Six Divers Trapped on Sea Bottom

[Akimbo]

... I was just thinking of the diving vessels I have seen with escape bells or whatever they are called...

All things considered, I would prefer to have a hyperbaric lifeboat onboard than not. But I don't know many divers that put much faith in them.

Consider that most bells are in the water ~22/day. Larger purpose-built diving support vessels have two bells and a 24-man crew in saturation. Two working crews may be at different depths and 4-8 are decompressing out for a crew change. So let's say you have a crew at 50' with ~16 hours of decompression left. Another working crew at 300' and another at 600'.

Now picture both bells on the bottom with a tender in each and a diver locked out. The ship suffers server damage and lists to 30°. The diving supervisor orders divers back to the bells and starts blowing the two shallow crews down to 600'. He considers blowing them all down about 50' deeper than the bottom in case she sinks and they need to try a rescue from the wreck. At least they wouldn't drown before hitting the bottom. He hopes like hell he can recover the bells at that list angle in a heavy sea.

Meanwhile, shipping containers, gas tube trailers, and working loads start breaking loose from their lashings and slide around the deck. Hopefully they fall overboard before destroying lifeboats, launch gear, banks of HP oxygen 12-packs, or one of the bells. A pressurized bell or 3000 PSI tube trailer exploding would take out the entire vessel and do serious damage to any platform they may be next to.

Both bells are recovered and mated. The deep crew starts manning the hyperbaric lifeboat waiting for the shallower and bell crews to arrive. The crew from 50' is suffering severe compression pains and bordering on hyperthermia due to heat of compression (Helium is much worse). Everybody is finally in the hyperbaric lifeboat and the hatches are sealed. The diving support crew vents pressure in the transfer trunk, opens the mating clamps, and the lifeboat can be unmated. At this point several diving support crew climb aboard the lifeboat, get launched into the sea, and motor off until they can be recovered by another suitably equipped diving support ship. Of course this is assuming the list doesn't prevent launching. If not, the lifeboat crew will risk their lives and hope they survive the ship sinking under them.

Say there is a rescue ship within 100 miles but she has a smaller system that supports 12 and are in sat at 800'. They also have a crew decompressing in another set of chambers who are at 150'. The rescuing diving super debates whether to blow them down to 800' because they will need the space and scrubber capacity or keep bringing them up. The only option is to press the lifeboat down 200' more and welcome them aboard. The rescue ship will have to launch their hyperbaric lifeboat in order for the rescued boat to mate. It is crowded, environmental control systems are designed for 12 divers, but the lifeboat augments. They all reach the surface about 10 days later unless they can find a second rescue ship to share the load.


I wouldn't be too critical if a hyperbaric lifeboat wasn't onboard this vessel. You can Google "Hyperbaric Lifeboat" and see lots of photos and drawings. Perhaps this will help you appreciate my dismissive attitude towards hyperbaric lifeboats. The reality is it would be a miracle if most of the topside crew could be saved. We all wish we could do something when things like this happen. Your thoughts are in the right place.

 

[Bombay High]

As Akimbo says,
Most divers view a hyperbaric lifeboat in the same way a parachuter thinks a helmet is going to help him in the event of a failure.
There are certain risks that you assume as an offshore diver. Thats just the way it is. It does not make it any easier when things like this happen.

As an update, the offshore contractor who sent the divers there, has his office a ten minute walk from mine. I know him well. He is being incredibly cagey parting with information. I think he is in self preserve mode right now.

Sat Diver is completely out of contact, and is somewhere in Iran, as I understand it right now.

The information put out by the media is that the 6 Indian divers are dead and the others missing.
The information I got before all concerned got cagey was that there were 6 Indians, 2 Europeans (no nationality given) and 3 Iranians.
I was told that 9 of them were confirmed dead and the rest (2 ?) were unaccounted for. Considering that they were in sat, I am guessing that even if they made it out, they would have died shortly anyway.

My thoughts are with the families of the divers, and the incredibly brave men who attempted the rescue / recovery in what was described to me as crazy stormy seas.

 

[davetowz]

condolences for all. The families of those divers and all involved in the rescue attempts. I hope those involved in the recovery are successful and bring closure to the families. I also send prayers to those involved in the recovery.

 

[Thalassamania]

What a tragedy, what a C.F. Elevated CO2 is such an ugly way to go.

I'm so happy our friends are safe, and deeply sad that divers I never met or knew are gone.

But, push come to shove, I'm exceedingly thankful that I did not have to make any of the decisions that the Diving Supervisors had to, and that makes me feel selfish.

 

[Akimbo]

…But, push come to shove, I'm exceedingly thankful that I did not have to make any of the decisions that the Diving Supervisors had to, and that makes me feel selfish.

Not selfish Thal, just human. Trust me, you’re not alone. Everybody who has ever “run the side” shares your pain. It is very sad for those who were lost, survive, and are at risk during the recovery. There is no doubt in my mind that your pioneering contributions have and will continue to save divers. Sometimes Mother Nature just kicks our butts.

I truly hope that accurate information on this tragedy comes out, not to punish but to study. If there were gross lapses in judgment, those responsible will suffer the consequences of that knowledge for the rest of their lives — assuming they didn’t also perish. More often there are a number of everyday judgments that conspire in some bizarre alignment of the moons and bad things happen. Sometimes procedures and systems change, not always for the better. It is human nature for us to feel changes must be made.

 

[EastEndDiver]

Here is a thread from Offshore Divers on this tragedy.

***** EMERGENCY MESSAGE *****

 

[Sat Diver]

This was a perfect storm of unfortunate incidents and a complete lack of preparedness.
Good men lost their lives for no fault of theirs.
It is hard to reconcile that men of that experience, who had won so many battles in the deep, should be lost in such a manner.
Rest in peace, brothers.

 

[Akimbo]

Glad you are back and safe. Lots of us were concerned for you. Very sorry for the loss of your friends.

 

[DCBC]

This is an Iranian company that use to do on-shore salvage and expanded its diving a few years back into the offshore industry. It runs its own school to provide diver training to the local industry. Although familiar with the company and some of its operations, I didn't know the victims of this tragic event. My thoughts and prayers to the famiily.

 

[Bombay High]

DCBC,
the victims were divers that had been sent on that job through an offshore contracting company based in Bombay, India.
Sat Diver was there, and when he feels able I am sure will provide us some details.
The 6 divers who died in the chamber were all Indian.