In October 2023, Oceaneering completed a 13-day inspection scope on three dual-compartment L-shaped ballast tanks on a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel located in the Gulf of Mexico.
In-Service Inspection Plan (ISIP) requirements dictate the requirement to complete ballast tank inspections every five years, with intermediate inspections completed at two and a half year intervals. The primary focus of this inspection campaign was to complete both general and close visual inspection (GVI and CVI) of the identified ballast tanks, confirming the condition of assets and noting any degradation or areas of concern. The team was required to collect over 2,000 hull gauging readings for this inspection scope.
Four highly skilled and experienced ballast tank inspection technicians were mobilized to the FPSO and used two observation class VideoRay Pro 5 vehicles with ultrasonic testing capability to complete the inspection.
The decision to use the compact remotely operated vehicle systems in ballast tanks filled with seawater delivered multiple advantages.
We were also able to support the customer by generating updated gauging packs, detailing where UT readings needed to be captured and at what elevation. This live update was pivotal in ensuring the correct information was collected and provided to the class surveyor.
Our inspection approach always considers redundancy and our ability to provide continuity of service.
During operations, one of the ROV systems did suffer from a tether issue. The team acted immediately and an available back up system was deployed, maintaining the schedule. The client’s inspection plan included many hull gauging readings at various structural locations. These structural members varied in orientation and limited access to the surfaces made it difficult to capture the required UT readings. Oceaneering fabricated and integrated a flexible inspection system that enabled the UT sensor to be adjusted in both length and vertical orientation. This enabled the observation class ROV system to access all identified areas and capture UT readings at various degrees ranging from 90 degrees vertical up to 90 degrees vertical down.
Oceaneering met the customer’s targets for an optimized inspection schedule, high data quality, and uncompromised safety.
By leveraging the correct personnel and equipment, we were able to support 24-hour operations, completing what would typically be a 21-day scope in 13 days. Over the inspection campaign, measurements were collected at over 2,000 unique locations as detailed below.
Not only did this approach eliminate all confined entry requirements, but it supplied the customer with video, photos, and reports required to maintain class certification from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).
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