Vicinay Marine and Tecnalia Develop Remote Corrosion Sensor for Offshore Mooring Lines

Spanish mooring specialist Vicinay Marine and applied research centre Tecnalia have jointly developed a sensor designed to remotely monitor corrosion on offshore mooring lines, aiming to improve the safety, reliability, and service life of offshore systems. The technology, validated at Tecnalia's HarshLab floating test platform off the coast of northern Spain, uses electrical resistance measurements to quantify section loss in mooring components in real time, model degradation trends, and predict remaining service life across applications including offshore wind farms and other floating offshore systems.

 

Strategic Relevance for Floating Offshore Systems

 

The sensor addresses one of the most persistent technical challenges in offshore mooring engineering. Corrosion of chains, connectors, and other metallic components exposed to seawater is a primary determinant of the operational lifespan of mooring systems and a central factor in the cost of inspection, maintenance, and replacement work. As floating offshore systems become more prevalent, including in floating wind, deep-water oil and gas production, and emerging applications such as ocean energy and offshore aquaculture, the volume of mooring infrastructure exposed to harsh marine conditions is rising rapidly. The development of robust, remote, and quantitative corrosion monitoring technology is therefore commercially significant for the long-term economics of the floating offshore sector.

 

Sensor Technology and Measurement Principle

 

The sensor uses electrical resistance measurements to quantify the loss of material section in mooring components, with the resulting data feeding into models that track degradation trends over time and forecast remaining service life. Electrical resistance-based measurement is a well-established principle in metal corrosion monitoring, providing a quantitative output that can be calibrated against material loss with high accuracy. The novelty of the Vicinay Marine and Tecnalia development lies in the integration of this principle into a sensor design that can be deployed reliably on subsea mooring components and that supports continuous, remote data acquisition over extended periods. Real-time data on actual in-service degradation represents a significant advance over the periodic inspection methodologies that have dominated the sector historically.

 

HarshLab Validation Environment

 

Validation of the sensor at Tecnalia's HarshLab floating test platform provides a credible reference point for its operational performance. HarshLab is one of the more advanced facilities for assessing materials, coatings, and technologies under real marine operating conditions, exposing test specimens and instrumentation to the salinity, biofouling, mechanical loading, and temperature cycles characteristic of offshore environments. Validation in a real marine setting is essential for new offshore monitoring technologies because laboratory testing alone cannot capture the full range of environmental variables that influence sensor reliability in service. The use of HarshLab strengthens the credibility of the sensor as it moves toward broader commercial deployment.

 

Commercial Implications for Mooring Inspection and Maintenance

 

Continuous and accurate monitoring of mooring corrosion has direct implications for the economics of inspection and maintenance across offshore floating systems. Physical inspections of subsea mooring components are typically expensive, weather-dependent, and operationally complex, requiring specialist ROV or diver services. Real-time sensor data enables operators to extend the intervals between physical inspections, prioritise interventions based on actual degradation patterns rather than fixed schedules, and detect early signs of accelerated wear before they reach critical thresholds. The cumulative effect is a more efficient maintenance regime that lowers operational cost, reduces unplanned downtime, and extends the working life of mooring assets.

 

Engineering and Design Optimisation

 

In addition to its operational benefits, real-time corrosion data also supports better design decisions for future mooring systems. According to Aintzane Expósito, head of materials at Vicinay Marine Innovación, the sensor enables a decisive step toward continuous and accurate monitoring of degradation processes, improving knowledge of actual in-service behaviour and supporting the optimisation of component design, thickness, and maintenance strategies. As actual operational data accumulates over time, engineers can refine the assumptions underpinning fatigue and corrosion modelling, leading to more efficient mooring designs that match material specifications more precisely to real environmental conditions. This iterative learning loop is one of the more important long-term benefits of advanced sensing technology in offshore engineering.

 

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Predictive Maintenance and Failure Prevention

 

The transition from periodic inspection to predictive maintenance represents a structural shift in how offshore floating systems are managed. Predictive maintenance frameworks rely on continuous data streams and analytical models to forecast component performance, enabling intervention to be planned around actual degradation trajectories rather than fixed schedules. For mooring systems, where catastrophic failure can have severe operational, environmental, and financial consequences, the value of early detection is particularly high. The Vicinay Marine and Tecnalia sensor provides one of the more tangible enablers of this shift by delivering measurable, real-time data on component condition, allowing operators to anticipate failure scenarios well before they materialise.

 

Application Across Sectors

 

The companies have indicated that the technology could be applied across multiple sectors requiring monitoring of submerged metallic infrastructure, including offshore wind, shipping, and port facilities. The breadth of applications reflects the universal nature of the corrosion challenge in marine environments. Offshore wind, in particular, represents a strategic target market because floating wind systems rely on extensive mooring infrastructure that must remain operational for project lifetimes typically exceeding 25 years. Shipping and port applications include mooring chains, anchoring systems, fenders, and other submerged metallic components that face similar degradation challenges. The cross-sector applicability of the technology supports its long-term commercial potential.

 

Implications for Floating Offshore Wind Economics

 

Floating offshore wind represents one of the most demanding applications for mooring technology, with projects in deeper waters relying on dynamic mooring configurations to maintain position under combined wind, wave, and current loading. Mooring system reliability is a central determinant of project lifecycle economics, and the cost of inspection and maintenance over a project's operating life is significant. Advances in remote corrosion monitoring have the potential to materially improve the operational economics of floating wind by extending mooring service life, reducing inspection costs, and providing the data needed to optimise system design. As floating wind moves from demonstration to commercial scale, technologies that strengthen the long-term reliability of mooring systems will become increasingly important.

 

Industry Position of Vicinay Marine and Tecnalia

 

Vicinay Marine is one of the leading global suppliers of offshore mooring chain and connector technology, with established positions across oil and gas and offshore wind applications. Tecnalia is one of the largest applied research centres in Europe, with deep capability in materials science, marine engineering, and energy technology. The combination of an industry leader in mooring and a major applied research centre is well aligned with the requirements of developing complex sensor technology for offshore applications. Spanish industrial and research clusters have established a strong reputation in floating offshore wind and marine technology, and the development of advanced monitoring solutions further strengthens this position.

 

Outlook for Subsea Sensing and Marine Integrity Management

 

The Vicinay Marine and Tecnalia development reflects a broader trajectory in offshore engineering toward integrated, sensor-driven integrity management. As offshore floating systems continue to expand in number, scale, and operational complexity, the demand for technologies that provide reliable, real-time data on the condition of critical components will continue to rise. Advances in sensor design, communications, and analytical modelling are converging to enable a new generation of integrity management approaches that combine engineering rigour with operational efficiency. The remote corrosion sensor for mooring lines provides a concrete example of how this convergence is being commercialised, with implications that extend across offshore energy, shipping, and port infrastructure as the wider marine sector continues to mature.