Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV) has long been recognized as a significant challenge facing the offshore oil and gas industry globally. Many types of infrastructure are adversely affected by VIV and the associated increased drag, leading to increased fatigue damage and reduced operability. Specifically, drilling riser deployment, operation and retrieval is one area of the industry that has been in need of new VIV suppression technology for a number of years. Many drilling risers have large sections covered in cylindrically shaped buoyancy modules, which can result in significant VIV response, which amplifies the drag experienced by the riser. This can cause suspension of operations as the top and bottom angles during high current speeds surpass allowable limits. Operations can be delayed, and in some cases complete disconnection and retrieval of the riser string may be necessary. Although some suppression technologies do exist to reduce the VIV response itself (such as helical strakes and fairings as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2), these have significant shortcomings including poor reliability, lengthy installation times, safety concerns related to their fitment below the drill deck floor, and other practicality issues. All of these issues have significant associated costs. An innovative new technology, named Longitudinally Grooved Suppression (LGS), has recently been developed, tested and deployed multiple times in drilling campaigns in the Gulf of Mexico. Numerical modeling of full scale risers in measured current conditions from around the world has also been conducted. What separates LGS from other suppression technologies is its optimized balance of VIV suppression, drag reduction and design for practical handling. Inspired by the Saguaro cactus, LGS attempts to mimic nature’s perfection with its uniquely-shaped profile which exhibits low VIV and drag characteristics. When applied to buoyancy modules, the result is a product that is fully integrated into the modules themselves during the manufacturing process, with no moving parts and no need for additional installation or fitment time in the field. This paper provides a brief overview of the results of physical model testing before describing the methodology and analysis of a full scale riser specifically deployed offshore South America. It will report the results of the riser’s drag and fatigue performance in a range of measured current profiles from South America. This paper ultimately illustrates that, by applying LGS technology to a South American-deployed drilling riser, significant financial savings can be achieved through increased operability and increased fatigue lifetimes.