A standard in asset integrity

Working offshore, working at heights and working with hazardous products requires the correct working method and safety procedure. You can best describe asset integrity as maintaining the asset, whatever asset that may be. To ensure asset integrity, in 2016 The Netherlands established Industry Standard No. 90. One year after implementation it is time to evaluate with the stakeholders.

“A major release of oil or gas or any other chemical can start a fire. This combined with the value of the material makes producing offshore a relatively risky business. I think the public perception of working offshore is that of unease”, comments Fraser Weir, North Sea Asset Director at Centrica where he is involved in key elements of asset integrity which includes activities such as the implementation of maintenance excellence KPIs (key performance indicators) and the roll-out of new operating procedures. Weir is also chairman of NOGEPA.

“Maintaining the asset means following strict safety processes and ensuring all chemicals stay in the asset where they are supposed to be. A gas leak would mean a process safety issue as the gas is no longer where it is supposed to be. Imagine said gas leak ignites then we also need to talk about personal safety. Personnel needs to be able to work in a safe environment as well as have safety on their minds in every step of their work. Naturally these two elements are linked”, continues Weir.

Looking back at the BP Macondo blowout it nearly took down BP as a company and put the offshore industry under the spotlight. “I prefer the term process safety”, says Weir. “Literally the ability of an asset to perform its required function effectively and efficiently whilst protecting health safety and the environment, a well or production platform.”

Industry Standard No. 90

Weir: “Asset integrity is not something that stems from, for instance, the Macondo Blowout; it has always been an integral part of our industry. With each situation, malfunction or incident the process of maintaining various assets has been strengthened and become more important, a vital element.” Asset integrity includes the prevention of major incidents, but also focuses on prevention of environmental losses, structural integrity management and ensuring continued production and production efficiency.

The Netherlands now has an industry standard, Industry Standard No. 90, which was released August 2016. Companies can have their own, as long as it is in conformity with the NOGEPA standard. This standard will always be in development either by the hands of regulators or the industry as moving forward and improving standards means you stay ahead.

The steps within Industry Standard No. 90 have been defined as design, construction, commissioning, operations, material change and decommissioning. Inclusive is the Standard 48 on Independent Verification Management which contains principles and requirements for independency, impartiality of Independent Verification Management and provides principles for Standard 49 on Safety and Environmental Critical Elements (SECE) Verification and how the verification is executed.

Weir concludes: “Asset Integrity management, which is the means to the goal of complete asset integrity, aims to ensure that the people, systems, processes and resources which deliver integrity are in place, in use and will perform when required over the whole lifecycle of the installation.”

Technical session: Asset Integrity

During Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference, to be held on (9), 10 and 11 October, there will be a Technical Session held on the topic of Asset Integrity with a focus on the Offshore Safety Directive.

“The EU Offshore Safety Directive has been incorporated in national legislations in EU member states. To ensure asset integrity, The Netherlands has established Industry Standard No. 90. The combined facts of ageing infrastructure on one hand and a focus on cost savings on the other make adequate and cost efficient asset integrity management a key concern. This session, organized in cooperation with NOGEPA, will look at the implementation of new industry standards, including Standard 48 on Independent Verification Management and Standard 49 on Safety and Environmental Critical Elements (SECE) Verification”, states Marjolein Verweij, Conference Program Manager for Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference.

To cover all aspects and benefit from the experience of the stakeholders with Industry Standard No. 90, the speakers for the session have diverse backgrounds and represent companies as Total and DNV-GL, as well as NOGEPA and Staatstoezicht op de Mijnen.

Book your conference tickets via the website: www.offshore-energy.biz where you can also find more information event and conference program.

OEEC is one of Europe’s leading offshore energy events. It is unique in bringing together the oil & gas, offshore wind and marine energy industry. With the industry in transition, OEEC offers offshore energy professionals the ideal meeting place to network, discuss and learn about the future of energy. OEEC 2017 will be held at Amsterdam RAI on October 9, 10, 11, 2017.