At OnestopNDT, we are delighted to feature Mr. Hooman Takhtechian, Global Engineering Lead (Corrosion) at Oceaneering. With more than two decades of international experience spanning the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and the North Sea, Mr. Takhtechian has been at the forefront of developing corrosion control strategies, leading failure analyses, and mentoring the next generation of engineers. From his early days in metallurgy and QA to his current global leadership role, his journey reflects both technical depth and strategic vision in corrosion and integrity management.
Mr. Hooman, welcome to OnestopNDT. It’s a pleasure to have you with us today. Could you please introduce yourself to our audience and share a glimpse of your professional journey, from your early days in metallurgy and QA roles to your current position as Global Engineering Lead (Corrosion) at Oceaneering?
I’m Hooman Takhtechian, Global Engineering Lead (Corrosion) at Oceaneering. I started in metallurgy and QA, learning practical basics in materials, welding, and inspection. Over the last two decades, I’ve supported assets globally—MENA, APAC, and the North Sea—developing corrosion control strategies, running RBI programs, and leading failure analyses. At Oceaneering, I lead corrosion work across regions, mentor engineers, and help operators turn integrity data into clear decisions.
Looking back at your extensive career across Bureau Veritas, Oceaneering, and now in a global leadership role, what first drew you into the field of materials, welding, and corrosion engineering, and how has your passion for this discipline evolved over the years?
I was drawn to materials and corrosion because the feedback is real—if something isn’t right, the plant shows you. Over time, my focus moved from fixing failures to preventing them: building IOWs, standardizing RBI, and designing for integrity from day one. At Oceaneering, tools in the INFORM™ software suite—such as Inform Inspect for digital data capture, Inform Predict for analytics, and Inform Vision for 3D asset context—help us apply that prevention mindset consistently across sites and teams.
Your career spans over two decades, involving both hands-on inspection and high-level technical authority roles. What were some of the major hurdles you faced in your early career, and how did those experiences shape your professional approach today?
Early hurdles were poor data and disconnected teams. I learned to state assumptions clearly, test them with facts, and be open about uncertainty. At Oceaneering, we turned those lessons into simple, shared libraries and templates so inspection, process, and operations can make decisions from the same picture.
You’ve worked on several large-scale and high-stakes projects, from BP’s Tangguh LNG and TotalEnergies’ Tyra redevelopment to Saudi Aramco and ADNOC projects. Could you share a project that was particularly challenging, and how you and your team successfully overcame those challenges?
A challenging job was a material and corrosion audit (MCA) for a FEED-stage sour-gas pipeline with changing envelopes and tight timelines. Fluids had high CO₂/H₂S and very high chlorides. The baseline used carbon steel with 6 mm CA and inhibition. We re-ran the model, fixed a formula that underestimated CA, and checked flowline effects (early condensation and local peaks). We found 6 mm CA only works if inhibitor availability is ~99% and efficiency ≥97–98%. Otherwise, increase CA (e.g., 8 mm), shorten design life (e.g., 30 years), or use CRA cladding in the critical section. We set a clear decision tree and a management plan: pump redundancy, alarms, weekly KPI checks, online ER probes, strict limits on uninhibited downtime, and defined IOW responses. This gave the project a solid, defensible path.
In your current role as Global Engineering Lead (Corrosion) at Oceaneering, how do you balance technical problem-solving with strategic leadership? What would you say defines your leadership style?
I try to balance hands-on work with building repeatable systems. I still review damage mechanisms, inspection scopes, and FFS, and I also invest in standards, templates, and coaching. My style is decisive and data-driven: set direction, ask for evidence, and let specialists lead. That’s how we run our corrosion community at Oceaneering.
Many of your projects involved risk-based inspection, corrosion risk assessment, and fitness-for-service evaluations. How important are these methodologies in ensuring asset reliability, and where do you see the biggest advancements coming in this area?
RBI, corrosion risk assessment, FFS, and IOWs are core to reliability. RBI targets the right places; FFS avoids over- or under-reaction; IOWs keep models honest as operations change. We’re increasingly wiring live field capture and analytics into risk updates via the INFORM™ suite—using Inform Inspect to digitize inspections, Inform Predict to prioritize inspection effort from historical data, and Inform Vision to give a shared 3D context—so findings flow straight into decisions rather than sitting in reports.
With your background in corrosion monitoring, failure analysis, and mitigation strategies, what do you consider the most pressing challenges the industry faces today in corrosion management?
Key challenges we see across regions: aging assets beyond original limits, variable/sour chemistries, CUI and hard-to-inspect details, and data quality. Our approach is: get the damage mechanisms right, clean the data model, use targeted NII/NDE, then add analytics where they clearly help.
Over the years, you have dealt with aging infrastructure, sour service environments, and unpredictable corrosive media. What role do you see digital technologies, AI, and predictive analytics playing in addressing these challenges in the near future?
Digital, AI, and predictive tools move us from one-off reviews to continuous integrity. RMUs (remote monitoring) feed IOW dashboards; anomaly detection flags where to inspect; plans update after each finding. The aim is a closed loop: data in, risk recalculated, timely work orders out.
You’ve had rich experience both in consulting and in-house technical authority roles. From your perspective, how can companies better bridge the gap between field inspection data and strategic asset integrity decisions?
To bridge field data and decisions, we standardize three things with clients: a shared damage-mechanism library linked to inspection methods and POD, an asset data model that follows the equipment, and a simple action list so insights become work (dose change, add UT, adjust limits).
You are also a speaker at OMCORR25. Could you share with us what message or insights you plan to bring to the event, and why gatherings like OMCORR are so vital for the corrosion and integrity community?
At OMCORR25 I’m delivering two talks—IOW frameworks and RMU—and co-running a workshop with our Advanced NDT specialist, Dheeraj. The focus is practical: how to set and maintain IOWs, how RMUs turn sensor data into timely actions, and where advanced ultrasonics lifts detectability and decisions. I’m representing Oceaneering, but the message is vendor-neutral and case-driven.
Beyond the technical discussions, how do you see international industry events like OMCORR25 fostering collaboration, innovation, and shared learning across service providers, operators, and academia?
Events like OMCORR25 help operators, service providers, and academia work together. The best outcomes are small joint pilots right after the event—one asset, one mechanism, clear results in weeks. We’ve seen that model work well, and we’re open to it.
Outside of your professional commitments, what activities or interests bring you joy and balance? Do you have any hobbies or passions that might surprise our audience?
Outside work I enjoy aquascaping and planted aquariums—tuning water chemistry and growing special strains of shrimp colonies. I also enjoy building PowerBI data dashboards for fun.
Finally, as someone deeply engaged in the NDT and integrity management community, what are your thoughts on platforms like OnestopNDT? Do you see it as a useful reference point for professionals to learn, share, and stay updated about the latest in inspection and NDT?
OnestopNDT is a useful place to learn and stay current. Case studies with numbers, clear POD/a90-95, and side-by-side method comparisons are especially valuable. Our teams at Oceaneering follow platforms like this to keep skills sharp and align on best practices.
Thank you, Mr. Hooman, for sharing your experiences and insights with us. Your global perspective on corrosion management, digital integration, and integrity leadership will inspire professionals across the NDT and asset management community.
