Asset integrity management
Ensuring the structural integrity of offshore facilities and equipment has always been paramount – unfortunately, it does not get any easier. The development of new oil and gas reserves in extreme situations; existing infrastructure that is closer to the end of its design life than the beginning; and an intense focus on health, safety and environmental performance are all putting pressure on operators to do more on the integrity front. But as Peter Falconer, head of 2H Offshore’s global integrity management business, points out, it is not simply more effort that is required but action of a more structured kind. “Companies are increasingly recognising the value of taking a risk-based approach to integrity management because it focuses attention on the parts of the operation where problems are most likely to occur. The benefit arises from being able to identify potential problems before they escalate and cause equipment or system failures that compromise operations.”