Offshore Marine Management (OMM) has launched a new maintenance support service for offshore renewables operators. With little existing guidance and no legislation currently in place, operators may not be conducting the maintenance they need in order to guarantee the integrity of their assets – or they might be spending too much on completing unnecessary routine servicing. OMM’s new Inspection, Maintenance and Repair (‘IMR’) service can give operators the confidence they need in every aspect of their installation. By studying best practice approaches to maintenance that exist in other markets, including the oil and gas industry, and building in a stage where maintenance plans are verified by a third party, OMM believes it has identified an approach that can be applied to any installation, regardless of size or age. Stephen Bolton, OMM’s Operations and Maintenance Director, commented: “Renewables operators are currently exposing themselves to unnecessary and potentially serious risks – risks that could result in lengthier, more costly repairs if things go wrong and ultimately long periods of lost production.
“This new service takes a holistic approach to the problem. It examines every aspect of an installation, including the crucial sub-sea elements, and identifies those that represent the greatest risk to the project should they fail. In a first for our industry, it also ensures that the resulting maintenance plan is independently verified – giving operators and their backers the assurance they need that precisely the right level of maintenance is taking place.”
OMM is currently in discussions with a number of renewables operators regarding IMR, and is now looking for further opportunities with companies around the world, including those developing wind farms in the North Sea and off the coast of northern Germany. Bolton continued: “This is not a one-size fits all approach – what we are advocating takes careful consideration of the nature of the project and is a technique that is thorough while remaining entirely flexible. With maintenance of high value offshore assets becoming a more important issue as further wind farms are installed, now is the time for operators to ask if the processes they have in place right now are fit for purpose.”