SBM Offshore's AI Mooring Monitoring Tool Gets ABS' Stamp of Approval

OE Staff July 15, 2021

For illustration - SBM Offshore-delivered Liza Destiny FPSO moored offshore Guyana - Credit; SBM Offshore

SBM Offshore, a Dutch company best known for its FPSO leasing business, has developed an artificial intelligence-powered mooring lines monitoring solution which has now received new technology qualification from classification society ABS.

The company said that the NTQ by ABS allows its AI-powered Intelligent Agent Mooring Line Integrity Tool to be integrated into offshore systems for the first time.

According to SBM Offshore, the tool enables the detection of a potential mooring line failure and its location, without relying on a traditional mooring tension monitoring system.

ABS said that that the tool collects data such as wind speed, FPSO heading, and GPS information and couples this with machine learning approaches to provide the asset owner with continuous feedback on the integrity of their mooring system.

"The tool has the ability to detect potential mooring line failure and location without reliance on a traditional tension monitoring system, thanks to the potential for deeper insight offered by AI techniques," ABS said.

Matt Tremblay, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Offshore: "This technology enables the continuous monitoring of the integrity of mooring lines and has significant potential to advance safety in the offshore industry.

"SBM Offshore’s operating experience, standardized design through its Fast4Forward program, and a strong data management program, put SBM Offshore in a unique position to unlock significant value through the development of Intelligent Agents," SBM Offshore said.

SBM Offshore's Fast4Forward program includes a new build, multi-Purpose FPSO hull combined with several standardized topsides modules. Under the Fast4Ward program, SBM Offshore normally orders an FPSO hull without a firm contract in hand, so that, when a contract is secured, the FPSO delivery time is shorter.

Back to the mooring lines monitoring tool and the ABS certification, Oivind Tangen, Managing Director Operations of SBM Offshore, said: "This achievement is only one example of how SBM Offshore is using digitalization to make meaningful shifts in offshore operations, making them safer, more reliable and more efficient. It is just the beginning of the application of machine learning in our offshore operations. We target the development of intelligent agents into areas where it is challenging to create value from operational data through traditional analytics.”

Séverine Baudic, Managing Director New Energies and Services of SBM Offshore, commented: “Our machine learning capabilities are developing fast, in an agile work environment. We expect a lot to follow through our collaboration with our strategic partner FieldBox.ai. The ultimate objective is to deliver more value to all our clients including the ones in the floating offshore wind market. This development is part of a wider ambition to expand our activities by offering digital services to the offshore energy market.”

For more info on new developments in the offshore moorings space, read our latest Offshore Engineer E-Mag's product feature titled: "Staying Anchored."