Cost Effective Approach for the Recertification of Open-Water Intervention Riser Systems in Nigeria using Asset Integrity Management Tools

Abstract This paper details the risk-based approach to optimize the recertification cost of Open-water intervention riser systems (OWIRS) in Nigeria. The recertification of Open-water intervention riser systems (OWIRS) is a conservative maintenance program that occurs every fifth year according to recommended practice and client requirements (1) (2) (3). Reliability and Integrity assurance are critical during any intervention activity because a runaway failure effect could escalate to an unwanted event, potentially impacting HSE, cost, and even reputation (4). The recertification of the Open-water intervention riser systems (OWIRS) has always been a capital-intensive activity due to the conventional approach deployed by various organizations resulting in a long period of asset unavailability and high cost. Although some notable recommended practices (1) (3) provide guidance but the approach for execution remains with the stakeholders. Due to the current Russia-Ukraine War and continuous drive to stay agile and lean for the removal of wastages, this paper has reviewed the cost element of typical recertification, adopted the hybrid technique comprising Failure Mode, Effect and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), and Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) decision tree (5) to develop a cost-effective approach to recertification for OWIRS. The results showed that specific and value-focused scopes driven through the aggregation of maintenance strategies are efficient. Engrafting an established and critical recertification maintenance scope into existing maintenance programs on Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) that is driven more by a condition-based approach, condition monitoring and proactive tasks from lessons learned from field non-conformances reports and corrective actions provided a significant reduction to waste generated during the planning and execution of recertification project. The integration of recertification as part of the maintenance program is a pathway to saving great cost values of recertification whilst ensuring asset availability and Integrity (4).