TWI's oil and gas industry specialists undertake confidential studies and provide guidance on the structural integrity and performance of floating production storage and offloading vessels (FPS and FPSOs) - solutions which are growing in popularity for offshore oil production situations that cannot be served economically by conventional pipeline infrastructure.
FPSOs are either purpose-built or converted tankers. TWI's specialist team can advise on the crucial differences in the structural requirements between the hull of a tanker and that of an FPSO: typically, a tanker will experience a variety of en-route sea conditions and can be navigated to avoid the worst weather, whereas an FPSO is permanently moored and will experience year-round weather conditions typical of that specific location. This means that the hull of an FPSO may be subject to more severe fatigue than the hull of a tanker, which will be subject to a dry dock survey.
TWI draws on its multi-disciplinary team of experts to provide its Member companies with up-to-date research and guidance on the use of FPSOs. For instance, it has recently completed an assessment of the fitness-for-service of a newly fabricated FPSO hull.
For more information, please email contactus@twi.co.uk.