Flexible riser monitoring for asset integrity and service life

Detect early integrity changes in offshore flexible risers through continuous and periodic monitoring to prevent failures and extend service life.

Flexible riser monitoring supports offshore operators and integrity managers responsible for maintaining the safe operation of ageing flexible risers. When changes in riser condition are not identified in time, degradation mechanisms such as sheath failure, gas ingress or fatigue damage can progress unnoticed, delaying decisions and increasing the risk of unplanned shutdowns or safety incidents.

Monitor riser condition over time

By providing integrity teams with structured insight into riser condition over time, monitoring enables informed assessments, clear documentation, and well-founded maintenance decisions. This supports prioritised interventions, proactive service life management and continued reliable offshore production.

Illustration of a subsea flexible riser system with monitoring equipment beneath an offshore structure. — Continuous and periodic monitoring of subsea flexible risers detects integrity changes early, preventing failures, reducing intervention costs and extending operational life.

Challenges

When flexible riser integrity is unclear, risk escalates fast.

Unclear annulus condition delays integrity decisions
Sheath damage, gas ingress or water intrusion in the annulus cannot be confirmed or ruled out, leaving integrity teams without a clear basis for assessing riser status or deciding on timely interventions.

Insufficient fatigue insight undermines service life assessment
Without reliable visibility of fatigue accumulation and structural stress in dynamic riser sections, remaining life and failure risk cannot be assessed with sufficient confidence.

Unverified polymer ageing weakens long-term planning
Lack of validated information on polymer integrity and ageing creates uncertainty around long-term riser performance and limits confidence in service life and life-extension assumptions.

Late identification of integrity issues drives reactive interventions
When degradation is identified late, maintenance and repair activities become reactive, increasing the likelihood of unplanned shutdowns, offshore interventions and production disruption.

Benefits

Get documented integrity insight that supports maintenance decisions, planning and operational assurance.

Support integrity decisions with clear condition insight

Condition information on riser status gives integrity teams a solid basis for assessing integrity, prioritising actions and justifying operational decisions.

Plan maintenance with verified integrity data

Use integrity data to prioritise inspections and interventions based on actual riser condition, supporting risk-based maintenance planning.

Manage service life with validated fatigue and ageing insight

Insight into fatigue behaviour and material ageing supports service life assessments and informed decisions on continued operation or life extension.

Maintain operational assurance with traceable records

Monitoring results support integrity management records, internal reviews and communication with stakeholders or authorities. The system supports cloud based customised dashboards for visualization of live and historic data.

Let’s make sure your riser integrity decisions are well founded

Get a tailored quote for flexible riser monitoring and establish a solid basis for integrity assessments, maintenance planning and service life decisions. Our specialists support you from scoping to interpretation and documentation.

Service scope

Methods of flexible riser monitoring

Vent gas monitoring covers measurement of gas flow, annulus pressure and vent rate to assess the condition of the outer sheath and end fittings. The scope includes identification of gas ingress, water ingress and vent line blockage. Changes in pressure or gas composition are used as indicators of developing integrity issues over time. Monitoring can be applied periodically or continuously, depending on installation and risk profile.

Polymer coupon monitoring covers the assessment of the ageing and condition of the riser's inner polymer sheath using representative material samples. Coupons manufactured from the same polymer as the riser are exposed to relevant service conditions and later analysed. Changes in mechanical or chemical properties are used to evaluate degradation trends and support service life and ageing assessments.

Load and response monitoring encompasses the measurement of motion, bending, and tension in critical riser areas, such as the bend stiffener, touchdown zone, and sag bend. The scope includes the collection and evaluation of data used to assess fatigue accumulation and structural response under operational and environmental loads. Results are used as input for integrity assessments and maintenance planning.

Standards

Monitoring solutions developed in line with recognised flexible riser and integrity management standards

Riser Integrity Management: framework for monitoring, inspection and maintenance of flexible and rigid risers 
Flexible Pipe Systems for Subsea and Marine Applications: operational guidelines for qualification and integrity assurance 
Subsea Production Systems: defines design and performance requirements for flexible pipes and accessories 
Subsea Structures and Pipelines: outlines integrity management principles for subsea systems