Welaptega Marine, world leader in mooring integrity verification, has been awarded a contract to inspect riser moorings on the high-profile Petrobras Cascade Chinook development in the Gulf of Mexico.

Welaptega will measure mooring chains that connect four vertical risers to buoyancy tanks on the the BW Pioneer FPSO. The Pioneer is the world’s deepest FPSO, operating in 2600 meters of water 180 miles off the coast of Louisiana.

“This is part of a longterm life cycle mooring integrity inspection,” said Tony Hall, CEO of Welaptega Marine. “Petrobras and the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) recognize the importance of regular inspection as part of a wider integrity strategy.”

A team of Welaptega engineers will deploy the Chain Measurement System (CMS), a Welaptega patented technology, to measure the length of each chain link and inter-grip zones on four riser mooring systems.

It is part of an on-going program of mooring inspection carried out by Welaptega on a six-monthly interval.

The Pioneer is the first FPSO production development approved in the Gulf of Mexico.

The job deploys in November. This is the fifth inspection conducted by Welaptega on this project. The contact was awarded to Welaptega by Veolia Water special services division.

Press Release, November 19, 2012