Industrial lifecycle support partner Bilfinger Salamis UK has secured a
contract to provide inspection enactment services to Maersk Oil. The
award comes as the company achieves accreditation from certification
bodies DNV and Lloyds Register for the provision of Thickness
Measurement of Hull Structures, extending its FPSO inspection service
offering.
The contract award sees Bilfinger Salamis provide a full range of conventional
and advanced Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) services, including Digital
Radiography, Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD), Phased Array, Pulsed Eddy
Current and Corrosion Mapping.
The award builds on the company’s long-standing relationship with Maersk,
following a number of successful fabric maintenance and ‘walk to work’
campaigns. Bilfinger Salamis provide coatings, access, specialist cleaning and
shutdown support services on all Maersk Oil’s UK upstream assets.
Bilfinger Salamis UK chief operating officer Sandy Bonner said: “This award is
fantastic news as it enables us to build on our close working relationship with
Maersk Oil, while further developing the scope of services we provide, including
the use of tablet technology.”
DNV and Lloyds Register Accreditation
Following a six month audit process, Bilfinger Salamis UK has achieved Lloyds
Register accreditation for the Thickness Measurement of Hull Structures, as well
as DNV 402A and 402B certification, designed specifically for ultrasonic
thickness measurement (UTM) of ship structures.
UTM is a non-destructive measurement method used to gauge the thickness of
solid metal elements by sending an ultrasonic wave through the material and
measuring the time required for the wave to bounce back to the surface. DNV
402B Certificate ensures that suppliers providing services such as NDT on behalf of a client use appropriate procedures, have qualified, certified personnel
and written processes for training, performance, application, control, verification
and reporting. Additionally, suppliers must provide appropriate equipment and
facilities commensurate with professional service.
Bilfinger’s non-destructive testing experts provide extensive NDT services,
which include visual inspection, magnetic particle, eddy current, dye penetrant,
and ultrasonic testing methods, implemented to assess condition around and
within hull structures, and to assist in prioritising maintenance and mitigate the
risk of leakages.
These accreditations allow the company to transfer many of their specialist
topsides inspection services to the global FPSO market.
The company was awarded three-year certification from both organisations.
Craig Taylor, Bilfinger Salamis senior operations manager said: “This was a
tremendous team effort involving several departments across Bilfinger Salamis
UK collaborating. Critical sizing of defects on FPSOs requires our ultrasonic
technicians to undergo rigorous training and development to transfer their
specialist skills.
“The accreditations are a key part of our strategy for growth, allowing us to
increase our ever-expanding service offering, as well as our geographical
footprint. We have many years’ experience in the FPSO market, but this latest
certification demonstrates to our customers that they can have confidence in our
commitment to quality and innovation.”