Not too long ago, the IEEE Requirements Affiliation held a session on the UNGA78 Summit centered on marine environmental sustainability – discussing applied sciences for carbon dioxide removing from the oceans, electrification of port infrastructure, and decarbonization of transport. This agenda obtained widespread consideration, as the oceans play a vital function in local weather processes, and the transition to sustainable options has turn out to be an pressing precedence.
In a world the place science and know-how are more and more geared toward preserving the planet, the presence of leaders who not solely handle large-scale tasks but in addition share accountability for the worldwide future is particularly helpful. Amongst such leaders is IEEE Honorary Member and marine engineer Igor Astrakhovych. His standing and deep technological experience lend important weight to his phrases and tasks, opening alternatives to combine superior engineering options with sustainable practices.
Igor’s journey started in marine engineering: holding a vast First Class Engineer license and a PMP certification, he has accrued over fifteen years of expertise in marine and offshore engineering. For the previous eight years, he has actively labored on vessels outfitted with DP2 and DP3 dynamic positioning programs, answerable for technical help, upkeep, and workers coaching. His experience covers extremely complicated inspections, compliance with worldwide requirements together with DNV, ABS, and Lloyd’s, in addition to the execution of complete tasks.
Specific pleasure comes from his work on tasks on the finish of 2024 and the start of 2025. He led the implementation of Seventh-generation drillship applied sciences able to drilling as much as 12,000 ft, outfitted with DP3 programs, AI monitoring, and automation platforms. These vessels are like technological fortresses, outfitted with MPD-ready programs, Pink Zone Administration, and real-time distant monitoring – and Igor performed a key function of their realization. He accomplished tasks on board the Ocean BlackRhino valued at $40 million, Ocean BlackHornet at $20 million, and Ocean BlackLion totaling $4.6 million. In April 2025, he finalized upgrades of GE thrusters and the PMS system on the Noble Sam Croft, saving the corporate over $800,000 on a funds exceeding $3 million. At present, he’s managing the Noble Venturer challenge ($2 million) and making ready for the Noble Developer challenge, valued at over $15 million.
One other spotlight of his profession was his participation in 2023 within the mobilization of one of many world’s largest wind set up vessels, Orion. Throughout mobilization in Halifax, his crew was answerable for gear testing and upgrading port infrastructure, enabling the profitable completion of the challenge in U.S. waters. Earlier, from 2017 to 2022 at Solstad Offshore, Igor executed long-term tasks within the North Sea, together with work on Mariner Alpha, one among Equinor’s largest oil fields. His contributions helped safe a number of contract extensions, along with his engineering options and challenge administration proving key to sustained success.
His achievements should not merely a group of tasks however a testomony to how engineering perception, technological progress, and sustainability can unite in concrete options. On this context, Igor’s worth as an IEEE Honorary Member takes on particular significance: his experience is deeply related with IEEE’s mission to advance applied sciences that serve humanity and the planet.
Igor, in your opinion, what’s the important problem when implementing Seventh-generation drillship tasks, and what provides you the best sense of pleasure?
It’s the mixture of drilling depth, complicated automation, and security concerns — all the pieces should work flawlessly, and the environment of accountability and crew cohesion turns into a decisive issue.
Your expertise covers each service provider fleets and offshore vessels with trendy DP2-3 programs. What key variations and challenges do you see between these instructions?
Certainly, I’ve had the chance to work throughout each conventional service provider fleets and extremely superior offshore vessels – together with DP2/DP3-class drillships and semi-submersibles. Whereas each require a deep understanding of marine engineering, the technical complexity, operational threat, and regulatory necessities in offshore tasks are considerably greater.
Within the service provider fleet, operations are usually linear: propulsion, navigation, and routine upkeep are well-structured. The engineering focus is on effectivity, reliability, and gasoline optimization over lengthy voyages.
Offshore vessels, nonetheless, particularly dynamically positioned models, function beneath much more complicated and sometimes excessive circumstances – together with deepwater drilling, subsea operations, and real-time positioning in high-risk zones. Engineering programs on these vessels should combine redundancy, real-time diagnostics, and autonomous security responses.
For instance, in my offshore tasks, I’ve overseen the improve of thruster drives, energy administration programs, and the mixing of AI-based security instruments, the place even milliseconds of delay or minor sensor misalignment can create vital failure or security dangers.
One other main distinction is the project-driven nature of offshore engineering. It requires interdisciplinary management, coordination with worldwide groups, compliance with ABS, DNV, IMO, and client-specific requirements, and the flexibility to adapt quickly to evolving circumstances and applied sciences.
In brief, the offshore discipline calls for a greater degree of precision, innovation, and engineering foresight – and that’s the place I’ve centered my efforts lately. It’s additionally the place I’ve had the best alternative to steer high-impact, high-value engineering packages that straight contribute to security, effectivity, and environmental efficiency.
What enabled important value financial savings throughout the upgrades on Noble Sam Croft?
Course of optimization, deep information of the programs, and efficient useful resource administration allowed us to attain outcomes much more effectively than anticipated.
How has your expertise engaged on Orion and within the wind power sector influenced your method to marine tasks?
It broadens the engineering perspective — including an emphasis on ecosystem interplay and sustainable design, which is particularly vital in in the present day’s period of local weather challenges.
Are you able to inform us about your most difficult challenge as Chief Engineer and the way you managed the problems that arose?
Whereas serving as a Senior Marine Engineer at Solstad Offshore ASA, I encountered a vital emergency that might have led to the lack of a multimillion-dollar contract with an oil & fuel shopper. We have been working a contemporary DP2-class offshore help vessel on a time-sensitive drilling help mission after we started experiencing instability within the load-sharing system between the turbines and thruster drives.
The load sharing was behaving erratically beneath DP mode, which created a harmful fluctuation in thrust management. This jeopardized the vessel’s capacity to keep up place – a direct threat to each personnel security and the continuing offshore operation. I instantly initiated a stay diagnostic process, throughout which I recognized a malfunctioning thruster electrical motor drive encoder and indicators of damage on the NDE bearing housing in one of many vital thruster models.
Working beneath excessive time stress, I led the onboard disassembly and realignment of the encoder system, supervised a brief retrofit of the bearing system, and recalibrated the load-sharing software program manually – utilizing a customized workaround that allowed us to re-balance electrical hundreds in actual time.
Thanks to those measures, the vessel maintained station, accomplished the project, and prevented any downtime or constitution penalty. The shopper acknowledged this success, and the corporate retained the contract directly.
This incident displays my capacity to use complicated engineering judgment beneath stress, remedy high-risk failures involving automation and propulsion programs, and safeguard the operational and monetary pursuits of the corporate – qualities which might be important for advancing the U.S. marine engineering and power infrastructure.
How does your IEEE membership and participation in its occasions contribute to your skilled development?
Being a member of IEEE is far more than only a prestigious recognition; it’s an lively group devoted to the change of concepts and information. It offers entry to cutting-edge analysis, business insights, and rising applied sciences that maintain me on the forefront of innovation.
Taking part in IEEE occasions permits me to attach with specialists worldwide, fostering collaboration and opening alternatives to contribute to the event of future requirements. This engagement not solely enhances my technical experience but in addition broadens my perspective on how know-how could be responsibly utilized to unravel real-world challenges, supporting each my skilled development and the development of sustainable engineering practices.
