OGP Marine Risks Workshop Proceedings

13. FPSO Operational Problems Don Smith, OGP

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

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Dangerous Occurrences for Floating Production Systems 1996-2002*

Fire/Explosion 8% Substance 3% Collapse 1%
Positioning/Dropped

Object/Adverse Weather 12% Collision 2%

Hydrocarbon Releases 48%

Potential Collision 3% Stability 0% Evacuation 1% Lifting Machinery 8% Wells 0% Diving 1% Biological 0% Electrical 4% Pressure 5%

(37% total population)

Pipeline 4%

* 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

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Distribution of FPSO Dangerous Occurrences

Motion Related Incident 15% (12) Collision/Stability 11% (9) Moorings/DP 9% (7) Offloading System 22% (17)

Riser/Turret/Swivel 33% (26)

Vessel SW/COW/Vent 10% (8)

Wave Related Incidents (1995 2000)

5 Number of Incidents 4 3 2 1 0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Year

17 Greenwater, 2 Wave Slam 0.28 incidents per vessel year

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FPSO Operational Problems - Don Smith, OGP (4)

Comparison of Accident Rates (per installation type)

50 45 40 Accident 35 30 Rate 25 (per 20 installation) 15 10 5 0

FPSO All

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 Workers) 2000 1000 0 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02 Year

All FPSO

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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)

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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)

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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

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FPSO Operational Problems - Don Smith, OGP (8)

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

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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

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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

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What is OGP?
The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers encompasses the worlds leading private and state-owned oil & gas companies, their national and regional associations, and major upstream contractors and suppliers.

Vision
To work on behalf of all the worlds upstream companies to promote responsible and protable operations.

Mission
To represent the interests of the upstream industry to international regulatory and legislative bodies. To achieve continuous improvement in safety, health and environmental performance and in the engineering and operation of upstream ventures. To promote awareness of Corporate Social Responsibility issues within the industry and among stakeholders.

Objectives
To improve understanding of the upstream oil and gas industry, its achievements and challenges and its views on pertinent issues. To encourage international regulators and other parties to take account of the industrys views in developing proposals that are eective and workable. To become a more visible, accessible and eective source of information about the global industry - both externally and within member organisations. To develop and disseminate best practices in safety, health and environmental performance and the engineering and operation of upstream ventures. To improve the collection, analysis and dissemination of safety, health and environmental performance data. To provide a forum for sharing experience and debating emerging issues. To enhance the industrys ability to inuence by increasing the size and diversity of the membership. To liaise with other industry associations to ensure consistent and eective approaches to common issues.

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