Getting the Job Done Safely

　As Operation Superintendent (OSI) on the CHIKYU, Tomokazu Saruhashi’s first responsibility is to collate input from everyone involved in the drilling and ensure that every stage of the operation is performed safely. At sea, the CHIKYU is home to roughly 200 people, most of whom belong to one of three groups: drilling and geology technicians affiliated with the Center for Deep Earth Exploration (CDEX); researchers from member countries of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP); and crew and drilling technicians from Mantle Quest Japan, the company that manages and pilots the ship. The OSI is responsible for coordinating these three groups. Each person on the CHIKYU has a unique role to play. This means that every member of the team has a different perspective on the project and how to best complete it safely. The OSI’s job is to gather ideas from these different perspectives and shape them into a safe and workable plan. On board the CHIKYU, work continues from morning to night without pause, from project planning to team management and operational supervision. But the OSI’s duties don’t stop there. The OSI needs to keep a close eye on every aspect of the operations at all times. This is a heavy responsibility, since even a slight error can easily lead to a major accident. The OSI needs to monitor and evaluate a huge number of situations on the ship at any given time, so that if something does happen, he or she can be ready to respond on the spot. “We try to prepare as much as possible so that we can recover quickly, but unexpected problems will still happen. It’s a state of constant tension,” says Saruhashi.

　Saruhashi is a veteran drilling engineer, with multiple projects under his belt, including exploratory oil drilling and laying undersea fiber-optic cables. With his wealth of experience, the safety of the ship and crew are in good hands.