PROJECTS
These are some of the key projects we are proud to have been involved with - improving economics and reducing risk for our Clients.
ROV vs MANNED BALLAST TANK INSPECTION
Recent advancements in remote inspection techniques have opened up a new world of possibilities. But just because a technology is available, should we use it, and in what situations?
Key achievement: Floating Solutions Consulting have scoped and carried out assessment of simultaneous inspections for identical water ballast tanks, one using ROVs and the other by rope access inspectors. Detailed metrics for safety, cost and technical capability of each of these methods were recorded to enable the Operator to determine the optimum approach for a given situation.
COMBINED UAV & ROPE ACCESS SIDE SHELL INSPECTION
Side shell inspection of FPSOs moored offshore is costly and time consuming, with rope access personnel working at height over water.
Key achievement: We have optimised the inspection of a permanently moored FPSO by using UAV technology to capture CVI quality images of the complete side shell. This has enabled subsequent rope access inspection and coating repair scopes to be optimised targeting the areas of highest risk. It also enabled the schedule and cost of the scope to be estimated with much greater accuracy.
INNOVATIVE HULL STRUCTURAL DEFECT RISK MITIGATION STRATEGIES
Classification Society rules for mitigating structural defects are fairly prescriptive and typically call for 'crop and renew' of most anomalies.
This can lead to significant remediation costs and HSE risks such as hot / red hot work, confined space entry and working at heights.
The optimum solution for mitigating the risk posed by structural defects depends on many factors, for example age of the asset, location, remaining field life, stress levels, available budget etc.
Key achievement: Floating Solutions Consulting developed and received Lloyds Register approval for a novel approach to managing the risk of anomalies. The approach uses Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) paired with simple calculations and analysis. Combining this method with remote inspection technologies can in many instances enable risks to be managed by monitoring rather than repair.
On a recent project this has reduced ongoing integrity management costs by over 90% compared to the typical 'crop and renew' approach.
CLASS INSPECTION SCOPE OPTIMISATION
Unless under an RBI scheme, Class inspection requirements are generally applied fairly rigidly by Inspection Companies, who quite rightly wish to do a thorough job and comply with regulations.
Even without moving to an RBI scheme, Class will however usually be open to areas of optimisation, provided Engineering justification is provided. This can increase the efficiency and integrity benefit of inspections whilst reducing cost and schedule.
Key achievement: We have carried out scope and inspection methodology optimisation for Class inspection scopes, reducing costs and schedule by 30% whilst simultaneously allowing for fabric maintenance (coating repairs) to be carried out to arrest the most critical areas of corrosion.
CONCEPT ASSESSMENT FOR LNG UPGRADE
Small scale LNG production, storage and distribution technology is a rapidly growing sector opening up new possibilities for small stranded gas fields and existing assets.
Key achievement: We recently performed a feasibility and high level costing study for the refurbishment and upgrade of an existing FPSO hull for LNG production, storage and offloading. This provided the Client with the risk and cost information required for robust early stage economics.
SHIPYARD STEEL REPAIR SCOPE ESTIMATES
Acurately estimating hull steel repair scope for FPSOs in the lead up to a Shipyard visit is a often problematic. Typically, only standard Class inspections have been carried out. Such inspection scopes are not designed to determine specific steel renewal scope, merely to check compliance with regulations. This lack of adequate information often leads to significant emergent scope, cost and schedule overruns once the vessel is in the yard.
Key achievement: We designed and managed a review of available inspection information and shipyard steel renewal scope estimates in order to determine the level of scope risk in each area. Based on this, we recommended contingencies to be applied in each area, key actions to optimise scope and to enable contingencies to be reduced.
This enabled the Client to enter the yard with a far better understanding of risk and critical path.