Oil and Gas Extraction at an Ocean Depth of 3,000 Meters

Friday, April 25, 2008

The family of offshore vessels also includes so-called offshore construction vessels. The latter are multi-purpose ships for the oil and gas industry used for the installation of ever more complex platforms and extraction systems, as well as for the laying of pipelines. OCVs are in service in all oceans of the world and equipped for long-term operation on the high seas. The OCV currently under construction can accommodate more than 120 crew members. For Voith Turbo Schneider Propulsion, the new vessel represents another engineering feat, because it is the largest and most powerful ship ever fitted with Voith Schneider Propellers (VSP) as main propulsion systems. Three VSP are installed in the stern, and two in the bow – all five of them type VSP 36R6 EC/280-2. The ship is driven by five electric motors with a total output of 19 000 kW – which corresponds to approximately 26 000 HP.
The Norwegian owner North Sea Invest AS has placed the order with Astilleros Barrera in Vigo, Spain, to build the 145-meter long and 30-meter wide ship. Commissioning is scheduled for 2010. The OCV has two heave compensated cranes that adapt hydraulically to prevailing sea movements, as well as a helipad. During long-term duty on sea, boat and crew can therefore be supplied from the air.
Among the special features of the ship is a redundant dynamic positioning system (DP2) keeping the ship at a given working position, as well as the Voith Roll Stabilization (VRS), which reduces rolling motions when seas are high. Both devices enable the crew to work on board, even under bad weather conditions. The maximum sailing speed of the ship is 16 knots, which corresponds to almost 30 km/h.