Bilfinger extends FPSO service offering with accreditation and contract award
07/07/2016
Industrial life cycle support partner Bilfinger Salamis UK has secured a contract to provide inspection enactment services to Maersk Oil. The award comes as the company achieves accreditation from certification bodies DNV and Lloyd’s Register for the provision of thickness measurement of hull structures, extending its FPSO inspection service offering.The contract award sees Bilfinger Salamis provide a full range of conventional and advanced non-destructive testing (NDT) services, including digital radiography, time-of-flight diffraction (TOFD), phased array, pulsed eddy current and corrosion mapping.
The award builds on the company’s long-standing relationship with Maersk, following a number of successful fabric maintenance and ‘walk to work’ campaigns. Bilfinger Salamis provides coatings, access, specialist cleaning and shutdown support services on all of Maersk Oil’s UK upstream assets.
Bilfinger Salamis UK Chief Operating Officer, Sandy Bonner, said: “This award is fantastic news as it enables us to build on our close working relationship with Maersk Oil, while further developing the scope of services we provide, including the use of tablet technology.”
Following a six-month audit process, Bilfinger Salamis UK has achieved Lloyd’s Register accreditation for the thickness measurement of hull structures, as well as DNV 402A and 402B certification, designed specifically for the ultrasonic thickness measurement (UTM) of ship structures.
UTM is a non-destructive measurement method used to gauge the thickness of solid metal elements by sending an ultrasonic wave through the material and measuring the time required for the wave to bounce back to the surface. DNV 402B certificates ensure that suppliers providing services such as NDT on behalf of a client use appropriate procedures, have qualified, certified personnel and written processes for training, performance, application, control, verification and reporting. Additionally, suppliers must provide appropriate equipment and facilities commensurate with professional service.
Bilfinger’s non-destructive testing experts provide extensive NDT services, which include visual inspection, magnetic particle, eddy current, dye penetrant and ultrasonic testing methods, implemented to assess conditions around and within hull structures and to assist in prioritising maintenance and mitigate the risk of leakages.
These accreditations allow the company to transfer many of their specialist topside inspection services to the global FPSO market.
The company was awarded three-year certification from both organisations. Craig Taylor, Bilfinger Salamis Senior Operations Manager, said: “This was a tremendous team effort, involving the collaboration of several departments across Bilfinger Salamis UK. Critical sizing of defects on FPSOs requires our ultrasonic technicians to undergo rigorous training and development to transfer their specialist skills.
“The accreditations are a key part of our strategy for growth, allowing us to increase our ever-expanding service offering, as well as our geographical footprint. We have many years’ experience in the FPSO market, but this latest certification demonstrates to our customers that they can have confidence in our commitment to quality and innovation.”
www.salamis.bilfinger.com
