Assessment of local thin areas in a marine pipeline by using the FITNET FFS corrosion module

This paper analyses the structural integrity of the marine stretch of a pipeline which is placed over a natural bay. The pipeline is part of a 30-year-old installation used for the provision of petrochemical products to a nearby chemical plant. Although there have been no relevant leaks in the past, both the visual inspections performed (revealing numerous local thin areas) and the fact that it is located in a highly sensitive place with high ecological and tourist value recommend the assessment of the pipeline in order to ensure that it is working in safe conditions and that there are no risks for the environment or the people living in the surrounding area. The assessment has been performed using the newly developed FITNET FFS procedure, whose local thin areas assessment methodology is also explained and compared to the analyses proposed by other well known procedures.