4Subsea, a provider of tech solutions for the offshore energy industry, has been awarded a project under the DeepStar consortium to develop an industry guideline for monitoring polyester mooring lines used in deepwater floating systems, the company said.
The project is aimed at establishing best practice for integrity monitoring of polyester mooring systems, supporting safe operations, reduced operational risk and improved verification of design assumptions for floating offshore assets.
The guideline will address what parameters should be monitored, how monitoring should be carried out and how data should be interpreted for polyester mooring lines. The work will be based on operator requirements and operational experience and will include guidance on data quality, analytics and monitoring strategies tailored to the time-dependent mechanical behavior of polyester ropes.
The project scope also includes model-supported evaluation using monitoring data combined with OrcaFlex analyses, a widely used tool for dynamic analysis of offshore structures.
“We are pleased to be given the responsibility of developing a practical industry guideline for monitoring of polyester mooring systems, supporting informed integrity management decisions throughout the asset life,” said Peter Jenkins, chief executive officer of 4Subsea.
Polyester mooring lines are increasingly used in high-tension deepwater mooring systems due to their low weight and favorable fatigue performance compared with steel alternatives. However, their visco-elastic and time-dependent behavior requires dedicated monitoring approaches to ensure long-term structural integrity.
The guideline is intended to support a consistent and practical monitoring framework that enables early detection of abnormal behavior and timely operational decision-making throughout the life of floating offshore assets.