“This year, the Constructor made its second trip to West Africa. In Gabon, we installed flexible tie-inns on the ocean floor at a depth of 80 meters for Emas. In Congo, we linked a steel cable to a chain on the ocean floor at a depth of 170 meters for Vaalco. Both projects were carried out to the client's complete satisfaction."

"This time, we brought along NINA, after the program was introduced to us in the summer of 2013. Bringing NINA along worked out well. The safety of people had priority, and always has. But NINA forces you to constantly consider what the wisdom is of the local working conditions. In the sunny weather of West Africa, it is not desirable to stubbornly adhere to the same safety standard as on the North Sea. So, should you demand that everyone wear safety glasses? After all, profuse sweating can affect people's vision and safety glasses can then actually create an unsafe situation. These are the kinds of small and large dilemmas that you face, and in which, after discussing them, you can make a well-considered decision. In Congo, we issued an all-stop when the forces on the steel cable turned out to be stronger than expected. Due to safety considerations, we went in search of an alternate working method. Those kinds of consultation meetings contribute to greater safety awareness.

So, as you can see, NINA transcends boundaries. We bring her with us everywhere we go!”

By Frits Polling, Offshore Construction Manager, Boskalis Offshore Subsea Services