 1,000 for the litres.

Engines, all are generators, thrusters are electric.
3 x 2,510 e/kw
2 x 1,880 e/kw
2 x 835 e/kw

Fuel consumption
full speed of 14 knotts = 25 t per day. or, 25,000 litres per day
cruising speed 11 knotts = 18 t per day
in DP mode = 10 to 12 t per day.
DP mode is when the vessel is sitting stationary, there is a very sophisticated computer system which uses many different navigation aids to accurately fix the vessels position and keep it there. We often have a need to move the vessel 1 meter at a time in a specific direction, it is easier then moving the crane.

Divers gas, can store 18,000 m3 of gas.

Just knocked of work for the day, if I got an easy night tonight I shall get some screen grabs of the divers in action.
And as any post here is  I 'll get more pics of the place to, for planning the national meet.

My job?
I'm a mechanical technician who maintains the diving equipment. This means I play with High Pressure Breathing Gasses, Compressors, Gas Pumps, Hydraulics, Winches and Load Tests, refrigeration, Diving Helmets and gas regulators. Make gas pipes and manifolds, welding and building things. Servicing some of the gear the divers use in the water.
In the dive tech crew, we have sparkies as well. We all work together and everything we do is documented in a detailed data base for record keeping.

I shall try to find out the $ value of all this.
My Cabin. I work a 18:00 to 06:00 shift, the cabin has 2 bunks, so I share it with another tech who is on the other shift. Will get some pics of it and share tonight.

[Proudy]

Yep we will be in Singapore till about April next year. Been here since January.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Vitara_JaycoSwift_Outback]

Fascinating Dave. Keep the photos coming

[Nick74]

Fascinating Dave. Keep the photos coming

x2 from me

[Bill]

Brilliant Mate.
Very interesting.
Thankyou for sharing with us.
Bill

[Hodgies]

amazing thanks for sharing your work with us

[Markoutback]

Thanks for sharing your job details with us. Amazing what jobs people do

[dooguss]

That looks like a great place to work Dave thanks for sharing. Just a question is that the boat that was of WA looking for the lost aeroplane earlier this year?