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Pipelines drilling rigs, construction vessels and (EPRS) studies and maintaining repair distinctive sections of pipelines is per- accommodation barge activities, as well equipment. Further, Kulshrestha rec- formed, with acceptance limits for dents as heavy oil and LNG tanker traf? c, and ommends sharing such assets, under and gouges created. Anchor dragging ? shing activities, which mainly cause an emergency pipelines repair system (the most prominent damage cause) is cable or umbilical damage. club, and having long-term contracts simulated using ? nite element analysis

To prevent damage, operating compa- for use of vessels to mobilize the EPRS tools and all the results knitted into a nies are looking for security shields in equipment. decision making process through a ? ow the form of radar surveillance around Kulshrestha says an EPRS should tar- chart.

critical offshore assets. Satellite surveil- get for total preparedness and comprise

A decision making tree is then lance of vessel operations and informa- of; detailed emergency response manual, adopted to aid an operator’s deci- tion sharing between operators is also procedures, installation engineering, sion making on intervention or con- prevalent in the region. repair spread, repair ancillaries, and tinuing operation, with time frames “In spite of all preventive measures included for repair to reduce any loss in installation aids. in place, any damage to subsea pipeline McDermott led an EPRS study for one production. is distinctive and requires a careful of the major operators in North Field While the EPRS offers a framework engineering assessment prior to any offshore Qatar. It is the world’s third for emergency pipeline repairs, it does major intervention,” Kulshrestha says. largest non-associated gas reservoir, have limitations, however, Kulshrestha “Absence of advanced engineering eval- discovered in 1971, with some 885 Tcf, says. Primarily, this is based on gen- uation may lead to unwarranted repairs he says. eralized parameters, while in reality

In order to assess repair requirements, and production delays.” Kulshrestha each damage occurrence is unique types of non-corrosive damages are cat- says a majority of companies in the and can be impacted by the speci? c egorized as: gouges; gouge on weld; dent; region do not employ resources and location or environment it is in. Some gouge in dent; dent in weld; abrasion; software to perform such advanced damage therefore requires sensitivity anchor drag (i.e. displacement); displace- analyses, nor do they have contrac- checks and explicit analysis before any ment with dent and gouge; crack and tual provisions to engage consultants intervention. crack-like ? aws. The industry also lacks codes and instantly.

McDermott is promoting emergency practices for EPRS he says, something

To create the repair mythologies preparedness, including performing which need to be developed in the for the manual, an assessment of all emergency pipelines repair system future. the possible damage scenarios for all

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