EM&I introduces 20 year plan for hull inspections.

May 25th, 2018

Inspection Innovations

Most floating offshore assets have to have periodic surveys every 2.5 & 5 years to satisfy class society requirements. This can very disruptive to normal operations, as the tanks, valves, and hull have to be made available for inspections at these times.

The concept of the ’20 YEAR PLAN’ is a direct result of EM&I’s ODIN diverless UWILD (Under Water Inspection in Lieu of Dry docking) technology, not requiring divers to carry out underwater hull surveys at the prescribed periods, allowing the inspections to be scheduled over a 20 year period.

This approach benefits both the operators and class societies, as the operator does not suffer from disruptions to normal operations, and the class society get regular and high quality information about the asset. The plan for hull inspections is a ‘Win-Win’ situation for both parties, and keeps the asset fit for purpose throughout its operational life.

20 Year Plan

Every aspect of the normal periodic surveys is covered in the ’20 YEAR PLAN’, including critical valve inspections using EM&I’s ODIN access ports and specialised cameras & manipulators, and tank inspections using EM&I’s ‘NoMan’ remote camera technology, which does not require man entry into the tanks, and can be done in a fraction of the time required by rope access teams.

Danny Constantinis, EM&I Executive Chairman commented: “Our new innovations ODIN® & NoMan® combined with the ’20 YEAR PLAN’ have enabled us to cut costs by over 50% and POB (People on Board) by over 70%, so this is a major achievement in producing a more economic and safer solution to the periodic survey problem.

All the work can be carried out while the asset is on hire, on station, and in operation. We are also working closely with industry to introduce Structural RBI methods, digitisation, and robotic systems, which will further enhance the benefits of long term planning”.