Wed, 2 Nov 2011 08:25:06 GMT

EM&I faced a challenge when asked to come up with a solution to deal with the external hull corrosion of an Australian Oil Major’s FPSO located inthe Timor Sea, 550km north-west of Darwin, Australia.

The operator wanted this essential work to be done 'on station' while the FPSO remained in full production.

After trying a number of alternative solutions they turned to EM&I who proposed the patented 'TOPCAT' cradle system.

TOPCAT is made from immensely strong materials and can be adapted to a wide variety of tasks.

TOPCAT, used in combination with rope access, provided a safe, stable and rapidly deployed platform for blasting and painting. TOPCAT’s ability to be rapidly positioned, unlike scaffolding or other forms of staging, made it possible to paint the lower parts of the hull during offloading when the hull was much further out of the water.

Stephen Brett (the EM&I project manager) commented: "This was a particularly difficult project in a tough environment but is the sort of challenge that has kept EM&I at the forefront of FPSO integrity management over the last 20 years".

"The first phase of the project - to complete the transom section of the FPSO - was completed in just 3 weeks, and is a credit to the team involved. As well as the design of the specially designed TOPCAT cradle, EM&I were responsible for the project execution and safety management" he added

" interestingly, our Job Safety Analysis even considered the fact that sharks are present in Australian waters, though this was of no concern bearing in mind the comprehensive safety features of TOPCAT combined with rope access" he concluded.

Our Australian team have once again demonstrated why EM&I continue to be a world leader in providing asset integrity, inspection and maintenance services to the Floating Production Industry.

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