RIA Solutions awarded contract by Petronas to provide Vipo’s Elastopipe™ solution

Ria Solutions (M) Sdn. Bhd, a distributor for Vipo in Malaysia, has been awarded a contract by Petronas, to provide 1,400 meters of Vipo’s Elastopipe™ flexible piping system to replace and enhance the safety properties of an existing system on the PFLNG SATU, a floating offshore LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) facility in Malaysia.

PLFNG Satu is Petronas’ first floating LNG facility, developed for the Kanowit gas field, off the coast of Sarawak in Malaysia. Elastopipe™ will be used to replace the main fire foam ring, part of the existing fire water system that will be undergoing upgrades to increase reliability and protection of assets.

Jan-Hugo Nilssen, Sales Manager at Vipo’s operation in Norway, says, “We are excited to have this opportunity to work closely with our distributor, RIA Solutions, and Malaysia’s national energy company Petronas, to provide a solution to their challenges. Elastopipe™ will deliver a high level of protection and safety and is easily installed whilst the LNG facility is in operation, with no disruption to service.”

Ira Zainun, Business Development Director at RIA Solutions (M) Sdn. Bhd, says, “This contract award represents a breakthrough for Elastopipe™ in Malaysia. We are really proud to be able to support Petronas and deliver a solution that ensures the continued safe operation of PFLNG Satu.”

RIA Solutions (M) Sdn. Bhd. was founded in 2003 and has a strong standing in the local oil and gas industry and relationships with major oil companies. The company specializes in the provision of inspection consultancy services, non-destructive testing, corrosion engineering and asset integrity management services to the oil and gas, petrochemical, utility, fabrication, and construction industries.

Elastopipe™ is a patented flexible piping system developed for transporting a variety of fluids and is known for its corrosionfree, explosion, impact, and jet fire resistant properties. This next generation piping system uses synthetic rubber instead of traditional materials and incorporates the only piping material approved for offshore deluge systems that has survived sequential explosion, impact, and jet fire testing.

The system can be used across several key applications including deluge and sprinkler systems, utility and drain water systems, as well as nitrogen distribution systems. Installation requires no hot work and once fitted; it is virtually maintenance-free with a lifetime of over 30 years.

Petronas was the first global energy company to introduce the floating LNG concept with PFLNG Satu in 2016, which measures 365 meter long. Custom-built as a facility to liquefy, produce, store and offload Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), the PFLNG allows for the processing of LNG to be done offshore, operating in water depths of 200 meters.