“While the FPSO concept itself evolves; the basic design concept hasn’t really changed in decades. The real evolution influencing change is around asset management and the related technologies to support that activity.”

That was the message from Matt Tremblay, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Offshore, in his keynote speech to more than 1,500 virtual attendees on the opening day of the FPSO World Congress 2020. Titled Technology Enabling Change: Weathering the Changing FPSO Marketplace Across Regions (watch now), the presentation addressed the evolving market outlook, the impact of technology, effective use of data and the role of digital tools in delivering next generation FPSO performance and safety.“ABS has been a part of the FPSO industry since its earliest days. The benefit from that involvement is that we’ve been able to both witness and participate in the evolution of FPSOs in size, complexity and technology. Class has a unique role in that we are one of the few entities, if not the only one, that touches every aspect of the project lifecycle. From design concept, through construction, operations, and end of life, Class is connected to the asset, and the tools and system that support it,” said Tremblay.

He detailed how the combining data sets from multiple sources, together with the latest technologies were driving the industry to make better decisions and, when combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning, even predict issues before they arise. Digital twins are at the heart of the move to condition based and predictive insights.

“The digital twin software and systems ABS is making available today maximize the use of this data, managing and  analyzing it to deliver unprecedented visibility into  an asset,   allowing operators to make the right choices faster to improve efficiency, safety, integrity, performance and return on investment.

“As the core of the digital twin, the ABS 3D Condition Manager software has the unique feature of combining both the structure and the latest developments on machinery. This is the foundation of a complete condition model within a Digital Twin. The Condition Manager features a digital dashboard that enables remote tracking and trending of your asset’s hull and machinery integrity in real time.”

Tremblay added that as technology matures, now was the moment to invest in digital techniques and tools to unlock enhanced FPSO performance.

“As we witness this generation of the FPSO technological evolution, we understand the challenges and the objectives to be achieved are the same they have always been, maximize safety, efficiency and minimize operational costs.

“The FPSO evolution over the next few years will continue to incorporate digital solutions to improve asset management. We have the opportunity to make parts of the total investment now, taking the right steps to build the foundation of the digital twins that will grow alongside the FPSOs we are building and operating today.

“This is where Class can help. By applying the industry’s most comprehensive experience in the FPSO market with the digital technology available today, ABS is available to help build a digital asset framework that supports your business objectives.”

Watch the webinar on demand here.