Houston, Texas May 7, 2013 – Welaptega Marine, world leader in Moorings Fitness for Purpose Assessments (MFPA), is at OTC Houston this week to deliver a paper on life extension of mooring systems on offshore floating production facilities.
The paper, entitled “Mooring System Life Extension using Subsea Inspection Technologies,” will be presented by Welaptega Business Development Lead Engineer Tyler de Gier who co-authored the paper with business development engineer Scott Allan and CEO Tony Hall.
The paper covers aging infrastructure, mooring failures, and risk based inspection techniques.
Life extension requires progressive inspection strategy
Determining the potential for life extension of an asset requires a comprehensive understanding of the current state of a mooring system. This is achieved by executing a well-planned inspection strategy followed by engineering analysis of quantifiable results.
The paper will discuss Welaptega’s Progressive Inspection techniques using 3D and 2D imaging technologies and dimensional technologies for measuring chain and rope mooring systems. Progressive Inspection identifies potential risks on moorings and underwater assets and then takes action to quantify anomalies to gauge their seriousness.
Advances in mooring systems
The Welaptega paper will be presented as part of an OTC technical session on Advances in Mooring Systems. The session will take Place on Thursday May 9, 9:30-noon in Room 600 of the Reliant Park Conference Centre. The session will be be chaired by Tomasz Matlak of Schlumberger and Subir Bhattacharjee of ExxonMobil Production.
Welaptega is part of the Nova Scotia OTC delegation lead by the Maritime Energy Association and the Nova Scotia Department of Energy.
Founded in 1969, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is the world’s foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection.
Halifax, Nova Scotia _ Welaptega Marine has been awarded a contract to inspect the mooring system of the Nganhurra floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility operating in waters off the coast of North West Australia.
Welaptega has sent a team of specialist engineers to the facility to conduct a Progressive Inspection program using its Rope Measurement System (RMS) and 3D-modeling system (3DM).
“Our Progressive inspection philosophy is a guided examination of mooring systems that focuses on known problems and failure modes,” says Tony Hall, President and CEO of Welaptega Marine.
“When anomalies, wear or damage is identified, progressive inspection technologies are used to zero in on the problem and identify its characteristics and operational implications.”
Nganhurra FPSO is operated by Woodside Energy Ltd., and is the first oil production facility in the deep waters off the North West Cape.
The vessel operates in water depths of approximately 2000 feet and can process 100,000 barrels of oil per day. It has a storage capacity of one million barrels.
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Halifax, Canada, Dec 4, 2012 – Welaptega Marine Limited, world leader in mooring integrity verification,is pleased to announce that it has formed an alliance with UK engineering firm BPP-TECH to offer the highest-quality Fitness for Purpose Evaluations for offshore mooring systems.
“Together we offer something unique to the offshore industry,” said Tony Hall, CEO of Welaptega
Marine. “By integrating Welaptegaʼs top-quality inspection data with world-class engineering
analysis from BPP-TECH, we now have the capability to deliver a comprehensive fitness for
purpose evaluation of mooring assets. Our combined experience and knowledge of best
practice will help operators manage risk and save money.”
Mooring failure is a Class 1 Hazard according to UK HSE
Moorings are safety critical systems subject to immense environmental and structural forces.
Mooring failure is a Class 1 Hazard, the highest rating given by the UK Health and Safety
Executive (HSE). Failure can compromise operational safety, production and reputation.
BPP-TECH will interpret data collected with Welaptegaʼs accredited inspection technologies to
create the highest quality intelligence available of a mooring systemʼs condition and its fitness
for purpose.
This information can be used to satisfy certifiers, regulators and insurance companies.
With a combined experience of more than 40 years in the offshore oil and gas sector, BPP-TECH
and Welaptega share a common focus on technology, innovation and best-practice in
offshore inspection and analysis.
Fitness for Purpose Evaluations deliverables include:
• Identification of most probable mooring failure modes.
• Quantification of degraded mooring components using Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
• Assessment of fatigue based on known environmental factors such as load cycles,
metocean predictions and component degradation
• Establishment of present-day operational Fitness for Purpose of mooring systems
including maximum survival conditions
• Mooring system design reassessment based on API, IACS member classification society
standards, or client requirements using present day mooring condition as input
• Assessment of remaining life of mooring system
For more information on the Welaptega-BPP-TECH Moorings Fitness for Purpose Evaluation
please contact:
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
T +1 902 422 8303
E info@welaptega.com
www.welaptega.com
London, UK
T: +44 845 217 7000
E: london@bpp-tech.com
www.bpp-tech.com
Welaptega will inspect a riser chain attached to a buoyancy tank on an FPSO
Halifax, Nova Scotia - Welaptega Marine, world leader in mooring integrity verification, has been awarded a contract to inspect riser moorings on the high-profile Petrobras Cascade Chinook development in the Gulf of Mexico.
Welaptega will measure mooring chains that connect four vertical risers to buoyancy tanks on the the BW Pioneer FPSO. The Pioneer is the world’s deepest FPSO, operating in 2600 meters of water 180 miles off the coast of Louisiana.
“This is part of a longterm life cycle mooring integrity inspection,” said Tony Hall, CEO of Welaptega Marine. “Petrobras and the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) recognize the importance of regular inspection as part of a wider integrity strategy.”
A team of Welaptega engineers will deploy the Chain Measurement System (CMS), a Welaptega patented technology, to measure the length of each chain link and inter-grip zones on four riser mooring systems.
It is part of an on-going program of mooring inspection carried out by Welaptega on a six-monthly interval.
The Pioneer is the first FPSO production development approved in the Gulf of Mexico.
The job deploys in November. This is the fifth inspection conducted by Welaptega on this project. The contact was awarded to Welaptega by Veolia Water special services division.
London, Oct 30, 2012 _ Failures of mooring systems in offshore floating production are not easy to predict, but they do occur, and they will happen more often as infrastructure nears the end of design life.
“It is mission critical that we do the detective work up front on these ageing systems,” according to Tony Hall, CEO of Welaptega Marine. “It’s imperative that we identify any phenomenon that could put a facility at risk of failure.”
Hall, whose company specializes in risk-based mooring integrity verification, was speaking to a group of offshore integrity experts attending a seminar on ageing infrastructure. It was convened by the Oil, Petrochemical and Energy Risk Association (OPERA).
“It’s not good enough to do the postmortem on a failure. That’s too late. We need to be on the lookout for deteriorative mechanisms that put the system at risk of failure so preventive action can be taken.”
He said risk-based inspection must be guided by experience of mooring systems and industry best practice. This means looking for risky areas where a deteriorative phenomenon is known to have occurred before.
“Industry has already identified many of these phenomena through operational experience which has been captured in the Oil & Gas UK guidelines on mooring integrity management , and the various Joint Industry Projects on mooring integrity (JIP).”
He said it’s also important to identify other types of deterioration which may not have been associated with failure in the past but that could still lead to failure.
He pointed to mechanisms such as sulfate reducing bacteria, heavy wear and corrosion at the turret, and bird-caging of wire rope.
He said this issue is more important than ever now that offshore reservoirs are being extended for further oil and gas extraction. There is greater demand for older assets like FPSOs to function as tiebacks and gatherings.
Welaptega has built up an in-depth knowledge of moorings after 15 years in the subsea inspection industry. It has participated in industry JIPs and developed its own technologies to identify and quantify subsea damage caused by age-related deterioration and impact.
Halifax, Nova Scotia _ Tony Hall, CEO of Welaptega Marine, will be a featured speaker at a seminar of asset integrity experts examining the impact of ageing infrastructure in the offshore oil and gas sector.
The seminar, entitled “Insuring ageing facilities for better or worse”, is sponsored by the London-based Oil Petrochemical and Energy Risk Association (OPERA).
Participants will explore the challenges of offshore facilities being considered for subsea tie backs and gathering operations.
“We have to know that these ageing assets are still fit for purpose,” said Hall, who will speak on the topic of mooring integrity verification on offshore assets. “It’s a balance between safety, profitability and risk.”
Seminar topics include:
Other speakers include Szen Ong of BPP-Tech who will speak on Ageing Subsea Assets – Riser and Umbilical Case Studies and Judith Hackitt CBE of the UK HSE who will deliver the Keynote Address.
The day-long seminar will be held October 30, 2012 at the Swiss Re Lecture Theatre in London.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 17, 2012 _ A new sense of urgency is emerging around ageing offshore infrastructure as facilities reach the end of their design lives and major incidents cost millions - in some cases billions, a group of integrity management experts heard during a Petronas seminar on Managing Risk on Ageing Offshore Infrastructure.
“Major incidents are leading to loss of life, environmental damage and huge costs in damage and lost production,” said guest presenter Tony Hall, CEO of mooring integrity leader Welaptega Marine. “If we don’t take care of these ageing offshore facilities, significant loss of assets is inevitable.”
Hall, whose company is world leader in risk-based integrity verification in the floating production sector, says moorings are an example of “safety critical systems” which are subject to immense environmental forces including waves, currents, abrasion and hurricanes.
Continue reading “Sense of urgency erupts around ageing infrastructure” »
Halifax, Nova Scotia _ Welaptega Marine, world leader in risk-based mooring integrity verification, has been invited to make a guest presentation Wednesday, October 17 at the Petronas Caigali seminar on managing risk on ageing offshore assets.The seminar is being held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tony Hall, Welaptega founder and CEO, will be speaking on lifecycle inspections on mooring lines on FPSOs, FSUs and semi-submersible floating structures.
“Aging infrastructure is a significant challenge across the offshore oil and gas sector,” Hall said. “This seminar shows how seriously Petronas is taking this issue and the importance of infrastructure integrity management.”
The seminar brings Petronas together with its production partners and world experts in the area of integrity management in the offshore oil and gas sector. In addition to Mr. Hall, the seminar guest speakers will feature:
Chuon-Szen Ong, Technical Director for BPP-Tech in London speaking on Subsea structures – fixed structures/umbilicals/risers
Doug Hamer with NRG Well Services who will speak on managing ageing wells – problems and interventions.
Dr. Gareth John of Intertek CAPCIS who will speak on Corrosion/ageing of structures.
Ian Partridge of The Welding Institute speaking on Structures/Pipelines – Ageing, monitoring, inspections, constraints.
James Miller of ACE Global Energy will speak on International Perspectives on Ageing Structures/Corporate Issues.
Halifax, Nova Scotia _ Welaptega Marine is pleased to announce that it has completed a first with its in-water baseline survey on the mooring system of BP’s Skarve floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel in the Northern North Sea, Norway.
The in-water inspection was completed after a dry baseline inspection conducted in 2010 prior to installation.
Welaptega’s team of offshore engineers deployed its Chain Measurement System (CMS), 3D modeling system and the Rope Measurement System (RMS) to complete a full survey of rope and chain moorings.
This is part of BPs on-going risk based integrity program to help the operator understand the condition of the mooring system over the lifetime of the FPSO.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Sept 28, 2012_ Welaptega Marine, world leader in mooring integrity verification, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a contract to inspect the mooring system on the Anasuria floating, production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) in the UK North Sea.
Welaptega’s specialized team of offshore engineers will deploy its advanced toolset of 3D video, 3D modeling and Chain Measurement System (CMS).
The two-phase mobilization is part of Shell’s long-term mooring integrity verification program on the vessel.
Phase I will inspect the mooring chains from the FPSO with an inspection class ROV, while phase II of the program will be conducted from an inspection-vessel with a working class ROV.
Anasuria is the first purpose-built floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel to be constructed for Shell UK Exploration and Production (Shell Expro) in the UK North Sea.
