Advancing sustainable offshore structures through composites materials: structural and economic analysis

Offshore platforms are traditionally designed in steel, but corrosion and heavy maintenance reduce their sustainability and cost efficiency. This paper investigates the feasibility of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) profiles as an alternative for offshore topside structures. A case study platform originally designed in steel for the Gulf of Mexico was re-engineered with GFRP beams and analyzed according to Eurocode and ISO standards. Structural verifications addressed axial, flexural, shear, and serviceability criteria. A Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) was performed to compare fabrication, operation, maintenance, and residual value between steel and GFRP solutions. Results demonstrate that GFRP reduces structural self-weight by approximately 25%, improves seismic performance through lower base shear demands, and eliminates most corrosion-related maintenance. Over a 50-year lifetime, LCCA indicates up to 26% cost reduction. These findings support the use of GFRP composites as a sustainable and cost-effective material for future offshore infrastructures.