International Journal

on Marine Navigation

and Safety of Sea Transportation

Volume 4

Number 3

September 2010

279

1 INTRODUCTION

Emergency towing is a high-risk operation. In order

to increase the success rate of such operations, spe-

cially designed vessels and highly trained crews

ought to be employed. However, in most parts of the

world, governments are not willing to spend money

on dedicated vessels designed to handle worst-case

scenarios. Instead, they usually opt for multi-

purpose vessels that can perform a number of differ-

ent tasks under normal operational conditions. For

extreme operational conditions such vessels in some

cases becomes “multi-useless” vessels, as they are

not equipped to handle extreme situations. Nor are

crews trained to handle their vessel in these situa-

tions, which may increase the risk of unsuccessful

outcomes of emergency response operations under

the extreme operational conditions that exist in Arc-

tic waters.

A number of relevant papers were presented at a

conference in Brest in July 2000. Capt. Charles

Claden gives a good presentation of lessons learnt

from the Erika disaster. During the discussion Capt.

Claden said: “Regarding salvage, emphasis should

be given to improved training through more exercis-

es and on better documenting the different emergen-

cy towline systems installed on vessels”.

Based on experience from emergency towing op-

erations, the International Maritime Organisation

(IMO) approved Resolution A535 (13) “Recom-

mendation on Emergency Towing Requirements for

Tankers”. According to the IMO regulations tankers

above 20,000 DWT must be equipped with one

strong point at the bow and an emergency towing

system (ETS) at the stern. Larger tankers over

150,000 DWT will have 2 strong points and an ETS.

At the 35th meeting of the Maritime Safety

Committee (IMO MSC 1994), the guidelines for

emergency towing arrangement on tankers were ap-

proved. These state that the major components of the

towing arrangement should be as listed in Table 1.

These requirements are written in a functional form

in order to allow for different design solutions. One

commonly used design for the strongpoint is the

Smit Bracket. Different manufacturers offer differ-

ent designs, which may create problems in an emer-

gency situation, especially when trying to establish a

towing connection for an abandoned ship.

Training Course for Personnel Involved in

Emergency Towing Operations

T. E. Berg

MARINTEK – Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute, Trondheim, Norway

G. Gudmundseth

Ship Manoeuvring Simulator Centre, Trondheim, Norway

U. Klevstad

Norwegian Coastal Administration, Troms and Finnmark Region, Honningsvaag,

Norway

ABSTRACT: This paper presents development of and experience from a simulator based training course for

personnel in Norwegian emergency response operations. As a response to governmental white papers on

emergency preparedness and safety at sea in Norwegian waters, it was decided to develop a simulator based

training course with focus on emergency towing operations. The first part of the paper describes work done

by a group of subject matter experts appointed by Norwegian Coastal Administration. This group assisted

Ship Manoeuvring Simulator Centre to specify the content of a three days training course for deck officers on

emergency response vessels. Two test courses were run in the summer of 2006. Feedback from these courses

was used to update and extend course content for the first ordinary courses that took place later that year. The

second part of the paper reviews course experience and feedback from course participants. The final part of

the paper describes the links between the simulator based course and the research and development activities

in the R&D project “Arctic Emergency Operation” involving partners from France, Germany, Japan, Norway

and United Kingdom.

280

Table 1 Major components of emergency towing arrangements

for tanker

___________________________________________________

Component Forward Aft of ship Strength

of ship requirements

___________________________________________________

Pick-up gear Optional Yes No

Towing pennant Optional Yes Yes

Chafing gear Yes Depending on design Yes

Fairlead Yes Yes Yes

Strongpoint Yes Yes Yes

Roller pedestal Yes Depending on design No

___________________________________________________

In recent years, the IMO Sub-Committee on Ship

Design and Equipment has organized a correspond-

ence group that is looking into the need for similar

requirements for other types of vessels larger then

20,000 DWT. In a paper delivered at the 50th ses-

sion of the Sub-Committee in 2006(IMO 2006) it

was requested that the Sub-Committee:

− Agree, in principle, to the draft Guidelines for

owners/operators on the development of emer-

gency towing procedures as developed by the cor-

respondence group

The Guidelines have been divided into three main

topics:

− Ship evaluation – The evaluation of the vessel's

main characteristics (current condition) and avail-

able on-board equipment

− Emergency towing booklet (ETB)

− Developing procedures – Guidelines to help cre-

ate a procedure on how to connect and be towed

by another ship in an emergency situation.

INTERTANKO has also recently been working

on emergency towing, with a focus on towing lines

and their characteristics.

There is well-established collaboration on safety

at sea among the Bonn Agreement (Bonn Agreement

1983) partners, covering shipping activities in the

North Sea.

Norway and Russia have agreements regarding

cooperation in cases of at-sea incidents in the Bar-

ents Sea. The initial agreement on oil pollution was

signed in 1994 and the agreement on search and res-

cue operations in 1995. Since 2003, a joint working

group with representatives of the Ministry of

Transport of the Russian Federation and the Ministry

of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs in Norway meet

twice a year to discuss how to improve safety at sea

in the Barents Sea.

In 1993, the Copenhagen Agreement was extend-

ed to cover the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Ice-

land, in addition to the original participants Den-

mark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. In 2007,

Norway and Iceland also agreed to start exchanging

vessel traffic data for vessels leaving/entering these

countries' EEZ.

2 NORWEGIAN EMERGENCY RESPONSE

ORGANISATION

The Regional High Command Northern Norway ini-

tially had the responsibility for coastal contingency

planning and response in Northern Norway. The

command had direct access to the resources to be

used, especially Norwegian Coast Guard vessels. In

2005 the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s De-

partment of Emergency Response was set up and

took over the responsibility from the Regional High

Command. The Norwegian Coastal Administration

is responsible for the chartered emergency response

vessel in Northern Norway.

The contingency planning for acute pollution has

three layers; private, community and national. The

Norwegian Coastal Administration is responsible for

governmental contingency planning and is the exec-

utive body for handling large acute oil spills and

preventing such accidents. NCA holds responsibility

for the governmental towing support service in

Northern Norway. Based on a study led by Det

norske Veritas (DNV 2006), it was decided to use

the following data when specifying the necessary

towing capacity for governmental emergency re-

sponse vessels working off the coast of Northern

Norway:

− Hold/manoeuvre vessels up to 100,000 DWT

without own power under the following environ-

mental conditions:

− Wind speed 20m/s

− Current speed 1 m/s

− Significant wave height 5 m

At present two emergency response vessels are on

duty during the summer and three in the winter sea-

son. These vessels are located as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Operational regions for emergency response vessels

All vessels are multipurpose vessels and their per-

formance as emergency towing vessels is limited. In

a note prepared by the Norwegian Coastal Admin-

istration (NCA 2007) the following improvements to

281

the present contingency situation have been pro-

posed:

− Towing vessel capacity should be raised, espe-

cially in the summer season

− Oil-spill combating equipment needs to be im-

proved for cold climate operation/low tempera-

tures, icing conditions)

− Training of personnel to handle situations in

darkness and at low temperatures

All policy statements made by government agen-

cies and oil companies involved in oil exploration

and production off the coast of Finnmark say that

“The contingency for shipping and marine opera-

tions in the Barents Sea should be the best in the

world”. There is thus a need for government organi-

sations to develop a common definition of specific

objectives and action plans to implement this con-

tingency organisation, purchase necessary equip-

ment (including mission-adapted vessels) and train

personnel who will be involved in combating mari-

time emergency situations.

3 DEVELOPMENT OF SIMULATOR BASED

TRAINING COURSE

In the course of the past few years, a number of situ-

ations have arisen in which vessels in distress in

harsh weather have needed the assistance of emer-

gency towing vessels. To establish an emergency

towing connection is a challenging operation, in the

course of which the emergency response vessel has

to manoeuvre close to the disabled vessel. A highly

skilled and experienced master is needed for such an

operation. How to train masters for such vessels is a

challenge, as emergency towing in harsh weather is

a rare event for personnel on other vessels than dedi-

cated emergency towing vessels. Different solutions

have been selected nationally and by the major sal-

vage companies for qualification of personnel on

emergency response and towing vessels. Generally

speaking, it is important to build crews with a strong

degree of respect for each other's field of expertise.

Companies such as Smit Salvage and Abeilles have

their own in-house training program for personnel

on board their emergency towing and salvage ves-

sels.

In 2003, the Norwegian Coastal Administration

started a project that had two main objectives. The

first was to prepare a set of functional requirements

for vessels to be used in the authorities' emergency

preparedness system. The second was to specify a

list of competences needed by senior personnel on

emergency response vessels. With this list in hand,

NCA reviewed existing training offers in Norway

and concluded that these were unable to deliver what

they required. They then decided to fund the devel-

opment of a specific training course to improve the

competence level of personnel involved in tasks

specified in the National Emergency Towing Con-

tingency Plan. In 2005, SMS was invited to take part

in the development of a simulator-based training

course as one element of a competence enhancement

plan for personnel on emergency response vessels.

The Norwegian Coastal Administration appointed an

expert group to help SMS to develop a simulator-

based training course. It had representatives from:

− The Norwegian Coastal Administration

− The Regional High Command Northern Norway

− The Norwegian Coast Guard

− Tanker operators

The expert group was asked to specify course ob-

jectives, evaluate the need for necessary extensions

of simulator software and hardware and specify the

instructor qualifications needed for this highly spe-

cific simulator-based training course. At an early

stage it was decided that the target group of trainees

should be

− Management and deck operators serving onboard

vessels scheduled to form part of the National

Emergency Towing Service.

− Shore-based personnel with tasks in the National

Emergency Response plan relating to handling

disabled vessels.

− The types of training objectives for this course

have been divided into the following categories:

− Basic knowledge and understanding of the phys-

ics of towing operations

− Towline characteristics

− Handling of the tug when preparing the towline

connection

− Procedure training

− Team work and Bridge Team Management

On the recommendation of the expert group, the

following items were included in the course pro-

gramme:

− National and International Regulations

− Towing Vessels and Towing Equipment

− Towing Manual and Standard Procedures

− Preparing for the Towing Operation

− The Towing Operation

− Forces Acting on Disabled Vessel

− Towing Connection and Towing Vessel

− Arrival Port of Refuge

− Simulator Exercises

Relevant chapters from SOLAS and MARPOL as

well as national regulations from the Norwegian

Maritime Directorate, the Norwegian Coastal Ad-

ministration and the Regional High Command

Northern Norway will be discussed on the course.

Parts of the DNV rules for Marine Operations will

also be highlighted in some exercises.

282

For the towing operation the training objectives

are related to

− Arrival at disabled vessel

− Pick-up of emergency towing equipment

− High-risk elements during manoeuvring close to

the disabled vessel

− Connection of towing equipment

− Operation of towing winch/cable

− Tension in towing cable

− High-risk elements during towing

Some of the aspects to be reviewed when the tow-

ing connection has been established will be :

− Towing Speed

− Towing Wire Length

− Arrival at Coastline/Port of Refuge

− Towing in Shallow Water

− Towing in Narrow Water

− Towing without Assistant Tug(s)

To be able to start training as early as possible it

was decided to start courses using existing simulator

models for anchor-handling and platform supply

vessels. For these vessels it was necessary to per-

form some additional force and visual modelling of

the towing arrangement, towing gear and towing

winch. Figure 2 shows an early visual model of the

aft deck of the Coast Guard vessel KV Harstad and

the towing line for a calm-water towing operation in

confined waters.

Figure 2: KV Harstad towing a simulated disabled vessel

The simulator exercises have been developed to

enable the trainees to learn more about:

− External forces (wind, current, swell and waves)

− Manoeuvring close to a disabled vessel

− Maintaining disabled vessel in position

− Turning and stopping the drift of a disabled ves-

sel

− Arrival at coastline/Port of refuge

− Towing with assistant tug(s)

Locations for training scenarios were selected so

as to represent traffic patterns and for sites where the

consequences of an oil spill from a grounding or

grounded tanker would be serious. The simulator in-

structor has the option of changing weather condi-

tions during an exercise. The expert group has pre-

pared a list of failures that can be introduced during

simulation runs.

Initially, two test courses with eight participants

on each were held, one in May and the other in Sep-

tember 2006. The objective of the test courses was

to collect feedback from trainees on course design,

course material, exercises and simulator fidelity.

Participants were nominated by the Norwegian

Coastal Administration. Course participants repre-

sented:

− The Norwegian Coastal Administration

− The Norwegian Coast Guard

− The Regional High Command Northern Norway

− Tug operators

The topics of the three-day test courses can be di-

vided into three main items:

− Introduction to rules and regulations

− Study of previous cases

− Training in the simulator.

In addition to the oral debriefing at the end of

these courses, SMS used a one-page written ques-

tionnaire. For most of the questions a five-level

score form were used. Table 2 shows some of the re-

sponses of the participants. Only the top three score

levels are shown in the table as there were no items

where the two lowest levels were used by the train-

ees. As can be seen the course was well received by

the trainees, who made a number of suggestions on

ways to improve the outcome of the course. The

written learning material was updated on the basis of

feedback from the participants. The briefing and de-

briefing activities were modified to increase trainee

participation.

Table 2: Evaluation scores of test course participants

___________________________________________________

Activity Topic Good Very good Excellent

___________________________________________________

Theory Content 11 5

Presentation

method 11 5

Instructor 6 10

___________________________________________________

Exercises Training goal 6 9 1

Briefing 10 6

Personal

challenge 9 6 1

Debriefing 9 7

___________________________________________________

The results of the evaluation was used to update

course content and written learning material as well

as to improve simulator software and adapt the visu-

al system to include important cues used by experi-

283

enced tug masters. The participants recommended

that the course should be extended by at least one

day.

4 EXPERIENCE FROM ORDINARY COURSES

After the test courses, four ordinary courses were

held in 2006. Based on feedback from the test cours-

es the final course length was increased to four days.

Participants on the ordinary courses have included

representatives of on-board and on-shore manage-

ment involved in emergency response operations in

northern Norway. Table 3 shows the results of the

written questionnaire for these courses. For all topics

the feedback is more positive than for the test cours-

es shown in Table 2. It can be seen that instructor

performance has been improved, training goals made

more relevant to real-life operations and the briefing

and debriefing sessions made more interesting.

Table 3: Evaluation scores from course participants

___________________________________________________

Activity Topic Good Very good Excellent

___________________________________________________

Theory Content 13 16

Presentation

method 10 18 1

Instructor 1 26 2

___________________________________________________

Exercises Training goal 7 21 1

Briefing 10 19

Personal

challenge 9 19 1

Debriefing 11 16 2

___________________________________________________

In 2007, 6 courses were run with a total number

of 42 participants. The total score showed that

course got a mean score of 4.0 on a 1-5 score list

(where 5 is top score – or excellent).

In 2008, 5 courses took place with a total of 45

participants. The mean score on the feedback form

was slightly higher then for 2007.

4.1 Improving ship models

The participants asked for updated mathematical

simulator models representing the three vessels that

are part of the emergency response system for the

winter season in northern Norway. This is due to the

important differences in the manoeuvring and sea-

keeping performance of these vessels. Due to limited

personnel resources at SMS the development of

ship-specific models will be limited to only one of

the emergency response vessels. KV Harstad was se-

lected as a case vessel for the development of a new

mathematical model. Part of this work has been done

at MARINTEK using the 3 degrees of freedom

(DOF) model employed in MARINTEK’s SIMAN

software (MARINTEK 2005), which is based on:

− Numerical calculation of added mass using

VERES

− Empirical expressions for linear damping terms

− Crossflow drag formulation for non-linear damp-

ing terms

− Empirical formulae or manufacturers' data for

rudder forces

− Empirical formulae or manufacturers' data for

propellers and thrusters

− Empirical corrections for hull-rudder-propeller

interactions

Empirical models of wind forces.

To validate the model, MARINTEK has access to

model tests for the UT-512 design, which is the

basic design for KV Harstad, as well as calm-water

manoeuvring tests. As the shipyard delivery tests are

very sparse on vessel manoeuvrability, it was neces-

sary to run additional sea tests with the actual vessel.

Calm-water standard manoeuvring tests according to

IMO recommendations (IMO 2002) were done late

October 2006. These measurements were used to

tune MARINTEK’s calm-water model.

However, emergency response operations will

usually take place in a harsh weather conditions. It is

thus necessary to develop a complete 6 DOF model

for emergency response vessels operating in rough

seas. This work is currently under way at

MARINTEK. To validate the 6 DOF model a new

set of manoeuvring tests was done in relatively harsh

seas late November 2008.

4.2 Other requests for simulator model

improvements

The course participants also asked for more realistic

representation of the wave field on the lee side of a

disabled vessel. This improvement will eventually

be made by manipulating the visual database for the

sea surface. There will be no calculations of the ac-

tual wave field for a multibody situation. It will not

be possible to implement this modification within

the time-frame of the ongoing “Arctic Emergency

Operations” project. It has also been requested that

the visual presentation of the towing line during a

towing operation in harsh weather should be made

more realistic. Experienced masters will be asked to

take part in a face validation of possible solutions to

make the visual representation of the towline more

realistic. These modifications may be based on sim-

plified mathematical models of the towing line.

5 FIELD EXERCISES

In addition to the simulator based training course

deck officers on the chartered emergency response

vessels in Northern Norway are performing regular

284

field training exercises to practice the steps of an

emergency towing operation. When planning such

exercises the Norwegian authorities have paid spe-

cial attention to drifting tankers due to the increased

number of oil tankers operating in or passing close

to Norwegian waters. For disabled tankers the chal-

lenges presented by an emergency response opera-

tion can be divided into three main areas:

− Establishing a towline between the disabled tank-

er and the support vessel

− Controlling the drifting vessel after towline con-

nection

− Reducing/stopping or removing an oil spill

around a disabled tanker.

In general NCA runs about 6-8 field exercises in-

volving commercial vessels annually. The objectives

of these training exercises are threefold:

− To train the emergency response vessel crews

− To train the land-based part of the emergency re-

sponse organization on co-operation, surveil-

lance, alerting and response

− To train the complete emergency response organ-

ization to prepare to strand the vessel or assist it

to a port of refuge.

In additions to training with merchant vessels, the

emergency response vessels run a large number of

exercises in which other Coast Guard vessels are

simulating the vessel in distress.

5.1 Special challenges for emergency operations in

Northern regions

For exercises during the winter, sea spray icing may

introduce additional challenges. The aft working

deck may be slippery and removing ice from equip-

ment may be a dangerous task in a rough sea. Figure

3 shows deck equipment on one of the emergency

response vessels prior to starting a field exercise.

Low temperatures combined with wind chill restrict

the working time for persons on deck. Lack of day-

light in the wintertime is an additional constraint to

be considered when planning and performing an

emergency towing operation. To reduce the work-

load for deck personnel it is common to head the

stern into the waves so that the sea water wash out

the ice on deck prior starting the transfer of the tow-

ing gear from the Coast Guard vessel to the disabled

vessel.

5.2 Lessons learned from field training exercises

Field exercises have illustrated some of the problems

one can encounter when trying to establish the tow-

ing connection. Examples of operational problems

include the drifting pattern of released emergency

towing gear, large drifting speed of the disabled ves-

sel, mismatch of connecting shackles and lack of in-

formation regarding towline force. The following

statements are taken from debriefing discussions af-

ter field exercises:

− Rigging a towing connection to a drifting vessel

is a complex task even under good weather condi-

tions. Manoeuvring an emergency response ves-

sel close to a large drifting vessel is a complex

task even for a vessel with high-quality manoeu-

vring performance.

− Towing large vessels in heavy weather conditions

requires good manoeuvring performance of the

towing vessel and a towing arrangement designed

for ocean towing.

− Drifting of the messenger line for a released ETS

depends on weather and current conditions. Han-

dling of the emergency response vessel to get in a

position to pick up the messenger line can be dif-

ficult, especially at night and with reduced visi-

bility

− Shackles delivered from the emergency response

vessel may be too large to fit bulwark openings

on vessels built before IMO ETS requirements

were approved. There are a number of different

arrangements for strong points, ETS and ways of

arranging an emergency towing connection. NCA

has therefore developed a questionnaire that is

forwarded to all vessels entering the control zone

for Vardø VTS. Ships are requested to forward

drawings and procedures for establishing emer-

gency towing connections. NCA has developed a

database for ETS and strongpoint arrangements

on vessels in regular oil and gas traffic in Norwe-

gian Exclusive Economic Zone areas.

− Qualification of personnel on emergency rescue

vessels must include training in emergency tow-

ing operations.

Figure 3 Removing ice on the aft deck prior to a field training

exercise

285

6 USING R&D RESULTS FROM “ARCTIC

EMERGENY OPERATION” TO IMPROVE

TRAINING OF DECK OFFICERS ON

NORWEGIAN EMERGENCY RESPONSE

VESSELS

Since 2006, the Ship Manoeuvring Simulator Centre

has managed an international research and develop-

ment project on Arctic emergency operations. More

information on this project can be found on the pro-

ject website http://www.arcemop.no. One of the

work packages is investigating best practice for

emergency towing operations. An important activity

has been to arrange workshops for sharing opera-

tional experience on emergency towing operations.

Experienced tug masters have been invited to pre-

sent real-life cases in which they have been in-

volved. Representatives of emergency response or-

ganizations in a number of European countries and

Japan have taken part in the seven workshops ar-

ranged by the project.

The field tests with KV Harstad described in sec-

tion 4 have been a part of this project. The Norwe-

gian Coast Guard has made the vessel available for

field testing throughout the project period. In May

2008 a special towing test took place where KV

Harstad established an emergency towing connec-

tion and towed a 70.000 dwt tanker at low speed in

confined waters. The outcome of this test has been

used in validation studies of a new version of the

Japanese software tool “Optimum Towing Support

System” developed by National Maritime Research

Institute (T. Koruda & S.Hara, 2007).

7 CONCLUSIONS

Based on information from project partners and ex-

ternal contributors, the following conclusions have

been drawn:

− There is no internationally accepted functional

specification of an emergency towing vessel

− Most countries specify parameters such as neces-

sary bollard pull, speed in calm water and

draught.

− It is proposed that more effort should be put into

operational characteristics such as speed, ma-

noeuvrability and motion characteristics in rough

seas, towing gear, etc.

− From an economic point of view most nations

prefer multipurpose vessels as emergency re-

sponse vessels

− Salvage operations will be carried out by profes-

sional salvage companies using their best availa-

ble rescue tugs

To handle large disabled vessels in harsh weather

situations, dedicated ETVs will have a higher proba-

bility of a successful operation than multipurpose

vessels. The professional skill of the ETV crew is a

critical success factor in establishing a towing con-

nection in harsh weather and to prevent the towing

wire from breaking in heavy-weather towing.

On the basis of the conclusions listed above, it is

recommended that a potential follow-up project

should focus on these topics:

− Specifying the necessary equipment on an ETV in

order to simplify different ways of hooking up to

a drifting vessel

− Specifying a range of tactics to be used when

handling a disabled vessel in a heavy-weather sit-

uation

− Improving the ability to position the ETV close to

the casualty

− Transnational sharing of emergency towing expe-

rience and training of crew members on emergen-

cy response vessels.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank shipping companies

for making vessels available for emergency towing

training exercises. The Research Council of Norway

is acknowledged for their financial support to the

project “Arctic Emergency Operations” under their

MAROFF program. Their support has made it pos-

sible to run additional training exercises as well as a

number of international workshops on emergency

towing operations to investigate functional specifica-

tions of emergency towing vessels, operation of such

vessels and training of personnel on emergency res-

cue vessels. Finally we will thank participants on

SMS training courses for their valuable input to con-

tinuously improve the training course for personnel

in the northern Norway emergency response organi-

zation.

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