Drydocks World today marked the sailaway of the Prelude floating liquified natural gas (FLNG) vessel turret modules to the owner Shell.
The first Module, the bogie support structure, standing 22m high, with a diameter of 30m and weighing 1300-tonne will be transported to Korea to integrate with the Prelude FLNG vessel. Other modules will soon follow.
The Prelude FLNG unit will be 488m long and when fully loaded will weigh more than 600,000-tonne. It will be the largest structure ever sent to sea displacing as much water as a fleet of six aircraft carriers.
The vessel is to work at the Prelude field 200km from the Australian coast.
The turret for Prelude is involved over 800 workers in its construction. It is being built in five modules, which when put together will weigh 10,500-tonne.
The first steel cutting took place on May 5, 2012. The nearly 100m mooring turret is a vital element of the vessel and along with four groups of mooring chains and suction pile anchors will constitute the largest system in the world and help the vessel to remain stable in high velocity tropical cyclone territory.
Image: HH Sheikh Ahmed with Drydocks World and Shell officials.