‘Unnecessary maintenance’ is cost-saving opportunity for FPSO operators
Operators could save by rooting out unnecessary maintenance. That’s according to new findings from Lloyd’s Register (LR), the specialist energy consultancy. It has revealed that as much as 40% of maintenance work carried out by Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel operators is “unnecessary”.
By reducing these unwarranted manhours, operators could save almost £600,000 on average per asset each year, which is the equivalent to £15 million over an assets’ life.
The findings identified room for improvement in the way maintenance is planned, highlighting the need for a consistent strategy across equipment groups, systems and production units.
They identified that relying purely on original equipment manufacturer (OEM) guidelines meant that operators were unable to qualify whether maintenance activities were essential, demonstrating that OEM guidelines also do not take into consideration the ever-changing nature of offshore operations.
By applying a risk-based maintenance approach using its Asset Performance Maintenance software, AllAssetsTM, LR found that on average, FPSO operators could be spending 500 manhours per specific equipment group (such as an electric motor supporting a compressor or a centrifugal pump) on maintenance activity that fails to reduce the risk of failure or preserve facility uptime.
Victor Borges, Lloyd’s Register’s expert voice on FPSO maintenance optimisation, said: “In an environment that merges both energy and marine assets, FPSO operations are hugely complex. Balancing OEM maintenance guidelines alongside flag, class and country regulations is exceptionally challenging. That, coupled with the tough market conditions we face today, means operators are under more pressure than ever to manage costs and prioritise maintenance activities that reduce risk. Therefore, operators could reap significant benefits from our findings, which highlight areas for improvement in the way maintenance activities are planned.”
For more information visit www.lr.org
13th July 2020
