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 11-month delay.
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| Image: Trelleborg's floatover technology facilitates successful installation of stalled China Seas project/Trelleborg |
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 Co., 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-tonne, each LMU was designed with a load capacity of 1800-tonne.
“The project suffered setbacks during its initial installation attempt,” said Julian Wee, managing director at Trelleborg’s engineered products operation in Singapore. “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.
Trelleborg assigned extra shifts and staff to meet the contractor’s needs. Trelleborg manufactured, tested and delivered the solutions in just four months, making the project’s second floatover process a success.
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