U.S. COAST GUARD APPROVED “RIG STABILITY & BALLAST CONTROL” COURSE FOR MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS

Martin International’s five-day U.S.C.G. approved course is designed to meet the specific regulatory requirement for obtaining the Offshore Installation Manager, Barge Supervisor and Ballast Control Operator licenses.

The “Rig Stability and Ballast Control” course will introduce the student to stability theory, the effect of weight on stability and trim, mathematical calculations, load form usage, ballast control procedures for trim and list, and use of information provided in the rig’s operations manual for safe operation of the MODU. “Worst Case Scenarios” concerning actual offshore disasters are used in conjunction with Damage Stability and Survival Mode Preparations to illustrate proper procedures in emergency situations.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to demonstrate how the addition, discharge or shift of weight affects the overall stability of the rig. The student will also demonstrate proficiency in calculation of load forms by finding new center of gravity (KG, LCG and TCG) locations, vertical, longitudinal and transverse moments, free surface corrections, corrected KG, maximum allowable KG, new displacement and new draft after the addition or discharge of weight.

Operation Manuals (for a semi-sub­mersible and a jackup drilling rig) intro­duce the student to unique stability require­ments for various types of rigs. For example, understanding the mooring sys­tem and how its anchors and mooring tensions affect the rig’s load form calcu­lations is important to understanding the overall stability of a semi. The calcula­tion of leg reactions and understanding of preloading operations stresses the impor­tance of proper weight distribution on a jackup-drilling rig.

Our staff of Instructors combines years of teaching with practical experience and includes USCG licensed Offshore Instal­lation Managers and Barge Supervisors.
Anyone pursuing a MODU license and wishing to satisfy the Stability require­ment, persons who wish to take a “refresh­er” stability course, or anyone who has a personal desire to learn something about Stability is welcome to attend our course. Martin International’s Stability Course has something for everyone.