Saturation Diving System
E4. Cruise, offshore energy and auxiliary/specialised fleetsDefinition
System enabling extended deep-water diving from a DSV.
A saturation diving system keeps divers continuously under pressure equal to the working depth, living in deck chambers and commuting to the worksite by a pressurized diving bell, so their tissues stay saturated with inert gas and they decompress only once at the end of a long campaign. This makes deep, sustained subsea work, on pipelines, wellheads, and structures, practical. The system is the defining equipment of a diving support vessel, and IMCA sets the operating standards.