Trelleborg’s engineered products operation fast-tracked the manufacture, testing and delivery of its floatover mating technology for a major oilfield project in the South China Sea, in just four months. This allowed the stalled project to quickly and safely commence installation, ending an eleven month delay.
The project previously experienced an unsuccessful floatover operation in August 2013, causing structural damage to the barge and the jacket. As such, an overhaul of the floatover system was required and Trelleborg was contracted to provide its customized solutions to the project as quickly as possible.
Contracted by Ashburn Offshore Oil & Gas Equipment & Engineering Company Ltd., Trelleborg designed, fabricated and delivered eight Leg Mating Units (LMU) – four inner legs and four outer legs – and floatover fenders. With the topside weighing 12,500 tonnes, each LMU was designed with a load capacity of 1,800 tonnes.
Excellent feedback
Bian Shaoping, Manager of the Market Structure Department at Ashburn, comments: “We’ve received excellent feedback about Trelleborg’s products following the successful installation, due to their reliability, safety and ability to provide peace of mind.”
Julian Wee, Managing Director at Trelleborg’s engineered products operation in Singapore, comments: “The project suffered setbacks during its initial installation attempt. It was at this point that we were contracted to supply our floatover technology. We supplied our customized sway and surge fenders to absorb any kinetic forces the floatover barge would exert on the jacket. This ensured that the floatover process, especially when installing the topside onto the jacket, was completely safe for both the topside and jacket structures. In conjunction with our fenders, our high performance LMUs were easily able to support the weight of the topside and maintain stability during installation, even in high sea swell conditions.
Perfectly performing solutions
“We knew that there was a lot of pressure to get this right in light of previous events; this project required fast and quality solutions which would perform perfectly. We were proud to be able to provide our solutions and guaranteed reliability, to get the platform online for our partners as quickly as possible.”
Trelleborg managed to decrease its throughput time from manufacture to delivery when the urgency of the project was realized. It was moved to the top of Trelleborg’s priority list to ensure a concise and fast turnaround; extra shifts and staff were assigned to ensure the contractor’s needs were met. Trelleborg manufactured, tested and delivered the solutions in just four months, making the project’s second floatover process a success.
Image Source: Trelleborg