Guest post: Gordon McCracken, Account Manager, Metocean Forecasting at Fugro
Every stage of an offshore project is impacted by the location’s meteorological and oceanographic (metocean) conditions, which have the potential to impact a development’s safety, sustainability and economic efficiency.
From my work in metocean forecasting at Fugro, I’ve seen time and again how comprehensive metocean strategies that span offshore project life cycles are critical to a development’s success. Compared to the capital and operating expenditure associated with the acquisition, construction and operation of offshore assets, the relatively low cost of metocean technology and services can deliver an exponential dividend.
Viewed another way, minimising time and resources spent on early stage metocean investment can become an expensive mistake when it results in avoidable downtime and reduced operating capacity. Where operators do consider their project’s metocean requirements, they are often siloed over a project life cycle: planning and procurement is typically dictated by disparate teams throughout the progressive stages.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Here at Fugro, our offshore clients who initiate early engagement in metocean planning at a strategic level benefit from maximum productive uptime. A robust metocean strategy applied to the whole project life cycle mitigates against foreseeable risk and harnesses the greatest degree of control over future weather windows in what are often marginal operating conditions. Gathering real-time metocean data as soon as possible also avoids the built-in inefficiencies that come with overconservative design.
Delivering the most effective metocean strategy requires a service provider that brings together expertise and resources across multiple metocean disciplines to make intelligent use of a project’s Geo-data. When planning your metocean requirements, look for a full in-house capability that can, as a minimum, manufacture and install offshore observation equipment, undertake metocean modelling and analysis, and collect, process and apply Geo-data from multiple assets.
As the offshore energy industry continues to reshape operating practices to ensure future sustainability, the efficiencies gained from offshore metocean insights in both the short and longer term have never been higher on the corporate agenda. We look forward to seeing you and discussing all your metocean needs at Oceanology International 2020 in London in March.
For more information, please visit us at Oceanology, Stand D100 and come and talk to us about any projects you may be considering.
Meet Gordon and the rest of Fugro’s team face-to-face at Oi 2020. Register to attend for free now > https://www.oceanologyinternational.com/visit/why-visit/