Diamond Offshore adopts SafeZone 500 program from Seacroft Marine

Following the successful roll-out of Seacroft Marine’s SafeZone 500 marine vessel control and management program aboard Diamond Offshore’s Ocean Patriot drilling rig, Diamond Offshore has contracted Seacroft to implement the program on its other three UK-based rigs, the Ocean Endeavour, Ocean Valiant and Ocean GreatWhite.

SafeZone 500 – a program of procedures, training, and audit processes for the control of vessels attending offshore assets – was mainly being delivered to offshore production installations without a proper marine crew to date, but is increasingly being adopted by operators of mobile drilling rigs and other floating installations, who often have more marine expertise on board.

“High-performance drilling rigs like those in the Diamond Offshore fleet require a constant stream of supporting vessels bringing marine, drilling and domestic supplies – and shipping away waste for recycling,” Michael Cowlam, Technical Director of Seacroft Marine Consultants Limited, said. “Each vessel movement carries with it a risk from which, regardless of the likelihood of collision, the consequences can be significant: this risk has to be managed.”

SafeZone 500 gives asset owners assurance the risk is being suitably managed by setting out a series of procedures and a code of common-standard communication ensuring positive control over vessel movements and operations by the marine responsible person on board the installation or rig.

Seacroft Marine launched SafeZone 500 in 2017, since when some 1500 offshore personnel have been trained to the procedure’s standard of competence in the UK. The program is also being evaluated by clients overseas.