maintenance

Drilling activity in US shale plays is slowing as operators encounter higher prices for labor, equipment, and services, and lower prices for the oil and gas produced.

One of the oldest deepwater platforms in the Gulf of Mexico has become a profit-leader for the oil major during this downturn and is now a model for the company’s other floating assets.

Optimization of maintenance costs is among operators’ main concerns in the search for operational efficiency, safety, and asset availability. The ability to predict critical failures emerges as a key factor, especially when reducing logistics costs is mandatory.

Low prices will constrain maintenance and modifications in the coming year. However, maintenance can only be delayed so long, leading to a long-term outlook of growth in the market for maintenance, modifications, and operations.

There are few deepwater-pipeline operators with expertise in pipeline repairs. This paper describes a strategy developed and implemented on deepwater-pipeline intervention, based on a deepwater operational experience built over a decade.

Compared to the US industrial average downtime ranging from 3% to 5%, the oil and gas industry’s estimated downtime ranges from 5% to 10%,indicating that improvement is needed in reliability and maintenance of facilities, equipment, and processes.

The market for subsea vessel operations in field development; inspection, repair, and maintenance (IRM); and subsea well intervention is expected to grow 63% during 2012 to 2016.

Douglas-Westwood expects 8% growth in offshore operations and maintenance (O&M) expenditure annually from 2012 to 2016. O&M are markets considerably less vulnerable to downturn than their capital‑led counterparts.