The Coast Guard’s Outer Continental Shelf National Center of Expertise (OCSNCOE) joined with the Shell Robert Training and Conference Center in Robert, Louisiana to hold the sixth convening of the Outer Continental Shelf Inspector Course (MS-514) from March 18-22, 2019.

Rear Adm. John Nadeau, assistant commandant for prevention policy, addressed the class on the state of the OCS and the Coast Guard’s marine inspections program.

“Oil and gas exploration and production operations are extremely complex and dynamic,” Nadeau said. “We must continually develop the expertise of Coast Guard marine inspectors and maintain the capability needed to promote safety on board Mobile Offshore Drilling Units engaged in these activities on the U.S. OCS.”

The OCS Inspectors Course familiarizes Coast Guard marine inspectors and port state control officers with their responsibilities in examining foreign-flagged Mobile Offshore Drilling Units operating on the U.S. OCS. Qualified instructors from the OCSNCOE and subject matter experts from Shell and Sparrows Group taught the course, which included topics such as:

• Basic drilling operations and well control procedures
• Governing laws, regulations and authority for Coast Guard examinations of all types of foreign-flagged MODUs
• Review of certain administrative responsibilities for Coast Guard oversight of foreign-flagged MODUs operating on the OCS
• General scope and recommended procedures of a Coast Guard certificate of compliance examination, including hazardous areas found on a MODU (with regard to electrical and machinery installations)
• Fundamentals of Dynamic Positioning (DP) systems and procedures for verifying system compliance
• Basic design
• Components and operations of cranes and the procedures for verifying compliance
• Requirements for oversight of certain third-party surveys
• Recommended procedures for conducting heli-deck examinations

For this year’s course, the Coast Guard hosted two international students from the Secretaria de Marina (SEMAR) branch of the Mexican Navy. SEMAR has assumed responsibility for regulating the Mexican Outer Continental Shelf and has previously collaborated with members of the OCS NCOE and other Coast Guard units, during events in both the U.S. and Mexico, to learn how the United States addresses offshore drilling and production and to exchange ideas.

The OCSNCOE is one of six nationwide National Centers of Expertise who focus on various industry-specific consultation and services to both the Coast Guard and maritime industry. The OCSNCOE provides technical assistance and advice on matters related to Outer Continental Shelf activities and Offshore Supply Vessels; field level training and workforce development; outreach; and technical expertise for the establishment of local and national OCS and offshore supply vessel national guidance, policy and regulations.

Left to right: Capitán Ander Sierra-Cortes; Rear Adm. John Nadeau; and Teniente Ana Prezas. Sierra-Cortes and Prezas were the first international students to attend the course.

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.