DNV Software firmly believes it is on the right track when it comes to providing software tools and solutions to help designers and operators manage risks throughout an FPSO's life cycle, thereby ensuring continued fit-for-purpose asset condition.
Since the very first Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO), built from aconverted tanker in the mid-1970s and iinstalled offshore Spain, the oil industry has seen a steady rise in the number of FPSOs operating worldwide. While this growth has taken some time to get under way, the past decade or so has seen a period of rapid growth and a general acceptance of the FPSO technologies. The question is, will this growth continue?
The search for more oil is driving technology forwards, with much of the exploration and field development being undertaken in deep and ultra-deep waters. For this reason the future for FPSOs looks strong, as they currently present the only practical method of producing, storing and offloading oil at these greater ocean depths. It is not just deep waters that are driving the growth in the FPSO market. The ‘stability’ of high oil prices makes for ‘marginal’ oil fields becoming more financially attractive. A large number of these oil fields will utilise or have a demand for FPSOs. In recent times Brazil and West Africa have led the way, but now China, Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and even the Falkland Islands are expected to become sites for FPSOs.
As the Minerals Management Service (MMS) has approved the use of FPSOs in the Gulf of Mexico, we can expect FPSOs to provide a viable alternative to the TLPs and spars installed in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Motivation for a software and solution provider in the FPSO market
Where does DNV Software come into this picture? As a provider of tools for both CAE and operational asset integrity management, are we keeping pace with the ever-increasing demands placed on the use of such tools by the designers and operators of FPSOs today?