By Mark Skene, Xodus
One of the enduring challenges in offshore oil and gas operations is marrying up integrity management and maintenance operations. Experience shows that these functions have often existed in silos, digitally and operationally, creating inefficiencies that increase risk and costs, while also reducing clarity across teams.
Disconnected systems, disconnected teams
Dana Petroleum faced this very issue on the Triton floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. The integrity management team used Xodus’ XAMIN Integrity Management (IM) platform to track the health of the vessel, flagging where maintenance was needed.
Meanwhile, the offshore construction team separately operated with VISION. GDi, an Oceaneering company, designed the digital asset management application, which is used to plan and visualize work with a contextualized 3D model of the asset and high-resolution laser scan data. Both systems were essential, but they weren’t connected.
This led to a serious disconnect. Every time information needed to flow between teams, it had to be manually transferred between applications, which was a slow process where errors occurred and duplication was prevalent. Planning was often based on static spreadsheets rather than an accurate picture of the asset, and jobs weren’t being prioritized accurately.
Dana Petroleum requested a single, connected solution that could provide reliable, real-time data across both integrity and planning functions as well as reduce the administration burden.
Connecting and integrating systems
To address this, Dana Petroleum initiated a collaborative effort with Xodus and GDi aimed at connecting XAMIN IM and VISION into an integrated and holistic system that would realize efficiencies, reduce expenditure and improve risk management across asset operations.
Rather than being solely a technical exercise, this was a joint undertaking to improve how work was planned and executed on the Triton FPSO. In just six weeks, the teams aligned on goals, addressed connectivity and data-syncing challenges, and developed a bi-directional data bridge between the systems.
By establishing an application programming interface between the two systems, Xodus and GDi created a means of maintaining the security and robustness of the integrity data, while improving accessibility for all users with vital visual context.
Once integration had been established, integrity issues logged in XAMIN IM became immediately available in VISION, where they are geolocated, including a link back to their source records in XAMIN IM. This enables planners to group tasks by spatial proximity, priority or any other parameter, and schedule work more effectively using an accurate representation of the asset.
Throughout the process, XAMIN IM remains the source of truth for integrity data, helping to ensure that planning remains grounded in verified, up-to-date information. Meanwhile, VISION provides visual context of the integrity data, supporting planning and collaboration between disciplines and vendors across the asset and onshore.
Results: Improved efficiency and insight
Since implementation, Dana Petroleum has observed several operational benefits. Manual effort has been reduced, with less time spent duplicating data. Planning has become more efficient, and offshore work can now be grouped, scheduled and visualized in a way that reflects the real-world layout of the asset.
This has led to a significant reduction in planning time and greatly improved resource forecasting.
According to the offshore construction supervisor, “The volume of work we just removed is massive. If we can’t plan campaigns going forward with that there, we’ll be doing something very wrong.”
A collaborative shift
Beyond the technical outcome, the project illustrates the importance of collaboration across different teams and organizations. By addressing technical and operational silos together, Dana Petroleum, Xodus and GDi were able to deliver a more coherent solution. This collaborative model should serve as reference for other operators exploring similar digital integration efforts.
When systems are not linked, achieving coordinated, efficient operations becomes more difficult. The success of this project also reinforces the value of connected digital systems in improving alignment between onshore planning and offshore execution, with plans already in place to expand this solution by connecting to other digital systems.
A new industry model
This project provides a good example of how, by utilizing resources immediately at their disposal, offshore operators can address persistent disconnects between systems and teams. With access to consistent integrity data and visual planning capabilities, Dana Petroleum has established a platform that improves operations and has scope for future enhancements.
As digital tools evolve, such collaborations between vendors and integration projects are a pragmatic and cost-effective way to achieve more responsive, efficient and safe offshore operations.
