FoundOcean Projects BLOG

Monday 11th October

I started out from London Euston station and arrived in Lancaster station later that afternoon. After a short taxi ride I joined the Swiber Else-Marie which was docked in Heysham port for re-supplies. The project supervisor, Colin, showed me about the vessel and completed all safety briefs. This was essential as it was my first offshore working experience, and even though I am an experienced social sailor this was important as events later in the week proved; I settled in quite nicely. The Swiber Else-Marie left Heysham port later that night and resumed its position beside the Ormonde Windfarm. The forecast for the week was ideal for grouting conditions for the Swiber Else-Marie and also for jacket installations for the Rambiz.

Tuesday 12th October

After an early start, grouting WTG 28 was underway. This was a new and exciting experience for me as it was the first time I could see the equipment and the team in operation offshore. I started off by helping the Grouting Technician, Stewart, with making the grout cubes. He showed me the ropes and I soon became acquainted with the various duties of this job. This also entailed carrying out compression tests on the 24hr cubes from the morning before. WTG 28 was completed that afternoon with no snags or hitches. After grouting was complete Colin showed me how to write up the daily reports, cube sheets and grouting reports.

Wednesday 13th October

Another early start and WTG 29 was underway. This time I was working alongside Charlie, the Equipment Operator. He showed me the workings of the RJM and I managed to learn the basics of how the machine operates. This was the heart of the grouting operation and I soon appreciated the responsibility and importance of being able to operate the machine effectively. Colin also showed me about the ROV station and taught me how to communicate with the pumping crew whilst monitoring the pumped overage. The weather was very good today. I finished up by completing paper work in the ships office under Colin’s watchful eye.

Jacket OR-A3 at sunset	Looking down the Swiber Else Marie	Rambiz and a jacket in the distance

Thursday 14th October

WTG 30 was grouted today. Colin showed me more of the duties of the Project Engineer and I also got a taste of the Mechanics’ responsibilities. While doing this Stevie gave me an overview of the controls of the pumping system. A damaged valve at the top of the surge tank prevented rotation of the rotary valve and caused some delay. I quickly understood that this is why FoundOcean always carry 100% backup of the equipment so as not to hold up operations. After inspection, Colin decided to switch mixer to the 12V mixer. The 12V successfully completed the remainder of pumping into the final leg of WTG 30. Due to the threat of strong winds and high seas over the weekend, the Rambiz ploughed on overnight and successfully installed an additional two jackets.

Friday 15th October

The Swiber Else-Marie returned to Heysham to resupply with cement. I worked with one of the technicians on dock and helped refill the tanks with cement from the onshore silos. Maintenance was carried out for the rest of the day and we returned to the windfarm at 16:00hrs. The crew had an early night as the plan was to grout two jackets the following day.

Saturday 16th October

On Saturday we grouted two jackets, WTG 16 and 27. I started off by working in the ROV shack and controlled the flushing and grouting operations of the piles. Communication with the ROV crew and our crew proved essential to ensure the correct volume of grout was pumped into the annulus. Throughout the day I worked alongside all four of the FoundOcean crew and learned more. After lunch we started on WTG 27, some small delays were due to cleaning out the grout lines and equipment but all in all Saturday was a success. The forecast was for near gales over the following days with a significant sea state to halt grouting operations.

Sunday 17th October

The Rambiz managed to deploy its final jacket. A crew boat was scheduled for the Monday to exchange captains. As a result of strong winds and high seas no grouting is scheduled until Saturday 23rd. Helping with maintenance and doing the paperwork were my main responsibilities later that day.

Monday 18th October

The crew boat came out and the captain and I departed the Swiber Else-Marie. Two train stops later and I arrived in Euston station at about 16:00hrs. This was my first time offshore and a really valuable experience that made me appreciate the harsh conditions offshore workers sometimes have to deal with to get the job done and the vast experience required to complete a safe and effective grouting operation.