The EM&I Group was awarded a contract to conduct an underwater inspection in lieu of drydocking (UWILD) using EM&I’s ODIN™ methodology on floating production units (FPU) located in Brazil.
EM&I’s successful ODIN method has four key stages, an engineering plan development, structural inspection of external features from within the hull, a mini ROV hull survey and an isolation valve inspection carried out by inserting a specialised camera system into the pipe.
Whilst it was known that the benefits to the client of ODIN included improved safety, reduced costs, improved compliance and higher value integrity information, a key benefit stated by EM&I is the reduction in persons on board (POB) compared to carrying out an equivalent scope by conventional diver based surveys.
EM&I carried out a POB comparison of ODIN versus traditional (diver based) UWILDs. This was based on the results from current ODIN work and using historical information of typical POB counts for conventional diver-based surveys.
Danny Constantinis, CEO EM&I Group, said of the comparison "We took guidance from our clients and Classification Societies to ensure a like-for-like comparison. We also took a number of contingencies into account, such as weather and sea state, and found that the diver based UWILD uses between 70 and 74 percent more POB than an ODIN based survey" Danny Constantinis added "In addition, the risk of budgeted POB increasing is significantly higher with diver based surveys than ODIN based surveys (30 to 48 percent) largely because of the potential for weather and sea state delays, even though this component was also applied to the mini ROV element of our ODIN system."
The proven cost benefits of EM&I’s ODIN has meant interest extending much further than floating production with increased interest in particular from drillship and drill rig operators and trading ships.