This week a team of BSEE engineers and inspectors conducted a safety inspection of the first FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) vessel designed and built for containment use in the Gulf of Mexico. The pre-production inspection is one of the necessary steps to clear the Eagle Texas for containment use in standard production operations or in emergency situations that require containment.

The eight-member inspection group, led by Ronald Washington of the Houma District, divided into two teams to inspect the vessel’s safety equipment and processes to ensure all plans are in accordance with federal regulations. The production operations engineers and inspectors that make up the inspection group observed the equipment and verified that it met the safety specifications.

The FPSO belongs to the Marine Well Containment Company and is currently being completed at the Kiewit Offshore Services yard in Ingleside, Texas. Once deployed, Eagle Texas will be a first of its kind used in the Gulf of Mexico.