Conference Aims to Get Grip on Subsea Integrity

How to move beyond a reactive approach to subsea problems and “get a strategic grip” on managing integrity will be the focus of this year’s premier gathering of operators and experts in the North Sea oil and gas sector.

As the industry grapples with the Wood Review recommendations, it is now widely recognized that a holistic approach to subsea integrity management will be key to maximizing the economic recovery of North Sea reserves.

This year’s Subsea Integrity Conference, taking place in Aberdeen 2–3 December, will be crucial for developing a robust strategy for extending the life of ageing fields, organizers say.

Exclusive operator-led case studies from Shell, TAQA and Statoil will show attendees how to execute SURF (subsea/umbilicals/risers/flowlines) integrity management.

The future of inspection and monitoring techniques will be mapped out in joint operator/contractor demonstrations. Top minds from FMC Technologies, Atkins, Aker Solutions and others will explore how data management and technology can enable successful life extension programs and reduce operational costs by predicting early-life failures.

On show will be novel tools and integrated production modelling used for maintaining flow assurance during the late production stage of fields. Case studies on specific subsea assets, such as flexible risers and control systems, will be presented.

ISO and API committee members will go deep into subsea reliability codes and standards, and experts from the Gulf of Mexico will be on hand to share the latest learnings from that major market.

As a special offering for this year, Jee Ltd, a leading subsea engineering and training company, will conduct a post-conference half-day workshop on developing a Pipeline Integrity Management System (PIMS) to ensure safety, efficiency and reliability of subsea assets. 

Conference organizer DecomWorld is confident this year’s summit tackles head-on the issues operators and the supply chain are most concerned about, a view echoed by a number of leading operators, including Chevron.

“DecomWorld did an excellent job of putting together a summit on a topic operators and vendors are highly interested in improving,” said Gary Giordano, Chevron’s subsea engineering manager.

“The Wood Review painted a stark picture of how the operational model of the whole North Sea has to change fundamentally in order to maximize recovery,” said DecomWorld project director Paul Soskin. “Historically, the industry has been content with the fire-fighting approach – reacting to problems as they arise – which is more costly and disruptive in the end. This conference will be essential for operators hoping once and for all to get a strategic grip on managing subsea integrity.”

For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/subsea-integrity-ns