It is hard to believe we are already four weeks into the Bahrain offline programme. Our offline started at the same time as the Holy month of Ramadan, and we will be ending the fourth week with Ramadan. Since most of the staff were fasting, OSRL decided it was best to shift topics and practical training around.
Offline started … Well, not offline. The course started online, and we received an overview of what was to come during the offline training. OSRL considers safety of the utmost importance. We had a couple of sessions regarding safety in OSRL and how to navigate through Assure regarding Risk Assessments and health & safety when travelling or working through hot weather. We also learned about the history of the O&G Industry and how various incidents led to lessons learned and initiatives to improve safety standards.
Within OSRL, all departments work together to enable an effective response. We were given a brief on the essential role of the Global Logistics Team within the organization and how the geomatics team works to develop modelling and prediction to help out during the response. We learned how you could predict oil movement by doing chartwork/trajectory modelling. We also learned how the T&C team helps review capabilities, ensure preparedness, and help develop and deliver spill response training to build competency.
To conclude Week 1, we discussed the Stolt Valour case study. We went through the event to understand what happened and how our response team cooperated to tackle the incident. The day ended with an exercise on oil properties using assay sheets & modelling reports.
Week Two started intensely, integrating several offline topics, building to a SCAT exercise carried out off base. The week started with lessons on Personal Protective Equipment. The Remember Charlie video definitely backed up its importance. An exercise followed, during which we had to complete a Hazard Awareness activity. This activity helped provide a foundation to build a risk assessment for the SCAT exercise. After preparing the necessary documents and data, we took it to the site. For the SCAT exercise, we initiated gas monitoring along with the site entry protocol sheet. We simulated an emergency evacuation in the event of relative danger.
Back on base, as we briefly identified some hazardous substances, we dove into Alcumus COSHH Database. Many of the chemicals shown we also identified during our hazard awareness exercise. Following the previous week's sessions on the O&G industry, we received an overview of the SWIS bases within OSRL, how they respond to subsea incidents and a brief on their equipment.
The week wrapped up by theoretically touching on pumps and power packs as preparation for week Three.
The third week was mainly practical training for all the available equipment on base. This training included pumps and power packs, recovery devices, equipment & engine fault-finding (including a theory session before any practical work), and a floating barge. We also attended a theoretical session that stressed the environmental impacts during an incident and the importance of consideration towards the environment.
As we are ending week Four, we have had the time to reflect upon the start of the week with the topic of wildlife related to oil spills and response. We also went through a range of different response strategies. We used up whatever available time we had to finish familiarizing ourselves with the equipment. A good portion of the week included presentations on Fate of Oil Spills & Weathering, Dispersants, Contingency Planning, and OSRL & Social Media. To reach the end of week four, we've gone through the overview of Aerial Surveillance, Monitoring and Visualization, and the concept of Quantification. We had the fantastic opportunity to close it off by going off base for a RoboGeo exercise. We synchronized the GPS to the cameras and took some not-as-professional-as-desired photos of the surrounding areas.
Overall, there were fluctuations in the daily agenda every week. Still, the staff's support made everything feel like a piece of cake!
We're very thankful to everyone who took time out of their schedules to help us with the offline training and delivering the presentations. We couldn't have done it without them. We are definitely looking forward to more training post-Eid holiday.
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