Deepwater Production
Deepwater Production
ithout a reliable maintenance program underpinning everyday functions, offshore operations can prove to be untenable. Only by having a solid program in place behind the scenes can operators gain the peace of mind that enables them to get on with their key priority of maximizing hydrocarbon production.
In the first quarter of 2020, a 10-year contract was signed between Logan Industries and Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. for Logan to provide a risk reduction and continuous based monitoring program aboard four of Diamond’s vessels. Each vessel is equipped with 16 risers, with the scope of the program encompassing 64 wireline riser tensioners (WRTs) plus a small number of spares.
By entering into a maintenance program with Logan, Diamond was primarily interested in establishing increased reliability in their mission-critical WRTs, each of which serves to hold up the riser in the water column and ensures that as the vessel heaves on the ocean surface, the wellhead does not. A fair degree of compliance between the vessel, the wellhead and WRTs is required as the WRTs act as compensators. As the vessel moves, the WRTs are continuously moving, acting and heave compensating, allowing movement to occur.
The adoption of these types of innovative and comprehensive maintenance programs is not currently widespread across the industry. However, Diamond has long been an industry leader in regard to their approach to maintenance.
Essentially, the program detailed here is a way in which operators can gain more control over future eventualities in their operations that might otherwise cause them unforeseen degrees of expenditure. When a drilling contractor or operator is experiencing a period of financial squeeze, investing in a program like this is still an attractive proposition due to the reduced risk, improved reliability, increased consistency, better planning parameters and fewer variables that can be delivered to the client. The program should not be seen as a luxury addition but something to be invested in when a company wants to gain a tighter hold on expenditures going forward.