Downtime. Whether it is planned, the result of an unforeseen event or failure or due to Mother Nature, it is one of the most expensive things in any offshore operation. Theoretically, any offshore operation begins with downtime (or more commonly known as construction and commissioning), encounters some downtime during its operational life and ends with downtime known as decommissioning. All the resources spent during this downtime will need to be earned back during the operational lifetime of the asset. A new look at downtime, combining experience and equipment from other industries, can lead to a significant reduction of downtime.
There are many factors influencing the effect of downtime on the operating expenditure (OPEX), starting with downtime at the very beginning of the operational lifetime, and the transportation and installation phase. The equipment that is available for installation of offshore structures is limited. They demand tight planning as they are scheduled during the earliest design of the structure. Often this equipment is capable of lifting much heavier structures than what is required.
Excess capacity is often also the case when looking at modifications or maintenance offshore, and the onboard lifting devices are not capable for a certain task. Every now and then the decision is made to accumulate malfunctions or failures. Then, the moment comes to take a floating asset back to shore for repair or shut down a fixed structure to commence with large repairs. This is in an effort to extend the uptime to a maximum and OPEX to a minimum.
The industry of floating assets in question is relatively young. The operational demand on these assets is increasing constantly and often pushes the limits of proven technology. New technology is constantly required and developed; however, this can result in an expensive learning curve. When an offshore installation manager or a technical superintendent is faced with an issue influencing his downtime more often, he will fall back on traditional methods that are commonly known in the industry. Although these methods have had their use proven in the past, other far more cost-effective methods can be available if the issue is viewed from a different perspective.
Heavy lifting and transport (HL&T) is a field of work where limits are tested and every project is unique. A specialized HL&T company will be able to combine experience from fields other than just offshore. It can bring a large amount of expertise to the industry now focused on reducing downtime and OPEX. Furthermore, it can assist any designer who is involved in the early design process when it comes to horizontal or vertical transportation. There is substantial room or optimization.
Recently, such an approach significantly reduced downtime for a floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel by avoiding the necessity of disconnecting it and bringing it to shore. The HL&T company combined its vast amount of land-based experience and modularized equipment, which allowed it to replace in the field several load-bearing components of the FPSO vessel’s turret while maintaining an offshore position. Until then, such an operation was unheard of.
While this was a first for the client, it was in fact a common operation on land. The combination of “ordinary” land-based equipment and in-house naval engineering suddenly allowed the client to implement a traditional land-based solution to a dynamic offshore environment. Operational demands, such as an unrestricted 360-degree rotation of the FPSO vessel during the replacement of these components, could be met with equipment that was readily available. It was the combination of sharing experiences of the offshore industry with that of a commonly viewed land-based HL&T company that made it possible to change practices, reduce downtime and OPEX, and bring deadlines forward.
Although the search for hydrocarbons brings us further away from the surface and from land, experience can be of great value to this industry. Whether it is implemented in the earliest stages of the design or in a situation of an unforeseen event requiring immediate action, incorporating land-based experience might keep all involved with both feet on the ground.
For more information, visit www.mammoet.com or call (281) 369-2200.
