Surface-to-seabed safety: Advantages of simulator practice for subsea installation

Controlling elements of massive weights from surface to seabed and manoeuvring components in narrow spaces within employed modules are just some of the challenges in subsea installations. We report from a specific case of training and installation in a gas field off the Norwegian coastline. Here, two compressor trains, installed at a depth of about 300 m, now enhance exploitation of field reserves and diminish air pollution by eradicating gas compression from the surface to subsea process. In order to reduce risk and increase efficiency, simulator facilities are essential to enable procedure exploration and change, and to elaborate on mental models of subsea operations. The assembled cooperating crew alternates roles of action and observation during simulation sessions, thus allowing a more complete picture of the operation. The simulation sessions are reported to have speeded up the installation, indicating risk mitigation. We encourage further research on procedure investigations by utilisation of the simulator for subsea activities.