HELICOPTER OPERATIONS TO MOVING OFFSHORE HELIDECKS DEVELOPING NEW OPERATIONAL CRITERIA FOR LANDING AND ON-DECK SAFETY

摘要

The Oil and Gas industry relies heavily on helicopters for transporting personnel and cargo to and from offshore installations and support vessels. A growing number of offshore helicopter operations are to moving helidecks both on large vessels such as FPSOs, drillships, and semi-submersibles, as well as smaller service vessels. Landing a helicopter on a moving helideck presents additional challenges, not only at the point of touchdown and but also for the entire period the helicopter remains on the helideck. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), on behalf of the Helicopter Safety Research Management Committee (HSRMC), has commissioned Atkins to lead a comprehensive research programme aimed at improving the operational safety of helicopters landing on moving offshore helidecks. This paper summarises the main results from this long-term research effort. New deck motion and wind severity limiting parameters (MSI/WSI) are defined. Limiting values for these parameters ('MSI/WSI limits curves') are calculated using a bespoke probabilistic modelling methodology, which incorporates an analytical helicopter stability model (discussed in more detail in a separate paper [1]). This probabilistic approach has been developed based on discussions with stakeholders (helicopter operators, vessel operators, aviation and offshore safety regulators) and aims to find the right balance between enhancing safety and maintaining operability. The challenge of predicting helideck motion and wind conditions for 20 minutes after landing is also discussed. Finally, the specification for a new Helideck Monitoring System (HMS) is described. This system is currently being evaluated during in-service trials in the North Sea, with the aim of incorporating it in the CAA's Standards for Offshore Helicopter Landing Areas (CAP 437) in the near future.