Assessment of offshore structures under extreme wave conditions by Modified Endurance Wave Analysis

• MEWA is introduced as a stochastic, time-saving and practical method to assess offshore structures under extreme waves.
• Generation procedure is described in the basis of linear random wave and constrained new-wave theories.
• The MEWA methodology is employed to assess the structural performance in comparison with EWA and 3 h random simulations.
• MEWA is found to be a reliable method in evaluation of structural performance under extreme waves.

Recently, various approaches have been introduced to estimate the response of offshore structures in different sea states by stepwisely intensifying records. In this article, a more practical approach entitled Modified Endurance Wave Analysis (MEWA) considering the random and probabilistic nature of wave loading and utilizing optimal time duration is introduced. Generation procedure of this approach is described based on two practical wave theories: random and constrained new-wave. In addition, assessment of a simplified model representing a typical fixed offshore platform under extreme wave conditions in the Persian Gulf is performed making use of MEWA. A comparative analysis has been also carried out to investigate the accuracy and computational costs of MEWA. The results indicate that MEWA can be a time-saving and also reliable method both in design and assessment of offshore platforms.