Bellanaboy Bridge Gas Terminal’s strategic imperative was to implement a digitised HAE solution

Vermilion Energy Ireland operates the Bellanaboy Bridge Gas Terminal and has a legal obligation under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Involving Dangerous Substances Regulations (COMAH), which requires operators handling certain substances above specified thresholds, categorised as Upper Tier Seveso establishments, to provide safety reports, implement a safety management system and establish internal and external emergency response plans. In accordance with the COMAH regulations, an External Emergency Response Plan has been prepared by Mayo Fire Services, An Garda Síochána and the Health Services Executive in consultation with the facility.

So, how did Vermilion meet this challenge?

Implementing a digitalised hazardous inspection solution is an ongoing strategic imperative as part of Vermilion’s obligations under COMAH.

“Take all necessary measures to prevent major accidents involving dangerous substances. Limit the consequences to people and the environment of any major accidents which do occur”.

Here’s what Dave Muldoon, Electrical Planner, based at the terminal said:

“At our Bellanboy Bridge Gas Terminal, we have a legal imperative to meet the COMAH requirements, which means we need systems that support improved safety and better controls when operating in hazardous areas and with equipment in those locations. Working with Arnlea and deploying their software has more than ticked those boxes, giving us faster access to more accurate data, resulting in safer, more productive operations.”

The project

In 2018, Vermilion upgraded their hazardous area inspection software from paper to Arnlea’s software, which included handsets, for inspections of all Ex assets on the premises.

In 2021, the decision was taken to upgrade to the latest android tablets to further improve the inspection process, due to the enhanced UX/UI software that Arnlea now deploys on its latest available tablets, which are Zone 1 and ATEX-certified.

The initial jump from paper to digital inspections was a significant change in the way Vermilion had considered Ex inspections and has provided a key element of the digitalisation journey that the business is on. The move in the Energy industry towards digital transformation is irresistible and Vermilion is no exception.Dave concluded:

“Arnlea’s team has been supportive and instructive throughout the upgrade and we’re benefiting from reducing the number of inspectors on site, while increasing the number of inspections we perform. We’re able to obtain inspection data a week earlier than before and that data is at least 50% more accurate than when it was manually. We estimate cost savings to be around £350k per annum.”

Arnlea's software also offers

• Compliance with IEC 60079 standards
• Support of your HSEQ protocols
• Easy integration with SAP and Maximo

Arnlea's software enables a quicker turnaround of faulty and ineffective equipment because of its Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) platform. With some companies in our industry still using pen and paper or Excel spreadsheets for their inspections, Arnlea seeks to raise awareness of the possibilities digital transformation offers.

Working with Arnlea’s software, inspectors’ efficiency is improved by an average of 150%, when compared to using paper recording systems, freeing up teams to focus on other areas of responsibility, delivering higher productivity. In short, their software saves time and money, improving productivity, morale and job satisfaction, which also saves businesses money in terms of staff retention.

Arnlea is committed to improving clients’ operational excellence, compliance, asset integrity and reducing their operations expenditures.