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10/09/2010
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The impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and Wednesday's report on the incident from BP, will result in pipeline installations coming under far greater scrutiny from regulators.
 So says Dr Richard Gooch, director of technology at Optical Metrology Services.
"In the short term, regulators are going to have to consider ways of putting additional controls in place, which oil companies and their contractors will have to introduce and then be measured against, in order to determine whether they are meeting their engineering, inspection and safety obligations," he says.
The issue at stake is, quite simply, how the oil industry can minimise risk and ensure the safety of personnel and the integrity of its drilling rigs and pipelines.
"Some of the [new] regulations will relate to engineering specifications and inspection requirements, which are both likely to become increasingly stringent," contends Gooch. "This means that there should be a growing demand for services from independent inspection companies."
Pipeline installation contractors, he says, will be wise to use the services of a third party, independent measurement and inspection company, which has "the technical prowess and proven track record in oil and gas pipe inspection work".
Other services he identifies may include specific inspection consultancy, including onsite inspection surveys. "Expert advice and guidance may be required in terms of the effects of delivering better weld quality on pipes, as well as the benefits that would arise from improved engineering and the quarantining of any 'out-of-spec' pipes or parts," explains Gooch.
And he suggests that independent inspection companies may also be asked to get involved in pipe reeling trials, weld performance qualification tests and pipe fatigue trials, to help improve the engineering integrity and inspection of subsea structures.
"Finding an independent inspection company that can provide all of these services is not easy, but they do exist," says Gooch.
He also asserts that by providing inspection documentation, photographic evidence and expert testimony, independent inspection companies have been known to help pipeline contractors recoup multi-million pound settlement sums in disputes with pipe suppliers.
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Author
Brian Tinham
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