The case for integrated IMR programs: increasing operational efficiency with a holistic approach that reduces risk and carbon emissions

This paper discusses the positive impact of adopting an integrated, customisable inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) approach when addressing subsea assets. Primary focus and expenditure are typically committed to the design, planning, and engineering of infrastructure. Of paramount importance, but often overlooked, are the ongoing health checks required of the subsea assets. These activities are regularly left until an issue is found, production is affected, or subsea asset data is required to enable decision making to ensure the lowest level of risk and maximise uptime. How the operations and maintenance approach used for subsea assets is best addressed using an integrated philosophy that streamlines not only contract management, but the collection and analysis of data is detailed. By supporting a more holistic view of assets not only by field, but regionally and globally, operators are best positioned to apply advanced technologies including machine learning for the development of risk-based inspection programs that provide insight into potential failures and anomalies. Building and adopting truly optimised IMR programs also reduces vessel days by leveraging already deployed assets, advanced technologies, and remote piloting to complete varied inspection tasks simultaneous to other ongoing operations, lowering emissions and risk associated with mobilisations and personnel on board. The impact of optimised inspection planning on users’ in-house resources is detailed. With internal experts dealing with IMR planning, analysis, and data management often stretched, adopting this forward-thinking approach to IMR has the potential to alleviate the burden associated with targeted planning and clearing backlogs that manage risk.