Marine Technical Limits (MTL) is currently supporting its client Suncor and its Terra Nova FPSO as it undergoes a Life Extension Turnaround (LET) project in Navantia’s shipyard, Ferrol, Spain.
The vessel underwent a 2,000 nautical mile trans-Atlantic crossing in mid-December and arrived in the Northwest corner of Spain before the end of 2021. The visit will see the vessel undergo an extensive program of repairs and modifications to enable it to return to its regular stomping ground off Newfoundland later in 2022.
Working together with both the LET and the operations teams back in St John’s, Newfoundland, MTL’s experts have been preparing for the project in a number of areas, from creating repair specifications for known anomalies, to the generation of detailed inspection plans for the hull structure in LET.
In addition to the preparation of support documentation, MTL is also providing both remote and on-site specialist support to the project.
On site the project will be supported by MTL’s naval architects, providing specialist, unrivalled, expertise to the site team and shipyard.
MTL’s Senior Naval Architect , Viorel Ionescu, has been working with Suncor and the Terra Nova FPSO since 2010. Earlier this year he flew to Spain to finally see the vessel he has studied, advised on and created workbooks for first-hand.
Viorel said: “It’s fantastic to finally see Terra Nova in person and help ensure it returns to production with a hull structure which is ready for another 10+ years of North Atlantic conditions”.
The hull structural inspection and repair scope will be captured in MTL’s integrity management system PYXIS. This enables all anomalies to be captured digitally on site enabling the Suncor team in St John’s, as-well-as the MTL team back in the UK, to make rapid assessments and informed decisions. By carrying out the process in this highly efficient way we remove the need for additional personnel on-site, reducing costs.
Once within PYXIS each anomaly can be tracked through to the completion of a repair to provide complete traceability and assurance. MTL’s Lead Naval Architect Ian Stewart said: “Its scopes like these where we realise the real value of PYXIS. It gives us, the power to quickly and efficiently understand what needs to be carried out, providing a single source of truth for the hull structure. The information will be collected and assessed throughout the shipyard period, enabling Suncor to account for all the work performed, and feed directly into the Risk Based Integrity Management (RBIM) strategy for the asset, for the remainder of its life”.
Terra Nova is the perfect example of where operators can take advantage of the complete range of services that MTL can offer by allowing its people to be part of the “Team”, whether that is during a life extension turnaround scope, or during normal operations. Ian added: “Since 2010 MTL has been supporting Suncor, not only providing remote support, but also specialist repair solutions, including anomaly assessment; repair definition; support with gaining Regulatory & Class approvals; through to repair execution and the provision of best-in-class Safe Systems of Work (SSOW).
Marine Technical Limits is looking forward in continuing to support Suncor throughout the LET campaign, and for the rest of the asset’s life.”