CHAPTER

Maintenance and
Logistics

RATIONALISATION OF SPARES
2
The weight and space limitations of an offshore installation impose restraints on
electrical equipment installed. The restraints on the stocking of consumable spares
and spare parts are even more severe, however, and this must be always kept in mind
at the detail design stage, particularly during the procurement of the smaller drive
packages such as small pumps and compressors, distribution boards and cable acces-
sories. Sometimes a spares rationalisation can be made by using the same model of
prime mover for main generators and gas lift or export compressors, or for standby
diesel generation and diesel fire pumps.
The benefits may be listed as follows:
  
1. Common spare parts for different equipment, hence fewer need be stocked and
weight of spares stored is reduced.
2. The reduced number of different types of equipment that operators have to deal
with should reduce familiarisation time and hence improve safety.
3. The total weight of equipment operation and maintenance manuals and design
drawings on the average offshore installation is in excess of 10 tons, even when
the majority is on microfiche; therefore, some weight and space saving can also
be accrued by reducing their total number.
4. The cost saving associated with items (1)–(3). The offshore spares inventory
must be optimised for items most critical to
a. safety
b. the comfort of personnel (which may also affect safety)
c. oil and gas production
  
Small light items may be flown out quickly when required, but it should be
remembered that if an unscheduled helicopter call out is required, it could cost
£2000/h or more depending on the size of the helicopter (in 2015).

ACCESSIBILITY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Those carrying out survey or commissioning work offshore should be warned that
return travel from most, if not all, offshore installations requires customs clearance.
This means that any test and measuring equipment needs proof-of-ownership docu-
mentation or a manifest for customs clearance.
Offshore Electrical Engineering Manual. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-385499-5.00047-9
Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
407
408 CHAPTER 2  Maintenance & Logistics

When estimating travel time for such an offshore visit, some time should be
allowed for weather delays. This is often worse in the summer months when fog is
more likely.
Telephone communications are by line-of-sight and/or satellite links, and access
is usually available when major platform construction work is not in progress. On
some of the nearer platforms, cell net telephones have been put to good use to supple-
ment normal communications.

MAINTENANCE INTERVALS AND EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATION

When specifying and procuring offshore electrical equipment and, in particular, gen-
erator prime movers, manufacturer’s recommended maintenance intervals should be
carefully studied. Excessively short maintenance intervals will very quickly wipe
out any savings in first cost because of the high costs of offshore servicing by manu-
facturer’s or agent’s servicing departments. Short intervals may also indicate poor
reliability or unsuitability for the particular package, orientation or offshore environ-
ment in general.

SCAFFOLDING AND ABSEILING (RAPPELLING)

It is a common misconception that equipment or cabling may be accessed by scaf-
folding, almost invariably without a major impact on cost or completion date. In some
areas such as a platform cellar deck or flare stack, the cost of erecting, maintaining
and dismantling scaffolding may be the most significant cost in a small project.
Locating equipment and cables in inaccessible places, necessitating heavy use of
scaffolding, has the following penalties:
  
1. Heavy scaffolding requirements will discourage frequent maintenance, par-
ticularly if it is going to obstruct an accessway where traffic is heavy or an area
which is already congested.
2. The handling of scaffolding poles is well known in both on- and offshore petro-
chemical installations for causing accidents or damage to process equipment.
3. Scaffolding will also need to be erected each time it is necessary to inspect the
equipment.
4. Scaffolding offshore can be very costly. Costs in excess of £300,000 for a
single access structure are not unknown. Because of the need to access high-
routed cable installations along their whole length in order to complete the
installation, they are particularly expensive to install and should be avoided
where possible. If an elevated or inaccessible location is unavoidable, consid-
eration should be given to installing some form of permanent access structure,
bearing in mind, of course, that this will itself need routine inspection, main-
tenance, painting, etc.
   Maintenance Scheduling Software 409

5. A
 bseiling may be used instead of scaffolding where maintenance intervals are
infrequent and the maintenance required is within the capabilities of abseiling
personnel. Poor access location jobs such as painting, testing or replacing small
devices (e.g., gas detectors) are often carried out by abseiling, and the cost-
saving can be very substantial.

TRANSPORT, ACCOMMODATION AND PEOPLE ONBOARD

PROBLEMS
When planning an offshore construction project, the limitations of helicopter trans-
port and accommodation for personnel, crane lifting capacity and storage/laydown
space for equipment play a large part in deciding the sequence of events.
Cranes are limited in lift capability by two main variables, namely, radius of
operation and sea state. If the crane is working near its maximum lift capacity, it is
unlikely that the wave height in winter will allow lifting to be accomplished safely.
Wind speed is also likely to affect the proceedings, but this will also depend on the
wind direction and the location of the lifting operation.
Ever since the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, it has been a statutory requirement that
there are sufficient lifeboats for the number of people onboard (POB). This applies just
as much to fixed offshore installations as it does to the Queen Elizabeth 2 and must be
borne in mind when planning a large offshore construction project. If necessary, because
of a shortfall in lifeboat capacity, a floatel type accommodation vessel will need to be
provided during project peak manning levels to comply with POB restrictions. This prob-
lem is often exacerbated by the need to send lifeboats ashore for maintenance during the
summer months, when peak manning for platform maintenance is likely to occur. It can
be overcome, however, by keeping a spare lifeboat of the same type onshore, which can
be shipped out in advance, ready to replace the one being serviced.
In general, the more detailed the installation procedures are documented during
the design phase, the less likely it is that logistical problems similar to those outlined
earlier will occur during construction.

MAINTENANCE SCHEDULING SOFTWARE

A good reliability-centred maintenance scheduling system is essential offshore.
However, the system has to take many other issues into account, for example,
  
1. availability of spares for the targeted equipment
2. safety criticality of the equipment
3. when the equipment will be available for maintenance
4. consequences of downtime
a. other plant affected
b. emergency shutdown logic affected
c. fire and gas logic affected
410 CHAPTER 2  Maintenance & Logistics

5. maintenance team required

6. access requirements (e.g., scaffolding)
7. safety requirements
a. hot-work involved
b. other permits required
8. special tools/equipment required
9. special personal protective equipment required
10. specialist contractor/consultant required (e.g., divers/remotely operated
vehicles)
11. rescheduling effects on other maintenance jobs
12. testing, commissioning and witnessing requirements
  
The list can be very long and complex and helpful, and intuitive software will lighten
the maintenance engineer’s burden.