Download Fitness for Purpose Evaluation Service sheet
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
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.
Welaptega Marine, world leader in mooring integrity verification, will join FPSO experts from around the world this week at the Emerging FPSO Forum in Galveston, Texas to discuss unexpected problems discovered during subsea surveys.
Welaptega Offshore Project Manager Tyler De Gier will make a presentation entitled “Recent experiences in Mooring and Riser System Integrity: Unexpected Results.”
The talk will focus on problems such as accelerated mooring chain corrosion and narrowing and misaligned flash butt welds.
The talk will be Wednesday, Sept. 26th at 2:15 pm. during the session on moorings and risers session.
Recent mooring failures such as the Maersk Gryphon A in February 2011 resulted in insured losses of $1.6-billion. This has caused operators and industry insurers to re-examine their exposure to risk and unexpected problems which occur with safety critical systems.
The Emerging FPSO Forum brings together FPSO experts with real-world experience with FPSOs. These experts discuss the latest developments in the realm of FPSO technology and provide case histories on new techniques.
Offshore assets often get damaged; they get bent, dented, dropped or even broken.
These common offshore impacts cost operators millions in repairs, downtime, lost production and they jeopardize operational safety.
In recent years we’ve seen damaged assets like a snapped mooring or leaking wellhead lead to catastrophe.
Welpatega’s 3D modelling shows you the problem before it gets worse
Welaptega Marine delivers fast, accurate, actionable, and above all engineering-grade information so that you can verify and remedy damage caused by offshore impact incidents.
The 3D-modelling Post-Incident Response system is operated by Welaptega’s expert engineering team.
We offer you complete data for diagnosis on the damage your subsea assets have suffered.
We deploy our state-of-the-art 3D-modelling technology to collect precise data which is delivered to you in concise professional reports and CAD models that can help identify and repair problems.
Continue reading “Welaptega solves problems with 3D-modelling for Post-incident Response offshore” »
By Tony Hall,
CEO Welaptega Marine
Hurricane Isaac has caused an estimated $500 million to $1 billion in damages to the offshore energy sector in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to the catastrophic risk modelling firm Eqecat this includes lost production and fixed platforms, floating facilities and subsea infrastructure.
Hurricane Isaac did not inflict the damage on Gulf of Mexico offshore infrastructure that hurricanes Ike and Gustave did in 2008.
In that year, 60 offshore platforms were destroyed and more than 100 were damaged, this despite the fact that many damaged platforms were designed with hurricane forces in mind.
But Hurricane Isaac is yet another wake up call to offshore oil and gas sector, insurance companies, regulators and investors.
Huge costs of damage and lost production
Isaac brought offshore oil and gas production to a near standstill in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, all US Mobile Offshore Drilling Units are keeping station.
The damage that occurred in 2008 and in storms of 2005 were also wake-up calls for the offshore oil and gas sector in the Gulf of Mexico. Continue reading “Hurricane Isaac costs Gulf of Mexico $500 million to $1 billion” »
Insurance premiums for offshore oil and gas companies in the Gulf of Mexico are 5 to 10 higher in 2012 than they were the same time last year, according to Andrew Steptowe, insurance broker and risk advisor Marsh Inc.,
Drilling contractors are paying 20 percent higher and third party liability insurance for both E&P companies and drilling contractors has risen.
Deepwater Horizon drove up insurance costs
The Deepwater Horizon incident was a large single-claim event costing $2 billion to $3 billion.
Following Macondo, several insurance companies stopped offering third party liability insurance for the offshore oil and gas market.
Insurance rates have increased due to Macondo as well as other big losses experienced by the global oil and gas industry, including the loss of the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Maersk Griffin in the North Sea last year.
Continue reading “Offshore insurance rises after Deepwater Horizon” »
