INGENIEUR
Figure 23 : A winch load test in a scheduled maintenance .
4 . The job completion certificate has been signed by client .
5 . The ROV and crew members ’ appraisal forms have been completed .
ROV OPERATIONAL DOWNTIME
Any downtime due to the breakdown of the ROV is a nightmare for all parties in all offshore projects . It could delay the project completion date and incur additional costs to all parties . The costs associated with any downtime will be charged to the ROV contractor .
Downtime could be caused by either one any of following issues : 1 . Poor ROV maintenance . 2 . Poor logistic arrangements that may cause the ROV to collide heavily with other objects causing damage to hoses or electrical cables
3 . Strong vibrations that can damage sensitive parts .
4 . An ROV crew that is inexperienced in handling the ROV system . Some ROV systems are not popular in certain parts of the world , thus it requires many hours of training for a new crew to understand it in full .
5 . Human error or careless mistakes .
In order to avoid all risks , the ROV contractor normally prepares strategies to avoid any big disaster . These include :
1 . A maintenance system known as preventive schedules where the ROV systems are inspected every month in the workshop . Full major maintenance is carried every two years if the ROV has undergone an extensive offshore project . The vehicle is stripped down to the skeleton and all damage repaired and / or replaced . The ROV body is inspected for any cracks and a load test is carried out after any repairs involving welding .
2 . During offshore operations , the crew carry out weekly maintenance .
3 . During a contract review , the client must be informed that there will be two maintenance hours every day that will be accumulated throughout the whole period of the project if they are not used . So , in any downtime , the accumulated hours will be deducted . 4 . As much as possible , offshore crews must be very familiar with the ROV system .
5 . The base office must be on standby for 24 hours for any urgent call from offshore regarding any ROV breakdown issues that cannot be handled by the offshore crew or any urgently required spares .
74 VOL 90 APRIL-JUNE 2022