VMi has an enviable track record of providing engineering studies to operators so as to understand the remaining strength and fatigue life of ageing components and determine their suitability for life extension or replacement.

VMi’s materials and structural engineers have undertaken considerable research and have significant expertise in corrosion, fatigue, testing, modelling and assessment of degraded chains and connectors.

When samples are available, inspection and testing programs are designed and conducted at VMi’s own premises. VMi can also use inspection data acquired offshore, e.g. dimensional measurements, laser scans or underwater 3D photogrammetry. State-of-the art FEA-based numeric methods, developed through long research and validated through full scale testing, are used to make the best predictions, criteria, and judgment about the remaining capacity of mooring components.