After years of retrofitting their patented ODIN® access ports on FPSOs offshore to enable valve inspections, repair, or replacement, while the vessel was in operation, EM&I has convinced two clients that it is more economic to install them in the shipyard at the newbuild or conversion stage.

The ODIN ports enable sea valves to be inspected simply and quickly with special cameras on manipulators, which can be inserted through the ports to observe the valve in operation.

If a repair or replacement is required, the ODIN ports also allow for inflatable bladders to be inserted outboard of the valve to isolate it so it can be removed safely.

In the case on conversions from VLCC (Very Large Crude Carriers) vessels, the valves are often as old as the vessel itself, so spares are rarely available and often have to made to order.  This means a long lead time,  so early warning of passing or faulty valves is vital information in such cases.

The latest FPSO projects are a conversion and a newbuild  in shipyards  in South Korea and China, so the adoption of EM&I’s ODIN access ports is getting worldwide attention.

Danny Constantinis (Chairman & CEO) of the EM&I Group – the international asset integrity specialists – commented: This is a logical extension of our ODIN services, which have revolutionised  the inspection and repair of hulls and valves for floating assets. Our leadership of the JIP (Joint Industry Project) for HITS (Hull Inspection Techniques & Strategy) on behalf of the Global FPSO Research Forum has also helped to pioneer safer methods of inspection, repair, and maintenance.”