Gall Thomson said there were 21 known activations of its Marine Breakaway Couplings during 2024. The activations occurred in nine different countries around the world.
On each occasion, the Marine Breakaway Coupling (MBC) operated exactly as expected, the company reports. Oil spill pollution, injuries and damage to assets such as hoses, equipment and vessels were avoided. There were no spurious activations of Gall Thomson MBCs.
Gall Thomson MBCs are designed to activate in an emergency during offshore hose transfer of media such as crude oil between tankers and facilities such as Single Point Moorings (SPMs) or Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) platforms.
Typical emergencies requiring activation include tanker breakout or extreme pressure surge within the line. Gall Thomson MBCs are designed to activate only in response to such instances and not to any threat or pre-emergency risk such as bad weather or equipment malfunction where crew can still take appropriate actions.
On activation, the MBC separates and closes media flow. With flow contained and the line disconnected, any effects of the emergency become manageable and quantifiable. Unpredictable direct and indirect consequences of asset damage and offshore oil spill are therefore avoided.
After activation, Gall Thomson provides MBC support options to operators including a global network of approved local service facilities.