FPSO Operational Problems

Don Smith OGP

 Analysis of Accident Statistics for Floating
Monohull and Fixed Installations

• UK HSE Study
• Analysis of offshore accident statistics from 1996 – 2002 (6
years period):
– No fatalities
– 21 accidents involving hospitalisation
– 85 3-day off work
– 317 dangerous occurrences
 Dangerous Occurrences for Floating
Production Systems 1996-2002*
Fire/Explosion Substance Collapse Positioning/Dropped
8% 3% 1% Object/Adverse
Weather
12%

Collision
2%

Hydrocarbon Potential Collision

Releases 3%
48% Stability
0%
(37% total
population) Evacuation
1%

Lifting Machinery
8%
Pipeline
4% Diving Biological Electrical Pressure
Wells
0% 4% 5%
0% 1%

* Provisional Total Number of Dangerous Occurrences 317

 FPSO Dangerous Occurrence Categories

• Riser/Turret/Swivel
• Vessel SW/COW/Vent
• Offloading System
• Moorings/DP
• Collision/Stability
• Motion Related Incident
 Distribution of FPSO Dangerous Occurrences

Motion Related Incident

15%
(12) Riser/Turret/Swivel
33%
(26)
Collision/Stability
11%
(9)

Moorings/DP
9%
(7)
Vessel SW/COW/Vent
Offloading System 10%
22% (8)
(17)
 Wave Related Incidents (1995 – 2000)

5
Number of Incidents 4

0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Year

17 Greenwater, 2 Wave Slam

0.28 incidents per vessel year
 Comparison of Accident Rates
(per installation type)

50
45
40
Accident 35
Rate 30
25
(per FPSO
20
installation) 15 All
10
5
0
96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02
Year
 Comparison of Accident Rates
(per 100,000 Workers)

7000
6000
5000
Accident
Rate (per 4000
100,000 3000 All
Workers) FPSO
2000
1000
0
96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02
Year
A summary Report on FPSO Lessons Learned,
gathered from 4 Norwegian FPSOs – May 2002

Prepared for the Norwegian Oil Industry Association

(OLF)
 Study Aims and Methodology

• Aim: to collect lessons learned from experiences of

operators of Norwegian FPSOs

• Information collected from 4 installations:

– Jotun A (ExxonMobil)
– Varg (Norsk Hydro)
– Asgard and Norne (Statoil)
 Survey Tool

• Seven Main Areas:

– Hull and Marine
– Turret
– Layout
– Project Management
– Operations and Support
– Codes/Classification
– Manning and Safety
 Hull and Marine
(172 issues/problems reported)

• Green Water (Critical)

– 3 out of 4 FPSOs affected by greenwater loads
• Hull – Strength (Critical)
– 3 out of 4 FPSOs suffered crack between tanks
• Accommodation (Critical)
– Insufficient beds leading to repair/maintenance/upgrade delays
• Ballast & Cargo Pipework (Major)
– Construction Standards for cargo and ballast pipework proven indequate,
leading to weld failures, leaks and corrosion
• Corrosion & Coatings (Major)
– Need for good inspection programme
• Cranes (Major)
– Solid booms not optimum (more suited to port side application)
 Hull and Marine
• Helicopters (Major)
– Siting and size of helidecks (need to involve helicopter operators in future
designs)
• Hull Capacity (Major)
– Limited shuttle tanker capacity driving need for increased FPSO storage
capacity
• Inert Gas System (Major)
– Use of hydrocarbon blanketing to replace inert gas
• Moorings (Major)
– Improved understanding of permanently stopped mooring designs (as
opposed to use of individual anchor winches)
• Motions Assumptions (Major)
– Better prediction of roll limits and its impact on topside fatigue design
• Power Generation
– Choice of appropriate main power generation (to maximise efficiency)
 Turret
(30 issues/problems reported)

• Turret Location (Critical)

– Benefits of free swivelling turrent
• Turret Design (Critical)
– Problems with 2 of 3 turret bearings
– Need to make all components easily serviceable and replaceable
• Risers (Major)
– Range of problems experienced
– Good riser design and operation essential
• Swivels (Major)
– Concerns over long term reliability
• Drag Chains (Major)
– Range of problems leading to high maintenance and operational problems
– Swivels may be the better option in many cases
 Layout
(19 issues/problems reported)

• Layout (Critical)
– Layout of equipment a critical issue:
• Main generators too close to accommodation
• Poor mechanical handling solutions
• Exhaust and flare radiation problems
• Module overcrowding
• Poorly located vents
• Access and escape route problems
• Poor workshop and stores location
– Need to involve all stakeholder in planning layout
 Project Management
(29 issues/problems reported)

• Capex Overruns and Schedule Delays (Critical)

– On only 1 of 4 were Capex overruns avoided (even then the build quality
was poorer than expected and opportunities for low cost improvements
missed)
– Benefits of working with contractor to maintain quality and provide
assistance to improve efficiency
• Construction Management (Major)
– Failure of design contractors and shipyard to interpret functional
requirements
– Failure to manage builders and suppliers
– More upfront work needed on selection of equipment and specification of
quality
• Project Input from other Groups
– Need to learn from experience of past builds
 Operations and Support
(74 issues/problems reported)

• Compression (Critical)
– 2 of 4 FPSOs had serious compression problems (gas seal failures, repeated
bundle change-outs and cracked pistons)
– Need to consider benefits of larger scrubbers to provide a safety factor
against unknowns
• Compression (Major)
– Vibration from reciprocating compressors can be a problem
– Care needed in procurement of compressor
– Need to review noise and vibration levels
• Uptime Performance (Critical)
– Lack of fully objective data to access uptime performance
• Shuttle tanker/offloading (Major)
– Need to learn from good operational practices
 Manning and Safety
(7 issues/problems reported)

• Safety – General (Critical)

– No evidence FPSOs are less safe than other installations
– Evidence suggests need for active attention to safety
• Crew (Major)
– Need to carry multi-skilled mariners within base crew
 Industry Challenges
• Hull & Marine (Major)
– Accommodation – need to increase accommodation levels for short
periods
• Caisson Systems (Major)
– Evaluation needed of practicality of using inboard mounted caissons to
deliver seawater direct
• Mechanical Handling
– Develop best practices for range of handling systems
• Hull Shape
– Learn for past experiences wrt bow shape
• Painting
– Need to develop painting technology and methods compatible with project
demands
• Thrusters
– Develop methods for removal and repair of thrusters
 Industry Challenges
• Turret swivels/tie-backs
– Low cost method needed to upgrade swivel capacity and to pull in new
risers with minimum downtime
• Design Input from Operations
– Support operators providing input to design
• Operations and Support
– In Situ Repairs and Modifications Critical
– Need to revise all aspects of marine standards to account for minimum
maintenance and in-field repairs
• Process
– Need for work and an industry specification for moving separation
equipment
• Role of Vendors/OEM (Major)
– Need to secure post supply technical support and minimum performance
levels from suppliers
• Codes and Classification, Approvals and Safety Verification (Major)
– Need to tighten FPSO class specifications