GENERAL DIVING PROCEDURES

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 PLANNING 2.0- PROPOSED SHIPPING MOVEMENTS 3.0 - UNDERWATER HAZARDS 3.1 - PRECAUTIONS AGAINST UNDERWATER HAZARDS 4.0 - TYPES OF BREATHING APPARATUS AND BREATHING MIXTURES TO BE PROVIDED 5.0 - OPERATIONS FROM AN INSTALLATION, WORKSITE OR CRAFT 6.0 - DIVING FROM A VESSEL UNDER WAY 7.0 - DIVING FROM A FIXED INSTALLATION 8.0 - DIVING FROM DYNAMICALLY POSITIONED VESSELS 8.1 PRINCIPLE 8.2 - DIVE STATION 9.0 DIVE STAGE OPERATIONS 9.1 - WET BELL 9.2 - BASKET 10.0 - LIMITS ON DEPTH AND TIME UNDERWATER 10.1 - DEPTH OF THE OPERATION 10.2 - DEPTH, TIME AND PRESSURE 11.0 - DESCENT AND ASCENT OF DIVERS 12 - CHECK ON PLANT AND EQUIPMENT 13 Use of SCUBA

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9 9 9

1.0 - PLANNING

The planning of a diving task should be carried out by the Diving Contractor as early as possible before the start of the operation and the Diving Supervisor or Senior Supervisor, when appointed, should be brought into the planning team. For a small operation the planning team may consist of only one member of management and the Supervisor, but for a large and complicated task, technical, maintenance, and logistic support personnel should also be included. 2.0- PROPOSED SHIPPING MOVEMENTS Whether working at sea, in docks, harbours or rivers, the Diving Contractor has a responsibility to find out what the normal shipping movements are likely to be. When ships pass in close proximity to a diving operation, divers may have to be called up and constant interruption will cause the task to be prolonged, and may affect safety. 3.0 - UNDERWATER HAZARDS There are many other hazards of which the Diving Contractor should be aware, including seabed conditions and the proximity of wrecks. In recent years there has been a considerable increase in the number of fishing lines and nets fouled on the seabed or a structure that may present a hazard to a diver. Some fishing tackle is non degradable, strong and may be transparent. The possibility of debris on the seabed in the vicinity of offshore installations and in rivers, harbours and docks, should also be considered. Diving operations from Dynamically Positioned support vessels should be carefully planned and monitored, particularly when supporting surface orientated divers. In this case the divers should preferably operate from a wet bell or submersible basket. Umbilicals from the tending position to the diver should never be longer than the distance from the tending point to the nearest thruster or propeller, and the location of the tending point should be carefully assessed. (See attached drawing to calculate safe distances page 10) It is the responsibility of the Diving Contractor to ensure that special orders are prepared and given to all relevant personnel with regard to potential hazards in any area or type of operation. 3.1 - PRECAUTIONS AGAINST UNDERWATER HAZARDS The Diving Supervisor should acquaint himself with any known hazards which may endanger the divers. Prior to the start of any diving operation the Diving Supervisor should inspect the surface diving site to see if there are likely to be any other potential hazards. For example, badly erected scaffolding could collapse and create a danger. Before the diving task commences, a survey of the underwater diving area should be carried out either by a diver or by an ROV to identify any unknown dangers underwater. 4.0 - TYPES OF BREATHING APPARATUS AND BREATHING MIXTURES TO BE PROVIDED At the planning stage the Diving Contractor, in consultation with the Diving Supervisor, should nominate the type or types of breathing apparatus and breathing mixtures to be provided. These will be determined by the depth of water and the nature of the operation to be carried out. In water depths less than 30 meters when surveying pipelines divers may use a SCUBA Replacement system, particularly in areas where a diving vessel cannot anchor. There must be a reserve supply of air to permit the diver to reach the surface and allow for any other eventualities which may retard his movements. The professional surface orientated diver's main type of breathing apparatus is a surface demand system which can supply an unlimited amount of air at the correct rate and pressure. The main problem with this form of breathing apparatus is that the length of the umbilical limits the distance that the diver can move from the point of control. In strong currents the umbilical may also cause a certain amount of 'drag' on the diver and further impair his movement. Apart from the air supply, the umbilical usually carries the life support services including hardwire communications between the diver and Supervisor. This also permits the Supervisor to

monitor the diver's breathing, which may provide an early indication should he work too hard or get into other difficulties. A narrow open-ended hose between the diver and surface is included in the umbilical, which feeds water pressure to a pneumofathometer gauge to indicate the diver's depth. Hot water can also be supplied to the diver to maintain his thermal balance when operation takes place in cold water or over long period of time. At all times when using surface demand breathing apparatus, the diver should carry a bail out cylinder to provide sufficient air to enable him to reach the surface should the umbilical supply be interrupted for any reason. Between the surface and 50 meters air is the normal breathing mixture. Some Diving Contractors however, prefer their divers to use oxy-helium, oxy-nitrogen or a trimix of oxygen, nitrogen and helium. In trimix the low partial pressure of nitrogen helps to reduce its narcotic effect, however helium may introduce complications in communications, and the heating requirements for the divers. Special surface decompression schedules are necessary for trimix diving and arrangements should be made to heat the compression chamber. In bell diving, divers normally use a demand type of breathing apparatus which should allow good gas flow at all depths. As in surface diving, the diver must carry a bail out cylinder of reserve gas to provide sufficient mixture to enable him to reach the bell if for any reason the main supply fails. The cylinder must not however be so large as to impede the diver in passing through the bell trunking. To avoid the narcotic effect of nitrogen, helium is normally used in bell diving, though some Diving Contractors provide a trimix of oxygen, helium and nitrogen. A small partial pressure of nitrogen, not sufficient to cause narcosis, is believed to reduce the effects of high pressure nervous syndrome (HPNS). Self-contained closed circuit apparatus has been developed, but is not much used at present. Closed circuit oxygen breathing sets should never be used underwater in commercial diving. As well as the oxy-helium and trimixes provided ready mixed, some Diving Contractors make up their own mixtures at the diving site. The advantage of this method is that the mixture can be made up to provide the correct percentage of oxygen. Should a diving support vessel move to another location for diving at a different depth, the oxygen percentage can be readily adjusted without having to replenish pre-mixed gases. When gas is to be mixed on board, pure helium should never be carried because of the danger to the diver if it were fed directly to him by accident. A minimum of 2% oxygen should be included in the helium supply. As well as the normal breathing mixtures, special gases should also be available for therapeutic use in an emergency. Accurately mixed gases should also be available for calibrating gas analysers. NOTE: Company are an IMCA approved company. SCUBA is not an approved diving method with in IMCAs guidelines and is not approved by Company Safety Policy. See IMCA DO14 for further reference. See Point 13 of this Document

5.0 - OPERATIONS FROM AN INSTALLATION, WORKSITE OR CRAFT The Master of an installation, worksite or craft has a responsibility to ensure that diving operations are carried out in compliance with National Regulations. He should provide a suitable safe diving platform with adequate means for the divers to enter and leave the water safely. An alternative method of recovering a diver should always be provided where any mechanical form of handling

system is used to raise and lower the diver. Dynamically Positioned vessels can present hazards to divers, either when surface orientated or when operating from a diving bell. At all times when divers working from a DP vessel are in the water, the Master and his bridge staff must be particularly vigilant and should immediately request the Diving Supervisor to abort the dive if there is a system failure which could put the divers at risk. The Supervisor for surface orientated diving should ensure that neither the diver nor his equipment is sucked into the propellers or thrusters. The Ship's Master and Supervisor should ensure that the vessel and diving operations from it comply with guidance, as set out in IMCAs guidelines for the design and operation of dynamically positioned vessels. 6.0 - DIVING FROM A VESSEL UNDER WAY Diving from a vessel whilst under way is not permitted unless the vessel is controlled by a fully redundant dynamic positioning system 7.0 - DIVING FROM A FIXED INSTALLATION When diving operations are being carried out from a fixed installation, the diving supervisor must liaise with the offshore installation manager or his nominated delegate prior to the diving operations. The offshore installation manager should have the following responsibilities in relation to diving operations from or in connection with an offshore installation: To ensure that the diving supervisor is kept informed of weather forecast and other environmental factors which may effect diving operations To ensure that no operations is carried out which may present a hazard to persons engaged in diving operations and issue the permits to work To provide the diving supervisor with any facilities required to ensure the safety of any persons engaged in diving operations To provide a suitable and safe place from which the diving operation is to be conducted To ensure that warning signs are displayed at control points to the effect that the operation or nonoperation of items of plant may pose a hazard to divers. Such plant would include intakes or impressed current anodes. These signs must give a clear warning of that danger To notify any other vessels in the vicinity that diving operations are under way and to post the appropriate flags and warning signals

8.0 - DIVING FROM DYNAMICALLY POSITIONED VESSELS The following procedure is intended as a guideline for surface diving from dynamically positioned vessels. There is no simple approach to the problem due to the wide variations in vessels and worksites and these procedures do not therefore address all technical and mechanical means of accomplishing the outlined method and should be considered as minimum requirements.

8.1 - PRINCIPLE The techniques and practices outlined are based on the premise that at all times the length of umbilical from the point of tending to the diver must be at least 5 metres shorter (see drawing page 10) than the distance from the tending point to the nearest thruster or propeller. If it is physically impossible to prevent at all times the diver or associated umbilicals from exceeding this requirement, other arrangements must be made: Fixed moorings Or a tended crossover line on which the diver's umbilical can run freely being secured by running shackles to that crossover line.

A full set of operational and emergency procedures specific to that vessel must be prepared and be in the dive control throughout all diving operations. 8.2 - DIVE STATION The supervisor should at all times be in view of the basket or wet bell handling system. This may be achieved by either positioning the dive station in close proximity to the deployment area or by video camera monitoring. The diving supervisor at the dive station must be provided with the relevant DP alarms and communications as specified in IMCAs guidelines for the design and operation of dynamically positioned vessels. The surface tender and wet tender or bellman should be able to listen to all communications between the divers and the supervisor and should be able to talk directly to the supervisor. The dive panel should provide the supervisor with total control of the basket or the wet bell, the divers in the water and the stand-by diver. The diving supervisor must ensure that he and his team are fully familiar with the overall design of the vessel from which they are operating and in particular the position of thrusters, propellers, sea water intakes and any obstructions on the hull which may in any way affect the diving operation. The position of such features must be marked so as to be clearly visible. These markings should be on the hull on the vessel deck or superstructure and on a display board with critical distances noted which must be clearly displayed in dive control and tending points. A drawing specific to the vessel identifying the areas of maximum hazard into which the umbilical must not be allowed to stray must be prepared and displayed in dive control and the launch area.

9.0 DIVE STAGE OPERATIONS Serious problems that can affect divers in a diving satge, these include equipment failures such as damage to the umbilical, the main winch or lifting wire. Damage to the umbilical will almost certainly result in the loss of the surface supplied life support facilities to the wet bell, and communications between the Diving Supervisor and divers. There should be an alternative means of recovering the diving stage should the lifting cable part. Some diving systems run on guide-wires, and these can be used to lift the stage. There is a possibility that the diving stage may have to be recovered by an emergency method, such as by the guide-wires or the umbilical, but this may not be sufficiently strong to raise a wet bell out of the water. It will then be necessary for the Surface Standby Diver to assist by attaching a suitable lifting cable to the wet bell, when it has been raised to about 10 meters below the splash zone.

9.1 - WET BELL A wet bell may be used with two divers supplied from the wet bell gas panel with excursion umbilicals. The wet bell must incorporate the following: A main umbilical supplying the wet bell with all appropriate services. If handling of the umbilical cannot be achieved by winch, then it should be clipped to the main lift wire. An appropriate interface panel to which excursion umbilicals will be connected. On-board emergency gas cylinders complete with pressure reducers. Divers have their excursion umbilicals secured to the wet bell in such a way that the length of the umbilical from the attachment point to the diver must never be greater than the distance from the tending point to the nearest thruster or propeller less 5 metres. All umbilicals should be clearly marked so that the length deployed is known at all times.

9.2 - BASKET A basket may be used and the working diver must be tended from it by a stand-by diver. The basket must incorporate the following: An on-board emergency gas cylinders complete with demand valve or tube to insert past the neck dam of diving helmets The supervisor must ensure that the excursion umbilicals are stopped to the basket so that the length of the umbilical from the tending point to the diver must be 5 metres shorter than the distance from the tending point to the nearest thruster The surface tender must ensure that the surface to basket umbilicals have no unnecessary slack and must pay strict attention to the length and position of the umbilicals. He must immediately inform the supervisor of any concern regarding the safety of the umbilicals All umbilicals should be clearly marked so that the length deployed is known at all times. 10.0 - LIMITS ON DEPTH AND TIME UNDERWATER Air diving should be restricted so that divers do not remain under pressure for a time which exceeds the predetermined air or surface decompression limiting times. If divers are required to dive for longer periods of time, there is an increased danger of them suffering from decompression sickness. After carrying out such a dive, the diver must not be permitted to dive again for 12 hour and should remain in the vicinity of a decompression chamber under surveillance for 4 hours. The Diving Supervisor should take into consideration the depth of the water, the temperature, the decompression schedule to which he is working, and the amount of work which each diver puts into a task when deciding how long the diver may stay underwater. (See exposure limits for air diving operations) A tired diver may be a danger to himself and other members of his team and the Supervisor should always be on the look out and stop divers working too hard for long periods. As a general rule, even when working in very shallow water, a diver should not spend more than 8 hours underwater in every 24 hours. 10.1 - DEPTH OF THE OPERATION The depth at which the operation takes place will be the main factor that will be the main factor which will determine what type of diving equipment and which techniques should be used, which in turn will determine the qualifications of the divers and the type and number of support personnel. Air should not normally be used as the breathing mixture at depths greater than 50 meters, though different proportions of HELIOX mixtures may be used dependant on tables. Generally, for diving deeper than 50 meters a closed diving bell and all the associated deep diving equipment should be used. It is important when the operations are taking place at depths greater than 50 meters that the diver's suits are heated, and when greater than 150 metres that their breathing mixture is also heated.

10.2 - DEPTH, TIME AND PRESSURE Times should be taken from a common source, e.g. the vessel clock, for all the events concerning the bell dive. Times should be noted down as 00h00:00 for hours minutes and seconds. Depths are measured in metres of sea water. Table No 1: Equivalent depths and pressures expressed in metres, feet of sea water, bar and PSI (Pounds per Square Inch). DEPTH METRES FEET 0 0 ABSOLUTE PRESSURE (Bar) 1.0 RELATIVE PRESSURE (Bar) 0.0 ABSOLUTE PRESSURE (PSI) 14.2 RELATIVE PRESSURE (PSI) 0.0

3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220 230 240 250

1.3 1.6 1.9 2.2 2.5 2.8 3.1 3.4 3.7 4.0 4.3 4.6 4.9 5.2 5.5 5.8 6.1 6.4 6.7 7.0 7.3 7.6 7.9 8.2 8.5

0.3 0.6 0.9 1.2 1.5 1.8 2.1 2.4 2.7 3.0 3.3 3.6 3.9 4.2 4.5 4.8 5.1 5.4 5.7 6.0 6.3 6.6 6.9 7.2 7.5

18.6 22.9 27.2 31.5 35.8 40.0 44.3 48.6 52.9 57.2 61.5 65.8 70.0 74.4 78.7 83.0 87.2 91.5 95.8 100.1 104.4 108.7 112.9 117.2 121.5

4.3 8.6 12.9 17.2 21.5 25.7 30.0 34.3 38.6 42.9 47.2 51.5 55.8 60.0 64.4 68.6 73.0 77.2 81.5 85.8 90.2 94.5 98.8 103.1 107.3

11.0 - DESCENT AND ASCENT OF DIVERS In air diving, the diver may descend as fast as he likes. The only normal restriction to his speed is the effect of water pressure on his ears, and he may have to stop to clear them before going down further. When ascending from a 'no stop' dive, the diver should not exceed the speed of small bubbles which escape from his breathing apparatus, which is approximately 1 meter in 3 seconds. If a diver comes up too fast, he is in danger of having an air embolism. This is more likely to occur if he holds his breath when ascending. When stops are required, either in the water or compression chamber, the rate of ascent should be strictly in accordance with the decompression schedules. Divers carrying out surface decompression techniques should comply with the instructions contained in the appropriate schedule. The diver will require assistance to take off his breathing apparatus and to get to the compression chamber, so that he does not exceed the time limit before being recompressed. This time limit varies from one table to another. The reference for descent and ascent rates is: US Navy Diving Manual REV 5 12 - CHECK ON PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

As well as the normal planned maintenance schedules, other checks and inspections should also be carried out under the control of the Diving Supervisor. All plant and equipment should be examined and, where possible, functionally tested within six hours before the start of the diving operation. For deep diving systems which are made up of many components, this work will take a considerable time. For small air diving tasks, these checks can normally be carried out immediately prior to the task and may be included with the pre-dive checks, which must be carried out for all types of diving. All the checks should be personally coordinated by the Diving Supervisor and check lists ticked off by him as his team reports that checks have been completed. Note: Comapny works in accordance with the IMCA Guidelines. All equipment must conform with relevant IMCA Design Documents. 12 Use of SCUBA As per IMCA DO14 7.1.1

SCUBA

Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) has inherent limitations and difficulties, such as limited breathing gas supplies. It should not be used if surface supplied equipment can be used and thus there are unlikely to be any circumstances where the use of SCUBA will provide a suitable technique for diving under the scope of this Code. Company is an IMCA approved company and work within the guidelines of IMCA. SCUBA is not an approved method of diving within the company. However we have made exceptions for the use of SCUBA. These are as follows: Where surface supply will pose to be a safety hazard Inspection dives no deeper than 10m This is for open water only. No diving under or between structures. Recovery of equipment in shallow water i.e. Equipment dropped over the quayside Before any SCUBA will take place the following will be carried out: An assessment whether there is no other option except SCUBA Notify SHEQ of the SCUBA requirements Obtain permission from SHEQ Do a thorough risk assessment Ensure that a standby diver is in the water and can keep a constant eye on the diver Permission must be given prior to every SCUBA dive taking place. NO WORK is to be carried out on SCUBA. It is for inspection purposes only.