SUBSTRUCTURE

Aker Kvaerner to Deliver Substructures for Offshore Wind Turbines

A close-up of the substructure Multibrid M5000 (5MW each) windmills in Bremerhafen, these windmills are prototypes for the complete offshore windmill including the substructure The German Multibrid Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH has awarded Aker Kvaerner a contract for the procurement and construction of thirteen steel-tripod substructures and piles for Multibrids M5000 offshore windmills. Six of these shall be installed 45 km off the coast of Germany at the German Offshore Testfield "Alpha Ventus", while the other seven shall be installed 6 km off the Normandy coast of France at the project "Côte d'Albâtre". Aker Kvaerner Verdal has been pursuing the potential of offshore wind as a new market opportunity for the last two to three years. "The contract with Multibrid represents a breakthrough for Aker Kvaerner Verdal", says Bjørnar Skjevik, president of the fabrication yard. "We see great potential in a future offshore wind energy market with 5-MW-turbines in Europe. A successful delivery to Multibrid could pave way for future projects and deliveries from Verdal." The contract to Aker Kvaerner Verdal, our fabrication yard in Mid-Norway, includes procurement of materials, rolling of tubulars, and construction until seafastening onto a transport vessel. The substructures will have a weight of approximately 700 tonnes each and a height of some 45 metres. The substructures will be installed at a water depth of approximately 30 metres.

Waddington Joins Marine Industrial Svcs

Substructure, Inc., a global marine services company providing high-resolution marine assessment, marine pile encapsulation, and other underwater capabilities, announced that geophysical survey expert Tom Waddington has joined the company as senior marine scientist and chief hydrographer. Waddington, who brings nearly 25 years of experience in the marine survey field to Substructure’s global marine services, will oversee Substructure’s hydrographic operations

Technip Awarded Contract

Technip has been awarded a contract for the Cili Padi gas field development by Shell Oil and Gas Malaysia LLC. Shell, a production sharing contract (PSC) contractor to Petronas, is the operator for the field, with Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd and Nippon Oil as partners. The Cili Padi field is located 153km offshore Bintulu (Malaysia), at a water depth of 91m. Technip’s operations and engineering center in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) will execute

ACMA Signs Cooperative Agreement with sendit, llc

Alan C. McClure Associates (ACMA) entered into a cooperative agreement with sendit, llc that will allow ACMA to make the innovative technology of topside float-over installation available to its clientele worldwide. “The application of the float-over method works for platforms with a variety of substructure designs, including catenary anchor leg mooring, tension leg and seabed support,” said ACMA President Scott McClure

New Inland Barge Drilling Rig

Parker Drilling Co. has received the newest member of the Parker international drilling fleet, drilling barge rig #75. Built by Oil Barges, Inc., the shallow water drilling rig will commence drilling operations in mid-August. The rig has a 25,000 ft., drilling depth rating with an SCR drive system. All drilling and mud processing equipment is installed on a multi-level barge measuring 240 ft. long and 70 ft. wide. The barge also includes an 82-person accommodation facility.

First Full-Scale Floating Wind Turbine

Technip joins StatoilHydro in celebrating the inauguration of the Hywind demonstration wind turbine, which took place on September 8 in Karmøy, Norway. Located 10 kilometers offshore Karmøy, Hywind is the first full-scale floating wind turbine and has a capacity of 2.3 MW. Following the award of the turnkey contract for the substructure of the wind turbine in May 2008, Technip’s operating center in Oslo, Norway

COSCO, SeaEnergy sign Offshore Wind Deal

SeaEnergy PLC reportedly signed an agreement with shipbuilder COSCO to develop and market steel structures for the offshore wind industry, according to a report on http://www.tradingmarkets.com. The agreement was expected to lead to a definitive contract to develop and market turbine jacket substructures, towers and access systems for offshore wind farms. (Source: http://www.tradingmarkets.com)  

The Sleipner A Platform Turns 15

On August 24, one of the world’s most profiled platforms turned 15. Sleipner, also known as the carbon dioxide (CO2) platform, does not look its age. Sleipner had a tough start. The construction of the first installation became one of the most dramatic in Norwegian oil history. Shortly before the deck and the concrete substructure for the Sleipner A platform were to be connected, the substructure sank to 200 metres depth in the Gands fiord.

Technology Breakthrough in Offshore Wind Design Analysis

Previously there has been no single software tool available on the market that covers both wind turbine and substructure design analysis in one analysis package. Now Fedem Technology and DNV Software have joined forces with a new coupled analysis module available in Sesam Wind – used when performance of the wind turbine is influenced by wave loading. The offshore wind turbine industry will benefit from this new and innovative

J. Ray McDermott Installation for LUKOIL

J. Ray McDermott’s Caspian subsidiary has completed installation of offshore facilities at the Yuri Korchagin field for OOO LUKOIL-Nizhnevolzhskneft (LUKOIL), a subsidiary of OAO LUKOIL Oil Company. The Yuri Korchagin field is the first of the North Caspian fields in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea to be developed by LUKOIL and brought commercially on-stream. The field development requires a number of major offshore facilities including an ice-resistant fixed processing