Jumbo announced that it has been awarded a contract by Malaysian pipelay contractor Sigur Ros. Under the contract, Jumbo will oversee transportation and installation of 126 gravity anchor spreads in water depths up to 1400m (4593ft), using the heavy-lift vessel, Fairplayer, starting around year-end 2013 or the beginning of 2014.
Project management and engineering will be carried out by Jumbo, which will undertake collection of the materials in the port of Mersin Tasucu Seka in Turkey, transportation to the offshore location, and installation, according to the press release.
The materials will be loaded on board using the vessel’s 900-ton mast cranes. The anchor spreads, which will consist of a 230-ton gravity anchor, tether wire, and subsea buoy, will be used to moor a pipeline with a 1.6m diameter, running 80km (50 mi.) from Turkey to Northern Cyprus. The pipeline, in spans of approximately 500m, will be suspended, floating at a depth of approximately 250m.
The tether ropes, measuring 116mm in diameter, will be cut to varying lengths to match water depths along the pipeline’s route, up to 1400 m. Towards the tops of the tether wires the subsea buoys, measuring 8m in length and 3m in diameter and weighing 17 tons each, will be positioned to moor the pipeline.
Carrying out the installation will require the Fairplayer’s dynamic positioning 2 system to maintain the vessel’s position. The anchor spreads will be lowered into position using both of the Fairplayer’s mast cranes. One of the cranes will oversee the deployment of the buoy and tensioning of the tether wire, while the other will lower the anchor. Both cranes will be equipped with the integrated deepwater winch system, allowing installation without the need for a wet handshake. Also, 14km of crane wire will be applied to the winch, which can carry out installations to water depths of up to 3,000m.