Multistage screening process for certification and verification of equipment and system in offshore turret

Abstract

Offshore turret in floating oil and gas production is a key element and an expensive asset which may cost up to few hundred million dollars. The turret design in floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) or floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit is integrated into a vessel, which is permanently moored to the seabed, and allows weathervaning capability. It takes hydrocarbon through subsea risers and transfers hydrocarbon liquids and gases through swivels to topside process facilities. Traditionally, in offshore projects, it has been a challenge to design, deliver, and install various key equipment, systems, and components on time due to many complicated and different rules and regulations, company’s unique specifications, various design codes and standards in which manufacturers and shipyards might not have sufficient experiences. This causes additional costs in procurement, engineering, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning, which may affect the overall project delivery schedule. In this paper, the strategy, challenges, and lessons learned from project management for the certification and verification of the internal turret project in the recent FSO unit are discussed to enhance the effectiveness of project handling in large-scale offshore projects. The proposed multistage screening process is a simple but effective method to achieve project requirements and goals, and it allows early identification of the potential issues and problems during the project planning and execution. This methodology and the lessons learned may be applied to other mega offshore projects to ensure the right certification and verification scheme for the equipment, systems, and components.