INVISIBLE TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD

INVISIBLE TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD

But indispensable for safe and reliable underwater operations

 Anyone working underwater today with diving and ROV systems can no longer afford improvisation. All equipment that is deployed must meet demonstrable safety standards, certification requirements, and compliance with a complex web of regulations. 

Behind every successful project by DISA International therefore lies an intensive logistics and maintenance program, carried out by people who understand how complex the underwater world really is. DISA operates internationally, with offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Singapore, and many projects beyond those countries. “That automatically means dealing with different legislation, certification regimes, and client requirements,” says managing director Didier de Graaff. “Even in diving alone, regulations differ from country to country, and sometimes even per type of project. Before equipment is sent out, it is therefore carefully prepared.” According to De Graaff, this preparation is done by specialists with practical expertise. “Many colleagues have worked for years as divers or technicians themselves and know exactly what is needed in the field. All the gears have to be turning, as we often say internally. Only then can a project be executed safely and successfully.” 

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

 For offshore work, IMCA guidelines apply, but national additions are often required as well. “A decompression chamber that may be 1,600 mm according to IMCA rules, for example, must be 1,800 mm in Denmark,” explains Jacques van de Riet, equipment manager at DISA International. Together with his colleagues Eddy van Straten and ROV technician Guido Hartmann, he ensures that DISA’s diving and ROV systems are always up to date and compliant with current laws and regulations. Another example: “In Belgium, lifting equipment for a project must be inspected every three months, while in the Netherlands an annual inspection is sufficient. It is exactly these kinds of details that make the difference between delays and a smooth project execution,” Van de Riet explains. 

INTENSIVE PROGRAM 

DISA’s asset management and maintenance program is highly intensive. The underwater specialist manages around 130 diving helmets, each with its own maintenance and certification cycle. “Breathing equipment, which is literally life-saving, is largely inspected internally and periodically externally certified by Lloyd’s,” Van de Riet explains. “Diving containers are fully maintained in-house, from control panels to calibrations. Only specialized components are outsourced. Hydraulic, pneumatic, and electrical tools, often used during preparation above water, must also be demonstrably safe.” For large offshore projects, containers full of spare parts are taken along. “Distances are often large, and downtime caused by a missing component is not an option.” 

A WORLD OF ITS OWN 

ROVs form a world of their own. “The technology relies heavily on complex electromechanics, robotics, and precision arms,” De Graaff clarifies. “Here too, everything must be certified. In the workshop they are completely dismantled, maintained, and, where necessary, modified or redesigned.” Project-based solutions are sometimes developed that later even become patented. “In this way we continue investing in the development of diverless technologies. It not only increases safety but also shortens turnaround times and reduces costs, while maintaining quality.” Such an intensive development, management, and maintenance program requires space. “At our facilities in Belgium we test our ROVs, diving equipment, and our clients’ project test setups in dedicated test basins. This allows us at DISA International to efficiently perform ‘wet testing’ before equipment is sent out to a project,” De Graaff assures us. He concludes: “Our equipment division may be invisible to the outside world, but it is indispensable for safe and reliable underwater operations.” “With all equipment that is deployed, everything revolves around demonstrable safety, certification, and compliance with a complex web of regulations.”