Set up your SPM hose test plan
It has been said that hoses are the lifeline of your SPM. Unfortunately, they are also the most vulnerable part of your offshore terminal. To ensure that your hoses are well maintained and reliable, it is important to put an SPM hose test plan in place.
How frequently should I test my SPM hoses?
Hose manufacturers and OCIMF other operators vary on the life expectancy of a hose, but they rarely vary on the requirement for regular testing. Hoses need to be tested every 3-5 years because they deteriorate as they age.
What should an SPM Hose Test Plan include?
OCIMF guidelines offer a range of tests that need to be performed. We have included this list below:
Your terminal, however, is unique and it is important that you inspect your hoses for any known cause of concern. If your area is known for fluctuating temperatures, for example, you may need to test more frequently and pay attention to obvious degradation and other superficial damage that may otherwise be disregarded. Here, it is important that your testing team have the industry knowledge and experience required to offer you the most comprehensive testing tailored to your terminal, without breaking the bank on unnecessary items (or increasing risk!)
Find out more about MARSOL’s OCIFM testing in this case study.
Hose Testing records
Testing records are to be kept accurately and consistently with as much detail as possible. This is important because any new teammates that come on board should be able to analyse the history of your terminal at a glance, using the records.
This type of big picture data will also help you to approach your terminal operations in a holistic way, enabling you to identify the root cause of certain issues. By understanding the root cause of an issue, you can invest CapEx to enhance and optimise your SPM, instead of burning through your OpEx treating the symptoms every year.
Classification Society will review the testing records as part of the special surveys.
SPM Hose Testing does not mean replacing
When you test your hoses frequently, you will be able to predict possible failure before it occurs. This means that your hoses can be replaced or repaired following tests in order to extend their lifespan. This decision of whether or not your hoses are to be replaced or reused is not to be taken lightly. Make your decisions based on accurate data accumulated at YOUR terminal.
MARSOL proposes that you make the most of your change out by replacing failed hoses with new ones or previous spares which have remained unused, but within their design life. Older, serviceable hoses can be kept as spares in case of emergency. It is important to have spares as this will save you downtime should you be faced with an unforeseen event.
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Conclusion
Skimping on an SPM hose test plan is not a good idea, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend money in places that do not benefit you. The best way to make the most of your SPM hose test plan is to have a team of experts tailor it to your terminal.
Offshore Terminal Risk Management: How to avoid consequential cost
Whether financial or reputational, consequential costs of unmitigated risks or unexpected events can harm your company. As in most industries, the offshore oil and gas industry holds a great amount of risk. Avoiding risk is not possible, but a holistic offshore terminal risk management plan can make all the difference.
What is a holistic offshore risk management plan?
Looking at risks in isolation can blind you to their overall consequences and potential for snowball effect. This can cause you to misjudge the likelihood of the risk to occur and the severity of the outcome.
A holistic offshore terminal risk management plan looks at the bigger picture, taking into account fiduciary duties, design, operations and protocols to draw inferences and connections between the risks at hand. Find out more about MARSOL’s holistic approach here.
As every offshore terminal is unique, it stands to reason that every offshore risk mitigation plan must be too.
The terminal risk management plan is not a stagnant document buried in your ‘what if’ vault. Instead, it acts as a process, integrated with your project lifecycle.
The goal of a holistic offshore risk management plan
First and foremost, as with any risk mitigation plan, the holistic offshore terminal risk management plan aims to protect the stakeholders’ interests, but it also aims to achieve integrity management through a single point of responsibility or single custodian of the process, while maintaining cost efficiency.
Finding the root cause
For an offshore risk management plan to work effectively, it must be proactive, not reactive. For this reason, your maintenance team should not be chasing symptoms and effects. Instead, cast your attention to finding the root cause by means of data collection and analysis.
Some items for your SPM integrity management and risk mitigation plan to consider:
- Records control/data collection
- Assets & Spares Management
- Preservation and Maintenance
- Compliance to Guidelines
Having this control point or custodian perform the appropriate risk mitigation tasks at regular intervals of your process helps you to identify potential points of failure and to manage them proactively.
Managing Potential points of failure
Adding another dimension to the classic bowtie analysis, MARSOL’s holistic approach uniquely makes room for adjustment and interference before the effect and eventual consequences follow.
CAUSE → EFFECT (perception snowball) → CONSEQUENCES
In most cases it is lack of maintenance (CAUSE) that causes damage to assets and potentially the environment. (EFFECT). The Consequences, however, may include scenarios like the Tanker making protest letters that could affect how your insurance deals with a claim.
Consider for example these causes, effects and consequences:
In order to effectively integrate your offshore risk mitigation plan into your terminal operations, you can consider an activities layout similar to the MARSOL layout below.
This type of activities layout combined with the integrity management process flow above should provide you ample opportunity to investigate root cause and management potential points of failure before consequences set in, but as every terminal is unique, we suggest booking a consultation to discuss your terminal conditions for best results.
Isolating consequences to avoid the snowball effect
The snowball effect occurs when a single event triggers a second event and the second event causes further events.
When a snowball effect occurs, the root cause becomes harder to identify, and many O&M providers may end up treating what they believe is the root cause, but instead, it is merely a second or third effect caused by the initial trigger.
Such occurrences raise doubt in your company and can escalate the concern to reputational damage such as loss of trust, and financial implications such as work stopping or legal consequences.
Conclusion
As with all aspects of the offshore terminal, risk must be considered holistically. If you do not understand the bigger picture, unforeseen consequences can creep in and harm your company. Don’t let that happen to you. Get in touch for a consultation about offshore terminal risk management today.
Measure Success and Predict Failure with Terminal Integrity Management
Terminal Integrity Management serves to ascertain asset integrity, reliability and availability (IRA). To ensure that your offshore terminal operates efficiently throughout its service lifespan, you need operational integrity management that is unique to your terminal, your team and your environment – while remaining consistent with applicable standards. This plan should include measurement and analysis that quantifies progress, optimisation and Operational expenditure (OpEx).
In order to measure progress and predict maintenance requirements, it is important to conduct an As-is analysis first.
Terminal Integrity Assessment
Whether you are tackling a greenfield or brownfield project, you need to conduct a terminal integrity assessment. At MARSOL we use a proven, phased process to ascertain the client’s current operational efficiency and asset IRA. This data-driven approach serves to maintain assets in a fit-for-service condition and aids in the quantification of its remaining useful life within safety regulations.
The goal of this assessment is to gather and analyse data to arrive at the best possible operational and mechanical design for the site. The perfect design should increase efficiency and safety while lowering OpEx and risk.
With new insight and consultation, you are empowered to verify the design and re-engineer it to validate design assumptions.
Your terminal operational integrity assessment should include
- Data Acquisition
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
- Material Degradation Analysis
- Modelling
- Mooring & Hose Analysis
Marine Hose Integrity and Life Extension
Marine hose integrity management is often only performed periodically when required by OEM recommendation or after an emergency. Prevention is better than cure. Consider a complete lifecycle service that interfaces with your overall terminal integrity management strategy, so as to expand the reach of your data acquisition and analysis. This data will aid in the prediction of maintenance requirements and measure performance in real-time.
Marine Hose Integrity Management should include
- Hose Testing
- Marine Hose Dynamic Analysis
- Hose Repair
- Destructive Testing
Integrity Management Consulting
Acquiring data is one thing. Interpreting data for a plan of action is something else altogether. Consider a consultation partner that tells it like it is. At MARSOL we focus on lowering operational expenditure, operability, design and engineering, with particular insight into how each aspect influences the other.
Risk Management
Understanding the balance of factors at play in your terminal means managing and controlling risk to ensure as little as possible damage and impact to assets and the environment.
Risk managers should conduct initial feasibility studies, concept definition and high- level risk assessments which have a direct influence on the whole risk management programme.
Engineering Solutions
Whether greenfields or brownfields, the design phase must never be underestimated. As new technologies arise and regulations change, one must always be able and willing to adjust.
Consider a strategic approach to your requirements and the options at hand to meet them. This type of consultation is particularly important from the Front-end Engineering and Design (FEED) phase through to the Commissioning stage.
Interface management
To ensure that you have a team of specialised experts focussed on every separate aspect of your terminal, it is likely that you will have various third parties involved. Having a single point of contact in charge of managing these moving parts will not only give you a good overview of progress and budget spend, but also ensures successful completion of the projects, particularly during start-up until the commissioning phase.
Project Management
At MARSOL we firmly believe that strategy streamlines all deliverables. Work with the execution team and experienced consultants to determine start and completion dates, milestones and responsible persons. This style of project management will give clarity to all parties when the project has achieved its goals.
Asset, Operations and Maintenance Optimisation
This process utilises the right resources such as personnel, equipment and vessels for specific activities which only engage when required, resulting in reduced operational costs applied for standby time.
Conclusion
When it comes to operational expenditure and efficiency, numbers are everything. It is important to plan and execute, but equally so, it is important to measure. It is only through the collection of data and the analysis thereof that deterioration can be understood and optimisation appreciated.
Rethink your offshore terminal with an O&M Strategy
While your offshore terminal may seem like a small piece of the puzzle, it plays a crucial role that can make or break your business in the oil and gas sector. To ensure that your terminal, whether single-point-mooring or multi-buoy-mooring, operates efficiently with your long-term goals and budget in mind, you need a sound O&M strategy.
Aspects of an offshore terminal O&M strategy
Your offshore terminal O&M strategy should serve to optimise and protect the integrity, reliability and availability of your offshore assets. This includes on-site management and operations, administration, engineering and maintenance execution.
Inspection, Repair and Maintenance
Through applying integrity-based Inspection, Repair and Maintenance (IRM) and creating an asset history, your terminal O&M strategy should be able to modify classic philosophies and associated work programmes periodically to reflect changes brought about by any influencing factors and unusual events. This will reduce risk within the system, as change is inevitable.
Associated services
- Inspection & Condition Assessment
- Preservation Maintenance
Tanker operations
Your offshore terminal O&M strategy should make provision for all marine assets and resources to ensure that time and money is accounted for. This provision will also highlight procedures required for safe and efficient tanker mooring and unmooring at the SPM/MBM. This includes hose connection and disconnection services as well as product transfer services.
Associated services
- Pilot Services
- Tanker Handling vessels
- Emergency Response Services
- Oil Spill Response
- Training
Marine Hose Management Services
To ensure safe and reliable operation of marine hoses, a good offshore terminal O&M strategy will cater for hose management as well. Make sure that your turnkey O&M service provider is meticulous about regulated testing and as well fit-for-purpose operation of marine hoses.
Associated services
- Hose Inventory Management & Storage
- Hose Change Out
- Testing and CLASS
- End-of-life assessment
- Destructive testing
Commercial Marine Products
Hardware provision is not an O&M service provider requirement, but it certainly is something to be included in your strategy. If your offshore terminal O&M partner can supply the desired marine products and can install, operate and maintain them according to manufacturer’s specifications – it’s definitely a bonus!
Products include
- HDPE Boats
- HDPE Modular Floating Docks
- HDPE Tanks
Why you need a turnkey O&M service provider
In the offshore oil and gas industry, many terminal service providers claim to be turnkey operations and maintenance providers, but they fail to meet the mark. This leaves you with unexpected operational costs and opens doors to risk, should multiple service providers fail to operate harmoniously.
A true turnkey solutions provider should cover every aspect of your offshore operations and maintenance so that you can focus on your core business. This includes the supply and maintenance of mechanical and electrical hardware, staff management and training, on-site execution and third-party outsourcing.
Such a provider gives you peace of mind through a single contact point and accountability.
Conclusion
The condition and operation of your offshore terminal can make or break your business in the oil and gas industry. To ensure that it functions at its very best, you need a sound O&M strategy and selecting a good long-term solutions partner is key.
As pioneers in the holistic terminal operations and maintenance approach, MARSOL prides itself on being a turnkey offshore O&M service provider, serving both greenfield and brownfield projects.
Don’t take chances on a patchwork team. Get in touch today.