Solships - Solstad Offshore ASA 02/2013 - Summer edition | Page 57

From left Captain Trond Breivik and Chief Officer Juha Silvennoinen. Loading of spoolpiece. –We took part in a SURF installation (Subsea, Umbilical, Risers and Flow lines). The operation included divers at 80m, and we fortunately had no interruption to diving operations due to bad weather. We also managed to avoid the worst weather, says Breivik. Portland, which is west of Melbourne, was the base during the operations. –We made many trips to and from Portland to transport personnel and equipment for our operations, reports Breivik. Strict regulations Before the Normand Clough was even allowed to approach Australian waters, the ship had to undergo an extensive process. There are strict regulatory requirements to operate in Australia, both from the authorities and the unions which hold a strong position in the country. – First of all the ship had to be approved in accordance with the SPS Code (Special Purpose Ship). New ships are built to this standard, but the Clough was built in 2008 and needed exemptions on some points. The ship is of a very high standard, but nevertheless it is timeconsuming work particularly for the office, to get the SPS approval, Breivik reports. The Normand Clough also had to go into dry dock before departure from Singapore, to remove all marine growth on its hull and propellers. –The work had to be approved by an Australian marine biologist before we could put the ship to sea and set course for Australia reports Breivik. The woodwork onboard had to be checked and treated to ensure that it did not harbour termites or other vermin. Strict regulations are required if Australia is to prevent any alien species of animals and plants or contagion, from entering the country. Some of the Solstad crew allowed to stay Australian unions also enforce strict regulations to ensure that their members have good conditions when they work onboard ships operating in the country. –One requirement is that crew must have new mattresses and bed linen, so we had to purchase 120 new mattresses, duvets and pillowcases. Eve