Namaka Compliance rise to the final challenge

2020 where to begin?!

For many, 2020 possibly began with a great outlook and prospects on the horizon and Namaka Subsea was no exception as our year began with a full schedule of projects for the coming 12 months. There was a real buzz of excitement within the team, and we were all looking forward to what 2020 would bring. February approached quickly and it was time, once again, to attend Subsea Expo, this year for the first time in its new home at P&J Live. The event went well and once more, there seemed to be a real buzz around the industry for the potential prospects the coming year could bring. For Namaka Subsea it was new services and products and during the Expo we were excited to announce the launch of Namaka Compliance.

Namaka Compliance was formed after a comprehensive study and discussions with Jamie Murphy, Compliance Director, identified certain gaps in the market, particularly in terms of Competence and Local Content. As many companies are working internationally and are required to demonstrate that they have some form of Local Content Development plan in place, it was decided a service, supported by a bespoke competence management system be developed to assist not only the Subsea sector but also Exploration, Drilling, Topside, Petrochemicals and Renewables support offshore as well onshore.

March arrived and the bombshell was dropped, we were now in the midst of a global pandemic, and everyone was told to lockdown and remain at home until further notice. No one could have foreseen this happening at the beginning of the year, but as oil prices dropped and job losses threatened thousands of people globally, the situation looked bleak. However, as daunting as it all appeared, the team at Namaka Subsea tried not to look at the negative impact, but instead remained optimistic and learned to adapt quickly to the situation we now faced.

Firstly, we evaluated the further development of our training courses and having already purchased video conferencing software we decided to combine the two and bring training to the candidates, ensuring compliance with the government guidance on COVID-19 restrictions. As we began marketing this new remote learning service, we could not believe the positive reaction and number of enquiries we received from all over the world. The response was overwhelming, and we kicked it all off by running our first remote learning courses, Diving Operations Auditing and Assurance as well as our Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis course via our new online classroom.

From initially delivering these courses in a virtual classroom environment, we then evolved the training into the development of the Namaka Learning Management System (LMS) which became a blended learning platform which can be accessed from anywhere in the world on any time zone. The advantages of now having the LMS as well as virtual classrooms gives people options as to how they prefer to learn and in their own time. Distance learning has been available now since the late 90’s but not surprisingly has seen a dramatic increase in demand for these services since the end of March 2020.

Following on from our training development we quickly realised that we could also utilise this new video conferencing software in other ways and so we developed a process that allowed our auditors to remain active and support our clients remotely during this uncertain time. The process allowed our auditors to liaise on a one to one basis with onshore and offshore personnel to audit systems via an audio/video link. Further technical and operational support has been provided remotely utilising the new video conferencing software, including Diving Technical Authority support, Subsea Engineering support, the development of client safety management systems and the completion of Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis assessments, as well as other services.

More positive advancements saw the development of two very different pieces of software by Namaka Subsea and Namaka Compliance. Firstly there was the development and launch of the Namaka Asset Management System (NAMS), which is a new cloud-based management system developed to support the maintenance of Diving, ROV and Marine assets and associated equipment, which can be accessed from anywhere in the world on any device type. The systems security features individual encrypted user logins so you can always be assured that your data is safe.

The system encompasses all the usual features you would expect to find in any Planned Maintenance System, however, Namaka incorporated a few additional features to assist with asset management. NAMS will produce reports based on the inspection and maintenance results, notifying teams of task workloads forthcoming and completed, spares and critical spares alerts and equipment failure alerts. The application has been developed to manage the maintenance requirements of not only Diving systems but also other systems such as Marine and ROV assets.

Simultaneously Namaka Compliance developed a competence management system “ATHENA“ which allows companies the ability to manage and demonstrate competence remotely with simplicity. Competence management systems are vital to allow organisations to demonstratively prove how competence and training is managed effectively within their organisation, which is a requirement when operating in industries where the potential for major accident hazards exist.

ATHENA can also incorporate virtual reality and augmented reality, at no cost to our clients, to enhance the competence experience and enhance assessments. The system is designed for any size of company from small sized SME’s to IOC’s and Tier 1 EPCM’s. It was also apparent that there was an opportunity to manage the competence of the industries transient workforce, and so a partnership was formed with Norwegian company Sonic Offshore to offer an end to end technology solutions for personnel resourcing.

Namaka Subsea were also tasked with an initial 5-day inspection of Irish Sea Contractors (ISC) AERSUB system, which is an innovative, first of its kind subsea hyperbaric cable repair habitat aimed primarily at subsea cable & control umbilical repair. Subsequently, the scope increased to over 4 months, delivering on various aspects of this exciting project. During this time, we successfully helped ISC implement various cost and time saving processes and provided them guidance, solutions and support at each step of the way.

Namaka SubseaTT also had a successful year and were approved as a vendor by BHP Billiton and The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited to provide dive safety representatives and auditors. On completion of upward of 65 project days’, the team were recognised for excellence and competence by the Client, proving that experience and professionalism exists in the Caribbeannation and should be utilised at every available opportunity.

Sandy Harper, CEO, Namaka Group of Companies added: “The impact of COVID-19 has affected us as it has the rest of the Oil and Gas industry worldwide, however; we have taken the opportunity to look at the services we provide and find a way to optimise these, not only to overcome the current situation but also for future business. We are very fortunate to work with Clients who not only understand the current situation but also understand that there is always a solution to ensure that safety is not compromised and who have been very supportive of Namaka Subsea and Namaka Compliance as well as the processes we have put in place.”

Namaka Group of companies are confident that the current situation will not deter us from our continued operations and support to our Clients. Although we are taking the required safety measures to minimise the risk of COVID-19 we will also continue to operate to ensure we carry out our operations safely and efficiently to ensure our Client requirements and expectations are met anywhere in the world.

Read the latest issue of the OGV Energy magazine HERE.