Marine transfer safety evolves

摘要

The logistics of boarding offshore installations tend to be exciting for journalists who only make such trips infrequently. In recent years, personnel transfer equipment has evolved while industry has emphasized standardized safety procedures, said Paul Liberato, president of Billy Pugh Co, Corpus Christi, TX. Another personnel transfer device manufacturer, Reflex Marine Ltd, Aberdeen, noted that statistics on transfer accidents are lacking because no systematic data exist for crane transfers. Although Liberato calls helicopters "the gold standard" in personnel transfer, some Gulf of Mexico operators have experienced fatal helicopter accidents. The National Transportation Safety Board estimates thousands of helicopter flights take off daily to shuttle people to installations off Texas and Louisiana.