New DPO Training Scheme - Alternative to the Nautical Institute scheme

Offshore Dynamic Positioning
1

"SMSC &DNV have been developing a new scheme for the training & certification of DP Operators. According to DNV this will lead to a new and flexible way of achieving a DP Operator Certificate, containing a high quality and faster throughput than the existing schemes. What will this mean for the industry?
On June 6th this concept received the following evaluation from the Norwegian maritime Directorate:
“The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) considers the DNV concept, as stated in mentioned standards, [I]to be equivalent to international recognized standard[/I]. Therefore the NMA requirement is fulfilled when a person holds a valid DNV DP-certificate”.
So this means that the NMD considers the training scheme to be equivalent to the current Nautical Institute program. They will continue to recognize the NI certificate however & the 2 schemes will run in parallel.
The new training scheme is comprised of 4 levels, plus a preparatory step, that need to be completed for full certification:
[B]Level 0 – DPO Preparation/Self Study[/B]
Available online as a self study course or with the Onboard Training System (OTS) developed by SMSC, this step covers dynamic positioning theory & lays the groundwork for the further steps.
[B]Level 1 – DP Simulator Course[/B]
This consists of 5 days (40 hours) of DP simulation at an approved training centre. The focus is more about hands on experience & less on theory.
[B]Level 2 – DPO Experience[/B]
Coming in to the scheme where the NI would require 10 days of sea time, the DNV concept gives the candidate 3 options:

[ol]
[li]Practical DP exercises carried out onboard ship using the OTS.[/li][li]20x4hr watches documented & reported on standardized SMSC reporting form.[/li][li]Volume training consisting of an extra 5 days on the simulator[/li][/ol]
[B]Level 3 – DPO Specialization Course[/B]

The candidate must now choose a simulator course that matches his or her chosen field. Currently there are 4 options:

[ol]
[li]Supply, standby, anchor handling, cruise, well service, & accomodation[/li][li]Shuttle tanker[/li][li]Rov, diving, cable lay, pipe lay, trenching, dredging & rock dumping[/li][li]Rig[/li][/ol]
Each of these courses is 4 days in duration & prioritizes certain aspects of the DP system over others. For example with option 3 follow target & auto track would be covered in depth, while the shuttle tanker course will concentrate more on weather vane & approach technique.

[B]Level 4 – Examination & Certification[/B]
Graduation day! This is comprised of a theoretical & a practical assessment conducted by an independent unit at the simulation center. Upon successful completion the candidate will immediately receive their [I]type specific[/I] certificate. An important point to note here is that the candidate must also be a valid STCW ticket holder in order to receive the cert, although the course will be open to anybody.
If you are already in the middle of the Nautical Institute training scheme you will be able to slot into this one at certain spots. Individuals that have completed the DP Induction will be able to skip the first step & move right to the DP Simulator Course. For those of you with both the Induction & Advanced Simulator completed you will be able to jump right in at Level 2; DPO Experience. To get started at either of those stages however you will be required to pass a theory exam.
Finally, for existing unlimited DPOs there will be the option to challenge the final step. On successful completion of the theoretical & practical exam you will immediately receive your new DNV certificate.
[B]So what does this all mean?[/B]
Well the scheme certainly has the “faster throughput” advertised! For the mathematically inclined you will see that you could complete the entire program from newbie to DPO in exactly 15 days, plus a few days of self study at level 0. Nowhere is there a requirement for any actual sea time except if you choose the 20 x 4hr of DP watch keeping at level 2. And unless you already have a sponsor to complete the courses I would imagine that most people would just choose to go with the extra days in the simulator.
It is also handy that you can gain entry into the program using the NI scheme as a stepping stone. This could present a way for those stuck at the induction phase to get out of that rut & back on track to a full (type specific) ticket.
The possibility of seafarers using this accelerated program to “buy” their DP ticket is obvious & while simulations serve as excellent training devices they should not be a replacement for hands on experience. I think that although the NMD has decided that these tickets are equivalent to the NI certificate industry will decide otherwise. With the market already becoming flooded with eager prospects the ability to gain a certificate so quickly will likely just accelerate the problem & depress the market further.

What do you think of this new scheme?"

Quoted from this website - http://dynamicpositioningnews.com/2012/09/dnvs-dpo-certification-scheme/

2

I always wondered why the NMD got out of DP certification and handed it all to the Nautical Institute to be in charge of?

Anyway, I say, all the concerned major stakeholders (NI, NMD, IMCA, IADC, US, Brazil, and IMO) meet and settle on a final updated DP training and certification regime to be recognized by all parties as the industry standard. Hell, implement it as an annex to the STCW Code so it can have the weight of being the same as a maritime license.

Now this “newbie to DPO in exactly 15 days” is a joke and completely unsafe and ridiculous! Whoever approves such a scheme is a fool and the number of DP incidents will skyrocket as a result. If anything, DP certification should be in levels much like licenses are in levels. A junior DPO is a third mate, a DPO is a 2nd mate and a SDPO is a chief mate with appropriate levels of time on the desk. DP certs should also be type restricted just like you have to be a PIC for be a mate on a tanker.

3

[QUOTE]Graduation day! This is comprised of a theoretical & a practical assessment conducted by an independent unit at the simulation center. Upon successful completion the candidate will immediately receive their type specific certificate[UNQUOTE]

So, we don’t need to send the application to London?

4

This DNV scheme is crap and totally undermines all the work other DPOs have put in, time and experience. Hopefully companies will not accept this certificate and only still require a NI cert to work as a DPO.

5

[QUOTE=PDCMATE;83589]This DNV scheme is crap and totally undermines all the work other DPOs have put in, time and experience. Hopefully companies will not accept this certificate and only still require a NI cert to work as a DPO.[/QUOTE]

I cannot agree with you more! To reduce the experience requirements completely disenfranchises you, me and everybody else who has had to do their time. Just the allowing of time on a DP vessel as opposed to time in the chair undermines the element of learning by doing. To reduce the total time required degrades the entire process to the point of why bother to have any time requirements at all? Why not just have people watch videos of DP operators working and run DP simulations on your PC at home?

If they allow this to become that trivial, then the price will be paid in property and environment destroyed or at least seriously damaged and potentially in lives lost. DP incidents are real and they often result in major losses when they occur!

6

Yes I agree it is a crazy scheme. But the Norwegians are very short of people with DP tickets so this looks like a shortcut around it.

7

[QUOTE=follow40;83694]Yes I agree it is a crazy scheme. But the [B]Norwegians are very short of people[/B] with DP tickets so this looks like a shortcut around it.[/QUOTE]
Hard to believe, 4 NI training schools, what are they doing wrong?
Did they get scared with the new NI exam coming?

8

[QUOTE=powerabout;83923]Hard to believe, 4 NI training schools, what are they doing wrong?[/QUOTE]

Hey, they can hire some American DPOs…we’ll work cheap compared to a Norskie!

9

One thing the Norwegians are doing wrong is that they charge far too much for their courses .

10

How about we make a training scheme that requires a new mate to observe for 210 days before he is able to back a workboat into a slip? Or how about we start requiring floorhands to have a universal log book and observe for 210 days before they are allowed to be hired for a job on the drill floor? They just have to get some poor company, trying to make an oil major happy, to send them to some ridiculous expensive school where they sit bored staring into space while some old guy talks about something like the six freedoms of movement, then drive a simulator for a few hours.

These NI requirements take no measure of the ability of the individual. There is no test (yet). Its completely reliant on the DP officers on the vessel to enforce their judgement, unbiased by the fact they live and work all day everyday together.

After that they can do a completely different job on a vessel like painting handrails. After watch they can sit blindly staring at the back of a DPO who is quietly filling out a 6 hour checklist. After a period of time, whatever they can get away with, he or she can knock off for the day, tired from 12 hours of painting handrails. I have not once seen a company hire an observer DP trainee and not expect them to do work to justify their paycheck. In the Nautical Institute scheme, done as designed, a company would have to commit to a year salary and the cost of the classes for their trainee. That’s quite a commitment, one that would backfire for sure after the trainee promptly leaves the company once the certificate is in hand.

Just because the old training scheme has worked well for us in the past doesn’t mean it’s right for the future. We really need to have a practical system. A system that works in the current environment.

I would rather see flag states require DP operators to be endorsed on their NWO licenses. There should be comprehensive test and assessment control sheets similar to STCW requirements for RFPNW or OICNW. (Why not let individuals get those signed off in a simulator? That’s ok, they do it for the other assessments.) I like the idea of ADPO for third mate, DPO for second and senior dpo for CM. Likewise, the COI would require these endorsements the same as the license. Now, if I don’t already have you fuming, a unlimited master shouldn’t just be given a SDPO. He should have to work his way up just the same. Has anyone else seen an office dwelling non DP Captain magically get a DP Cert? Who signed them off? What? They signed themselves off, because it asked for the Masters signature?!?! Come on, that’s bull s41t. Still we would have to grandfather those guys, wouldn’t we?

The Nautical Institute is just a scam outfit! They don’t teach us. Correct me, please, if any of you have flew to London and taken a DP class at the Nautical Institute. All they do is push paper. How much do they charge for that little book and piece of paper certificate. Am I the only one who thinks that certificate looks like trash?

Any alternative to NI works for me, hopefully it’s an efficient one.

11

The DNV scheme has many advantages and superior to the present NI Scheme.

  1. It is open to all irrespective of background.
  2. Quicker to complete. It could be as early as 3-4 weeks if you pass the assessment.
  3. Full mission bridge is a prerequisite for the Training Centre. This is much better training environment compared to the present facilities which are match boxes in some countries.
  4. The NI scheme has no assessment. Therfore you could have a dud upon completion of the NI Scheme.
  5. The DNV Scheme has specialisations. Therefore you take the course as required. You have the option of completing all specialisations as you progress in your DP Career.
  6. The DNV Certificate is like a car licence / credit card. Easy to carry and verify.

The best thing it is open to all. I forsee a lot of non STCW guys going ahead for this. The market will be flooded with DPOs. Salaris will come down.
Pass the Test and take your licence. Valid for 5 years. Since it has Class backing, it would be definetly sought after than the NI scheme.
In short the NI is finished.

12

and USCG CoC ticket where you download the same questions as your grandfather had and get examined on them is better?
PS The USCG only recognised DP existed in the last year or so…
The USCG only know as much about DP as your grandfather too.

13

This entire licensing and certification process is gun-decked to accommodate this huge influx of new-build Drillships. There will be incidents, no doubt. Safety is being undermined on all accounts. It is obvious. Remember industry dictates regulations, NOT governments! If they need bodies to man these things, by gum, they will have them!

14

I could not agree more, Industry will proclaim safety as top priority, but in reality that takes back seat to profits. Industry has their finger on the pulse of regulation, for certain. Prime example is STCW code for mariners and credentialing. They need unlimited masters, they will have them. They needed large OSV Masters, they created them. There is going to be a huge demand for mariners not only the for new drillships entering service, but in addition, all the added support vessels. There are huge ramifications here. Not all are good.

15

Nowhere does it require you to observe for 210 days. It’s required you to operate for 210. For example, BP requires 4 DPO’s. 2 of them must be full unlimited and the others 2 can be “JR” DPO(having passed basic as a minimum requirement, preferably advanced as well and just accruing their time).

16

For clarification, I do not remotely agree with signing off non-operating observers! Like Iron Horse and rjbpilot pointed out, the industry is finding ways around the NI scheme to fill the vacuum. This is why it’s not working anymore.

17

[QUOTE=follow40;83534]"SMSC &DNV have been developing a new scheme for the training & certification of DP Operators. According to DNV this will lead to a new and flexible way of achieving a DP Operator Certificate, containing a high quality and faster throughput than the existing schemes. What will this mean for the industry?
On June 6th this concept received the following evaluation from the Norwegian maritime Directorate:
“The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) considers the DNV concept, as stated in mentioned standards, [I]to be equivalent to international recognized standard[/I]. Therefore the NMA requirement is fulfilled when a person holds a valid DNV DP-certificate”.
So this means that the NMD considers the training scheme to be equivalent to the current Nautical Institute program. They will continue to recognize the NI certificate however & the 2 schemes will run in parallel.
The new training scheme is comprised of 4 levels, plus a preparatory step, that need to be completed for full certification:
[B]Level 0 – DPO Preparation/Self Study[/B]
Available online as a self study course or with the Onboard Training System (OTS) developed by SMSC, this step covers dynamic positioning theory & lays the groundwork for the further steps.
[B]Level 1 – DP Simulator Course[/B]
This consists of 5 days (40 hours) of DP simulation at an approved training centre. The focus is more about hands on experience & less on theory.
[B]Level 2 – DPO Experience[/B]
Coming in to the scheme where the NI would require 10 days of sea time, the DNV concept gives the candidate 3 options:

[ol]
[li]Practical DP exercises carried out onboard ship using the OTS.
[/li][li]20x4hr watches documented & reported on standardized SMSC reporting form.
[/li][li]Volume training consisting of an extra 5 days on the simulator
[/li][/ol]
[B]Level 3 – DPO Specialization Course[/B]

The candidate must now choose a simulator course that matches his or her chosen field. Currently there are 4 options:

[ol]
[li]Supply, standby, anchor handling, cruise, well service, & accomodation
[/li][li]Shuttle tanker
[/li][li]Rov, diving, cable lay, pipe lay, trenching, dredging & rock dumping
[/li][li]Rig
[/li][/ol]
Each of these courses is 4 days in duration & prioritizes certain aspects of the DP system over others. For example with option 3 follow target & auto track would be covered in depth, while the shuttle tanker course will concentrate more on weather vane & approach technique.

[B]Level 4 – Examination & Certification[/B]
Graduation day! This is comprised of a theoretical & a practical assessment conducted by an independent unit at the simulation center. Upon successful completion the candidate will immediately receive their [I]type specific[/I] certificate. An important point to note here is that the candidate must also be a valid STCW ticket holder in order to receive the cert, although the course will be open to anybody.
If you are already in the middle of the Nautical Institute training scheme you will be able to slot into this one at certain spots. Individuals that have completed the DP Induction will be able to skip the first step & move right to the DP Simulator Course. For those of you with both the Induction & Advanced Simulator completed you will be able to jump right in at Level 2; DPO Experience. To get started at either of those stages however you will be required to pass a theory exam.
Finally, for existing unlimited DPOs there will be the option to challenge the final step. On successful completion of the theoretical & practical exam you will immediately receive your new DNV certificate.
[B]So what does this all mean?[/B]
Well the scheme certainly has the “faster throughput” advertised! For the mathematically inclined you will see that you could complete the entire program from newbie to DPO in exactly 15 days, plus a few days of self study at level 0. Nowhere is there a requirement for any actual sea time except if you choose the 20 x 4hr of DP watch keeping at level 2. And unless you already have a sponsor to complete the courses I would imagine that most people would just choose to go with the extra days in the simulator.
It is also handy that you can gain entry into the program using the NI scheme as a stepping stone. This could present a way for those stuck at the induction phase to get out of that rut & back on track to a full (type specific) ticket.
The possibility of seafarers using this accelerated program to “buy” their DP ticket is obvious & while simulations serve as excellent training devices they should not be a replacement for hands on experience. I think that although the NMD has decided that these tickets are equivalent to the NI certificate industry will decide otherwise. With the market already becoming flooded with eager prospects the ability to gain a certificate so quickly will likely just accelerate the problem & depress the market further.

What do you think of this new scheme?"

Quoted from this website - http://dynamicpositioningnews.com/2012/09/dnvs-dpo-certification-scheme/[/QUOTE]

dpo’s cannot be put into ‘boxes’ this is wrong. dp is dp is dp and every dpo must be totally flexible. i also feel,that many of the younger dpo’s i have come across have no concept of ship/drillship/rif driving on manual control. dp systems break down and emergency situations cannot always begotten out of by using the dp control system. as for the training, there is no substitute for ‘hands on’ experience under the proper tutelage. dp certification in my eyes is not properly regulated or policed. many dpo’s think that once they have a dp certificate that it is. wrong!!! it is only the first rung on a very long ladder. as for other organisations getting involved in dp certification. the saying ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ springs to mind. consolidation not division is the answer. personally have 29+ years experience as dpo and have seen & experienced a lot. some of the antics of inexperienced dpo’s i have witnessed is a sight to behold. dpo’s who have attained their certification require careful mentoring and it must be non personal and non judgemental.

18

[QUOTE=tombon4675;96579]dpo’s cannot be put into ‘boxes’ this is wrong. dp is dp is dp and every dpo must be totally flexible. i also feel,that many of the younger dpo’s i have come across have no concept of ship/drillship/rif driving on manual control. dp systems break down and emergency situations cannot always begotten out of by using the dp control system. as for the training, there is no substitute for ‘hands on’ experience under the proper tutelage. dp certification in my eyes is not properly regulated or policed. many dpo’s think that once they have a dp certificate that it is. wrong!!! it is only the first rung on a very long ladder. as for other organisations getting involved in dp certification. the saying ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ springs to mind. consolidation not division is the answer. personally have 29+ years experience as dpo and have seen & experienced a lot. some of the antics of inexperienced dpo’s i have witnessed is a sight to behold. dpo’s who have attained their certification require careful mentoring and it must be non personal and non judgemental.[/QUOTE]

Amen brother… I’ve seen some real FOOLS that hold unlimited dp tickets who don’t have a clue about DP. Quite worrying really, not funny at all. A much more effective system of training needs to be established. The current one has many failings, people could do their entire training on a “platform supply vessel” only using DGPS and Fanbeam and get the unlimited DP ticket and not have a clue about DP in reality, but what can we do about this? Think some real certification with a written/oral examination could be more effective. Time will only tell.

19

How many dpo’s actually can run a boat manually? Is it really necessary? I know some guys who couldn’t dock a rowboat without breaking something that are big fancy dpo’s. I am asking, not being sarcastic.

20

I wonder how many drill ship DPOs can hold their drill ship manually?
How about a semi-sub? I would love to see that!