Certification for Wirelock Reterms ?

[Andy Shiers]

It has raised it’s ugly head in reference to Mainlift reterms Here in the good ole Northsea 8)
I was informed yesterday that only personnel who have done a Wirelock Course and are suitably qualified can prep and pour wirelock 😯
Needless to say I have down too many of the bloody things in the past but have no certificate to prove it. As long as the procedure is carried out to the company’s directive and I do recall this subject being discussed on here a year ago 🙄
I have on certain occasions at clients OR Management request done load tests but that was due to the fact that the said company had a policy to load test certification every year and the expirey date was up.
But this had nothing to do with participating parties having to have a Wirelock stamped certificate of proficiency 😕
Any takers ?

[deepseacon]

What happened to a Skilled Engineering Technician been able to do a job.

If you are skilled and have the documents you should be allowed to do the reterm after all its tested anyway afterwards plus documents should be wrote up as well at the same time its done.

If you de-skill everything and everybody just does 20 courses to say they can do it why do you need the skilled Technician in the first place.

Skilled Technicians should not need a Wire Locking course as thats a different work scope all together.

But its the same taking the responsibilty away from the employer to the employee all the time.

Who has this Cert anyway? Riggers & Deck Crew

[Andy Shiers]

Interesting situation if we do need a "Qualified" "certificated" Techinician to wirelock ’cause we have 5.5M swells touch and go outside weather parameters to appease and satisfy client and employer so no chance to load test until we hit port or calmer water.
However It’s the "Qualified" "Certificated" technician ( With honours 🙂 ) That is puzzling me 🙄 I was led to believe that any testing and to or is certified has to be done by an independant inspection company. For example crane wires / Lift strops
Regarding Wirelock and ROV umbilicals …………….. I thought competant experienced ROV personnel 😕
Anymore takers ?

[deepseacon]

Had a look it appears that they are 2 day course’s as well.

Wire Rope Socketing

This course aims to provide delegates with a thorough grounding of the legal requirements and safe working practices pertaining to resin socketing of wire ropes and to teach them the practical skills involved. This two day LEEA accredited course is for those involved in the maintenance and socketing of wire ropes. Necessary for wire rope maintenance engineers

Lifting Equipment Engineers Association LEEA
.

So if you had the LEEA accredited course certifcate

Wire Rope Maintenance Engineer could do the mechanical
part of the reterm?

[Andy Shiers]

So ………………………. How many of us competant technicians in the ROV industry have this LEEA credited Certification and where in the UK can it be done ?
But the question is ……..When did this IMCA cert become set in stone that Pilot Techs need it or is it mandatory ? or will it be mandatory ?
Any takers ?

[Ray Shields]

There is an IMCA document about main lifts and umbilicals.

Mainly it is down to Company Procedures, if they want a certified Wirelock Technician then that is up to them.

The majority of other companies, have a main lift reterm procedure which usually includes a "confidence test" where you attach the bullit to the deck or known point and pull while witnessed and inspected afterwards usually by ROV supervisor and vessel chief Engineer or Barge Eng on rig. Occasionally, a load test by third party company with load cell etc. is done but usually only when alongside.

I have never seen anyone with any specific certification for Wirelock.

The IMCA guidelines recommend a destruct test of a sample of main lift each year which would mean a main lift reterm every 12 months anyway.

[Scott Beveridge]

Interesting situation if we do need a "Qualified" "certificated" Techinician to wirelock ’cause we have 5.5M swells touch and go outside weather parameters to appease and satisfy client and employer so no chance to load test until we hit port or calmer water.
However It’s the "Qualified" "Certificated" technician ( With honours 🙂 ) That is puzzling me 🙄 I was led to believe that any testing and to or is certified has to be done by an independant inspection company. For example crane wires / Lift strops
Regarding Wirelock and ROV umbilicals …………….. I thought competant experienced ROV personnel 😕
Anymore takers ?

Lost,

I wanna see your screwdriver ticket before you prise anything, your safe Stanley knife cert., your channel locks cert. (before you open the cans), your RHAs, JSA’s, MIST, IMIST, BOSIET, personal insurance policy, and mitigation insurance…Did I forget anything?

Seriously tho’, when will it stop? Do you folks want this to continue? I don’t have much more time in this… sooooo, you young whipersnappers should do something about it? Doncha think?

[luckyjim37]

Surely when you have completed the potting and completed a pull test that is enough.
I do remember on the Scarabeo 6 we had to have a load test engineer witness the pull test.

Company policy is one thing, but are as an industry are we opening ourselves up to potential trouble if there is legislation regarding lifting wires and we are not working to the correct standards or at least not holding the correct certification. Especially with the lawsuit society we now live in.

Maybe this is not a ground floor concern but the managers and senior management should possibly consider this.

I am all for training and courses if they improve my knowledge and my ability to do a job but wirelock comes with a simple and concise set of instructions which are not difficult to follow even I can do it so it really cannot be that difficult!!

[Scott Beveridge]

And Jim, if I might add to your correct statement above concerning VERY SIMPLE AND CONCISE INSTRUCTIONS… if the person(s) cannot follow these instructions, then he/she should not be offshore!!!! All managers please note.

[timebandit]

I dont remember seeing anything in the instructions about bending the wires back on themselves !! Simple brooming is what they recommend yet some companies/ supervisors insist on it in a misplaced assumption that it is stronger.
So bring on a course for all concerned I say and end the doubts , old wives tales and general bullshit about probably the most important procedure in the business…..

[Scott Beveridge]

Time,

As your statement is correct as well…. CLEAN IT, SPLAY THE WIRES A BIT, AND POT IT. But a course???? Why???? Pre-load test and a certifiable load test does the job! One doesn’t see a third party inspector at an anchor cable reterm.

[Ray Shields]

Scott,

the reason Time said bring on a course is that it would seem different people have different ideas on how you should pot with Wirelock.

When I first started, my Supervisor said that the wires should be bent double back in on themselves before potting. Over the years, others have said the ends of the wires should be left sticking out of the potting ("you can see if they get pulled in then") and others the ends should be below the potting ("if you leave the ends out the wire will corrode and the corrosion will work its way up inside the potting").

Someone else told me the socket should be sprayed with silicon "so that the potting comes out easier at reterm". Unfortunately it also made the Wirelock not stick to the bullit and rattle about inside the socket!

After I made Sub Eng I just did it the way the ROV manufacturer told me to do it (clean the wires, ensure inside the socket was as grease free and smooth as possible, splay the wires out slightly and pot it so the ends of the wire were completely covered).

There are so many different ways people have "heard" or decided to do it. Luckily our ROVs systems are generally very "light" (under 12 tons!)

[luckyjim37]

It would appear for once everyone is right.

If you cannot follow the simple instructions in the wirelock instructions you should not be offshore.

There are a lot of different ideas on how things are done so therefore maybe there should be a level of training so that everyone is working to the correct same standard.

The ROV manufacture’s instruction should be followed in the preperation of the cable and wirelocks in the actual potting.

As everyone agrees on the above that just leaves the question of should we all be trained formally to be able to test and certify the termination to the standards which the LEEA have laid down?

[Ray Shields]

I think it would be a waste of time. Even when there were laid down manufacturers ways of doing it as well as Wirelock instructions, people changed bits and did it "their way".

Doing a course or a bit of paper would not stop people doing this.

[cman]

I think it would be a waste of time. Even when there were laid down manufacturers ways of doing it as well as Wirelock instructions, people changed bits and did it "their way".

Doing a course or a bit of paper would not stop people doing this.

I agree.

[Author]

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