energize_02-2010

Dynamic Positioning pipeline Ensuring Reliability due diligence Building Confidence transport Hauling a Colossus

GL Noble Denton

Issue 02 • 2010

www.gl-nobledenton.com

energızee n e r g y. e ff i c i e n c y. e n g i n e e r i n g . oil & gas

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The global independenttechnical advisor


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© GL Industrial Services UK Ltd. All rights reserved.

The power of dynamic positioning

GL Noble Denton is a leader in the field ofdynamic positioning, a computer-controlledsystem that automatically maintains avessels position and heading. Our servicesinclude failure mode and effects analyses(FMEA) and failure mode, effects andcriticality analyses (FMECA) on all typesof offshore support vessels around theworld – from drillships to offshoresupply vessels.

We also do FMEA/FMECA on:

• Diving Equipment

• Ballast Systems

• Pipelay Equipment

• Bow Loading Systems

• Heavy Lift Cranes

Contact us now to learn moreabout how we can help you.

Email: [email protected]

Energise advert 2:Layout 1 23/09/2010 16:51 Page 1


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A global network with a local presence

Assurance

Advanced Engineeringand Consulting

Marine Operations

Project Execution

Software Solutions

www.gl-nobledenton.com Email: [email protected]



The Deepwater Horizon case in the Gulf of Mexico has been dominating the headlines in the past few months. With the successful reestablishment of well integrity in mid-July, the off-shore oil and gas industry is now actively analysing the causes of the loss of life and oil spill, considering the lessons learnt and looking at how similar occurrences can be prevented. At GL Noble Denton we are assessing how we can best support our industry beyond this event and have initiated programmes to enhance the risk management of offshore drilling operations and well construction. It is clear that as our industry moves forward there will need to be greater rigour around assurance and verification activities associated with critical aspects of design and operation of wells and well control equipment. One of the biggest lessons we have all learnt is that implementation and assurance of any offshore operation requires unrelenting focus.

We are keen to assist our industry to improve performance levels. Given the combination of skills that exist in our organisation we are uniquely placed to assist our custom-ers with evaluating risks, setting practical performance standards and providing the assurance and verification support to ensure those performance standards are delivered. Our heritage in developing class rules, operations guidelines and warranty stands us in good stead to assist our industry in a practical way to ensure that the effort the industry expends in design does indeed pay off through assured implementation.

The rules that GL already have cover “Drilling, Work Over, Production Systems and Process Systems”, “Principles for the Construction of Underwater Working Devices and Under-water Working Machines”, “Control System, Instrumentation” and “Safety Systems”. In the on-going exercise of lessons learnt it seems obvious that much more testing of critical equipment will be necessary to minimize failure. To fulfil this objective, while providing the much needed operational assurance that plans are indeed implemented with rigour, we will be issuing guide-lines for the industry during the fourth quarter of this year.

The current edition of energize oil & gas gives an excellent insight of what GL Noble Denton can do for our customers as an independent advisor. As our industry moves into more technically challenging areas we see the need for even more sophisticated offshore service vessels. This issue addresses dynamic positioning, highlighting the breadth of experi-ence we have. In this edition you can also discover how mooring integrity for FPSOs can be en-hanced, full-flow high-pressure testing of equipment can be undertaken in the UK, and how GL Noble Denton engineers helped transport a 28,000-tonne MOPU from Abu Dhabi to Norway.

editorial

John Wishart

President, GL Noble Denton

To Our Readers

John Wishart

Yours sincerely,

302/2010

003-Editorial-fh.indd 3 01.10.10 14:27

DP I Regulatory changes for DP projects

26 44FPSO Integrity of mooring systems

52 18TESTING Flow Centre – a world-class facility

EGYPT Burullus – drilling in deep water

58CONVERSION Elongation of a cable laying vessel

DP III Decisions and choices – updat-ed GL rules

32INSTALLATION Long-legged hauling service for wind turbines

10

contents 02/2010

29DP II Dynamic positioning rules in the US

14CRANES Convincing performance at crane inspection

INTERVIEW Paul Shrieve about technical assurance

8SASOLEnsuring gas supply reliability in South Africa

Badplaas

Secunda

Middelburg

METHANE RICH GAS

NATURAL GAS

METHANE RICH GAS

NATURAL

GAS

Witbank

Johannesburg

Pretoria

Vanderbijlpark

Lenasia

Randfontein

Newcastle

Volksrust

MatsuluKomatipoort

Maputo

Richards Bay

Durban

Miramar

SWAZILAND

SOUTH AFRICA

MOZAMBIQUE

Secunda

Badplaas

Newcastle

Volksrust

Johannesburg

Pretoria

Lenasia

40

4 energıze

004 Inhalt-fhHSfhgmfh.indd 4 01.10.10 14:14

54

MOPU Transfer of a jack-up plat-form – how to haul a colossus

inbriefprofile

GL Noble Denton in Brief GL Noble Denton is a TECHNICAL ADVISOR AND TRUSTED PARTNER

for the oil and gas industry.

The oil and gas business segment of the GL Group helps to design,

build, install and operate oil and gas onshore, maritime and

offshore assets to ensure SAFETY, SUSTAINABILITY AND

SUPERIOR VALUE.

GL Noble Denton is the MERGER BETWEEN GERMANISCHER LLOYD’S

(GL) OIL & GAS BUSINESS AND NOBLE DENTON, a premier provider of

life cycle marine and offshore engineering services. Since January

2010, they have been offering their services as GL Noble Denton.

GL Noble Denton is a full-service provider with broad upstream and

midstream competence FOR THE COMPLETE ASSET LIFECYCLE.

GL Noble Denton combines excellent engineering and analytical skills

with operational experience of offshore, maritime and onshore oil and

gas assets. The oil and gas business segment of GL employs MORE THAN

3,000 ENGINEERS AND EXPERTS IN 80 COUNTRIES.

We have strong expertise in complex oil and gas assets such as

MODUs, FPSOs, pipelines, subsea systems, OSVs – and assurance, asset

integrity, safety and risk, marine operations, project management and

software services to match. The scope of technical services includes safe-

ty, integrity, reliability and performance management.

GL Noble Denton is A TRULY INDEPENDENT ADVISOR without any vested

interest in selling a design, installation, fabrication or equipment.

GL Noble Denton services oil and gas clients in onshore production,

onshore pipelines, storage, import terminals, LNG, refineries and pet-

rochemicals, distribution networks as well as mobile offshore drilling

units, mobile offshore production units, fixed platforms, subsea, risers

and flowlines, offshore support vessels, tankers and shipping and off-

shore pipelines. We oversee and support the full lifecycle of an asset

from project concept to decommissioning. The business segment has

A GLOBAL REACH IN THE OIL AND GAS CENTRES of the world.

PIPES Managing pipe-work vibration – a challenge

20DUE DILIGENCEConfi dence builders for pro-ject fi nancing

48INTERVIEW Bob Thomson, Group Director Dy-namic Positioning

36GL Noble Dentonwww.gl-nobledenton.com

502/2010

004 Inhalt-fhHSfhgmfh.indd 5 01.10.10 14:14

oil & gas merger

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technicalassurance

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006 GL-energize-TechnicalAssurance-olHSolgmfh.indd 6 01.10.10 14:15

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Assurance under-pins everything GL Noble Denton offers. Our experienced multi-skilled teams and our proven software solutions provide certifi cation, verifi cation and inspection services.

02/2010 7

006 GL-energize-TechnicalAssurance-olHSolgmfh.indd 7 01.10.10 14:15

“Our Advantage is the Range of Technical Competences”

Paul Shrieve heads GL Noble Denton’s global business stream “Technical Assurance”. energize spoke with him about what he and his team have on offer

ENErGizE: Paul, what do you do when you

offer “technical assurance”?

PAuL ShriEvE: The Technical Assurance busi-

ness stream really consists of the traditional “core GL”

services. It is predominately related to certification or veri-

fication of oil and gas assets, whether they are onshore,

offshore or pipelines, and also associated inspection activi-

ties. This is during the design, fabrica-

tion, construction, installation and op-

erational phases of the asset lifecycle.

The inspection can take one of

many different forms. The verification/

certification process requires the wit-

nessing and auditing of the fabrication

and installation process of the select-

ed critical elements. These critical ele-

ments are, as a minimum, selected due

to their criticality to the safety of the

asset, although business and environmentally-critical fac-

tors play in increasingly important rule.

We also undertake projects were we act as the client

representative in more of a QA/QC role, possibly during the

construction of assets or even during the operational phase.

This is “second-party inspection” since do are not fulfill an

independent role as we do in the above verification/certi-

fication process.

ENErGizE: What are GL Noble Denton’s largest or most

important technical assurance contracts or projects?

ShriEvE: It’s fair to say that technical assurance projects

are now being undertaken by GL Noble Denton in all the

key oil and gas locations globally. We can now make this

statement, as I am pleased to say, that we have recently

been awarded our first major technical assurance project in

Houston. We will act as the independent verification body

of a new installation being project-managed from Houston.

The majority of our projects have traditionally come

from the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions. A good ex-

ample is our project for Burullus which spanned many phas-

es of the field’s development. As a result of our excellent

delivery and customer relationships we continue to support

the project today. Other Middle East clients include the Ad-

noc Group and its various subsidiaries, Qatar Petroleum and

Dolphin Energy.

In Asia Pacific, our clients include Daewoo, Talisman,

PetroVietnam, PTT Thailand, Carigali-Hess and Shell, and in

the Americas we have been working with PEMEX in Mexico

for a number of years. From Hamburg, we provide support

GL Noble Denton’s Techni-cal Assurance services are in compliance with agreed codes and standards such as:

GL Rules and Guidelines

National and international standards

Rules and guidelines of other third party institu-tions

Statutory requirements

SErvicE

8 energıze

technical assurance interview

008 Shrieve-olHSolfhgmfh.indd 8 01.10.10 14:15

to assist our GL colleagues worldwide to deliver technical

assurance services, and also as deliver projects directly as

was the case in the classification of the Sakhalin II project

for SEIC.

ENErGizE: in what regulatory environment do you

operate and who makes the rules?

ShriEvE: In some parts of the world there is a legal re-

quirement that the duty holder, generally the oil company,

has to employ the services of an independent verification

body (IVB). For example, in the UK sector of the North Sea,

the offshore industry is operated in compliance with safety

case legislation.

Within this legislation there is the requirement to im-

plement a verification process which should be verified by

an IVB. This is the role undertaken by GL Noble Denton.

This is a requirement during both the CAPEX and OPEX

phase. What we undertake is directly associated with the

duty holders’ ability to obtain and maintain their licence

to operate.

There are different regulatory bodies globally who cre-

ate the framework within which the industry must oper-

ate. In some cases this framework does not oblige the duty

holder to implement a verification or certification scheme,

however they chose to as it is recognized as an industry

best practise.

ENErGizE: Why do clients commission GL Noble Denton

to perform technical assurance services?

Technical assurance is a fairly well-defined and accepted

service. Our advantage is the range of technical compe-

tences. For example the pipeline expertise, the marine op-

erational and the structural expertise and the core inspec-

tions competences that came into GL with the acquisitions.

When you put all that together, there is a very deep and

broad technical knowledge base that we can avail our-

selves of. I don’t think that any of the other traditional

certification and verification companies can outdo us in

that respect.

Furthermore we can complement our technical assur-

ance services with specialist consulting support from other

areas of the company, to undertake detailed assessments,

and problem solving of identified plant issues. LB/SNB

ProfilePAuL ShriEvE is a technical engineer and

a proven manager in the energy sector

with business development, operations

management, and key account manage-

ment experience within the fields of safe-

ty, integrity and performance improve-

ment. In 2007 he joined Advantica as

Executive Director for the UK and Europe.

In 2008 he became Senior Vice-President

of Global Business Management for GL

Industrial Services and following the

reorganisation Senior Vice-President of

Technical Assurance for GL Noble Denton

at the beginning of 2010.

902/2010

008 Shrieve-olHSolfhgmfh.indd 9 01.10.10 14:15

Down the River Elbe, just before Stade: First

you see the four long columns reaching high

up into the air, 82 metres long and almost 4

metres in diameter each. They belong to the jack-up plat-

form “Thor”, named after the Nordic god of thunder. The

fl oating crane platform, 70 metres in length and 40 metres

in width, is on the way to Hamburg for its naming ceremony.

Shortly before reaching its destination, it has to pass under

two high-voltage lines spanning the Elbe. Here “Thor” pulls

its legs in a little and moves along the outermost edge of

the river – where the cables do not hang quite as low as in

the middle of the faiway. The manoeuvre is successful; the

way to the port of Hamburg is now free.

Huge dimensions.

The transportation

team aboard the

“Thor” platform.

Phot

o: J

örn

Iken

energıze10

technical assurance jack-up platforms

010 Thor-fhHSfhgmolfh.indd 10 01.10.10 16:13

growing market for offshore wind turbines, we are now

better positioned than ever before.”

The installation of the foundation structures is Thor’s

fi rst task and erecting the turbine it-

self will be the next major challenge.

The nacelle of a 5-MW turbine, which

has to be lifted 100 metres into the air,

weighs almost 300 tonnes. Depositing

this load onto the tower fl ange is as

much precision work as the pulling and

erection of the rotor star with blades of

50 to 60 metres in length.

To complete this demanding assign-

ment, the crane, which is able to lift 500 tonnes with an

outreach of 15 metres, needs a stable base – which brings

us back to the legs. This involves some heavy hydraulics, ex-

tending to the current limits of what is technically fea-

Long-Legged Haulage Service

The greatest potential for wind energy is to be found on the high seas. over the coming years, thousands of wind turbines will be erected here – viable technical solutions for ocean installation are already available

“Thor” is one of the world's largest jack-up platforms for the erection of wind turbines

The platform must be able to carry heavy loads and to withstand giant waves

Safety and efficiency: GL is responsible for Thor’s certification

ABSTrACT

“Thor” is one of the world’s largest jack-up platforms for

the erection of wind turbines on the high seas. The vessel

is owned by the construction company Hochtief AG, which

plans to install a whole series of offshore wind farms in the

coming years. “Thor” was classifi ed by Germanischer Lloyd.

“We have been occupied with this project since 2007,” says

Jochen Künzel, the GL Group’s project manager in charge.

“We were entrusted with the assessment and approval of

the design and responsible for monitoring the entire con-

struction process.”

Major Challenges

The new jack-up rig is needed urgently. Hochtief expects

that 800 offshore wind turbines will be installed annually in

Europe as of 2012. These units will be erected in the North

Sea, in water depths ranging up to 50 metres. Depending

on the depth in each case, there are different concepts

for the foundation structures to be used in anchoring the

wind turbines on the seabed:

monopiles are driven into

the ground, lattice struc-

tures – known as jackets

– or tripods that look like

enormous camera sup-

ports, are deposited and

fi xed to piles in the sea-

bed. “Thor” is equally well suited

to all concepts. Martin Rahtge, Chairman

of the Management Board of Hochtief’s Civil En-

gineering and Marine Works division, is pleased: “In the

Profi le. The crane is able to lift 500 tonnes with an

outreach of 15 metres.

1102/2010


sible today, says Künzel. “Thor” can push its legs right

down to the seabed, thus lifting itself out of the water. The

load to be borne here is 10,000 tonnes. Once it has been

elevated, the crane then has a fixed platform from which it

can perform its work precise to the millimetre.

Despite all the enormously heavy compo-

nents, the jack-up platform is independent of

the weather. “In operational mode, the signifi-

cant wave height can be 2.5 metres and the

wind is allowed to reach a maximum of 12 m/s.

As long as these limits are not exceeded, the

crane is able to do its work perfectly.”

“Thor” has its own propulsion unit, enabling it to move

autonomously from one plant to the next within the off-

shore wind farm, and to take up the correct position at the

erection site. “However, this is only a positioning system

using thrusters and developing an output of 3,000 kW,”

Jochen Künzel points out. “This means ’Thor‘ is far from

being a ship, and so SOLAS does not apply.”

Jochen Künzel first had to come to an agreement with the

responsible authority, BG Verkehr, on the right instrument

to be used for the certification. “The regulatory situation

remains rather unclear. In the end, we agreed on the Code

for the Construction of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units,”

says Künzel. “Strictly speaking, it doesn’t really fit, because

no drilling takes place on “Thor”. But the characteristics

of a jack-up platform – which is therefore a ‘self-elevating

platform’ in terms of the Code – are so dominant that

there were no objections.”

Impressive Technical Solutions

Challenging operational situations will certainly be en-

countered by “Thor”, Künzel explains. Much depends on

the composition of the seabed on which the gigantic legs

have to support the vessel. “After all, the hydraulics must

lift 10,000 tonnes out of the water. In addition, the tilting

moments produced by the wind and waves are substan-

tial,” is how he describes the possible risks. The situation

Impressive.

The jack-up platform

“Thor” on its way up

the Elbe towards

Hamburg – where

the new installation

platform for wind

turbines had its

naming ceremony.

TAXING Work.The hydraulics must lift 10,000 tonnes out of the water –

and the tilting effects produced by the wind and waves

are substantial.

Phot

o: J

örn

Iken

12 energıze

technical assurance jack-up platforms


GL GROUP EXPERT:

Jochen künzel

offshore Installation

Phone: +49 40 36149-7424

E-Mail: [email protected]

could become critical in the event of a “punch through” –

when one leg of the platform sinks into a part of the sea-

bed falsely considered to be hard enough. “For this rea-

son, the platform conducts a preloading test, in which it

puts down two diagonally opposed legs on the seabed and

presses itself up. In this way, we can simulate the worst

possible operating case,” says Künzel. Certifi cation of the

vessel includes the appraisal of such conditions by means

of global strength analyses. This also applies to the “sur-

vival mode”: the platform must be able to withstand giant

waves. For the North Sea, this is equivalent to a signifi cant

wave height of 10 metres – which corresponds to a maxi-

mum wave height of 17 metres.

The technical solutions to be seen on board “Thor” are

not the only impressive features it has to offer; the work-

ing and accommodation facilities are also exceptional. “We

carried out the certifi cation of the living and sleeping quar-

ters according to the Norwegian standard NORSOK,” Jo-

chen Künzel emphasizes. The members of the installation

crew, who work in shifts and remain on board for one to

two weeks at a time, are even able to make use of a fi tness

centre – assuming they still have the energy after fi nishing

a hard day’s work.

The reasons for the high-quality outfi tting of the ac-

commodation and leisure area is that “Thor” is also de-

signed for purposes other than the installation of offshore

wind farms in the North Sea and the Baltic. No one thinks

it is likely, but if gaps arise in the orderbook as a result of

delays in the planned expansion of offshore wind farms,

“Thor” is also fully fi t for service in the conventional off-

shore business. JI

Thor: Facts & FiguresThe vessel is one of the world’s largest jack-up platforms for the

erection of wind turbines. “Thor” was built at the Crist shipyard

in Gdańsk; THE oWNEr IS HoCHTIEF. The construction company

intends to push forward the development of offshore wind farms

in the North Sea through the use of the new jack-up platform

which was classifi ed by GL. Initially, “Thor” will be deployed in

the erection of BARD Offshore 1, northeast of the island Borkum.

CLASSIFICATIoN:

GL 100 A5 Self-Elevating

Unit, A - MC AUT

HULL DIMENSIoNS:

length: 70 m; width: 40 m;

height: 60 m

LEG DIMENSIoNS:

length: 82 m; diameter

(spudcans): 3.7 m (8.5 m)

oPErATIoNAL CoNDITIoNS:

draught (without spudcans):

3.5 m; draught (with spud-

cans): 7.4 m; operating depth:

50.0 m; payload: 3,300 t;

deck load: 15.0 t/m²;

hoisting capacity: 10,000 t

GEAr: heavy-lift crane

Liebherr BOS 14 000,

capacity: 500 t/15 m

MoorING WINCHES:

4 single winches,

each pulling 30.0 t

PoWEr SUPPLY: Diesel/electric,

total output: 5,010 kW

Technical Data

Perpendicular. The 82-metre legs of the

jack-up platform were visible from afar.

Phot

o: J

örn

Iken

1302/2010


14

technical assurance crane inspect ion

In a project involving the construction of three

ship-to-shore (STS) container cranes to be in-

stalled at the Greek port of Piraeus, GL No-

ble Denton’s Shanghai team had submitted a proposal for

quality assurance services last February, and won the con-

tract. “This is an important milestone for us, because for

the first time ever, we secured a contract with a COSCO

affiliate,” says Manfred Bernitt, Technical Assurance Man-

ager at GL Noble Denton’s Shanghai office.

The project also holds significance for Piraeus Container

Terminal S.A. (PCT), the buyer of the three STS container

cranes: PCT is the wholly-owned overseas container ter-

minal operation of COSCO Pacific whose ultimate parent

company is China Ocean Ship-

ping (Group) Company (COSCO).

COSCO Pacific holds a conces-

sion to operate Piers 2 and 3 of

the terminal facility at the Pirae-

us port, which serves as a bridge-

head in COSCO’s strategy to ex-

pand its global terminal network.

Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd (ZPMC) is the

manufacturer of the Piraeus cranes. “We have enjoyed an

excellent business relationship with ZPMC for some time and

were able to demonstrate our qualification and expert ise in

a number of other projects in the past,” Bernitt explained.

“This is why ZPMC provided GL Noble Denton with the

Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd.(ZPMC) is the manufac-turer of three cranes for Piraeus Container Terminal S.A.

GL Noble Denton's Shanghai office provided reliable services

abstract

Convincing Performance

a recent landmark project with a cOscO subsidiary enabled GL Noble Denton’s shanghai-based industrial inspection team to intensify its activities in the port machinery market

Phot

o: M

ondh

e

14 energıze

014 ZPMC Kräne-fhHSfhAKfhgmfh.indd 14 01.10.10 15:52

15

Inspection. ZPMC,

the manufacturer of

the Piraeus cranes,

commissioned

GL Noble Denton to

perform quality

assurance services.

1502/2010


technical assurance crane inspect ion

Phot

os: M

ondh

e

monitoring the workmanship, materials, procedures, fab-

rication, assembly, packing and preparation for shipment

of the cranes as well as on-site testing and commissioning

in accordance with the buyer’s specifications and contract

requirements. Fabrication and assembly were completed

on schedule at the ZPMC facilities in China, and so was

GL Noble Denton’s inspection work at the manufacturing

plant. The cranes are now on their way to Greece by ship.

GL ensured timely and successful delivery “thanks to the

combined efforts of all the team members and their volun-

tary overtime work,” said Wei.

opportunity to participate in the call for bids.” Earlier

GL assignments with ZPMC ranged from supervising the con-

struction of a 4000-t/h shiploader for the port of Fujairah in

the United Arab Emirates to material verifaction of steel struc-

tures for the Koniambo Mine Development Project in New

Caledonia. Another recent project the team was contracted

for covered the supervision of the construction of two ship-

to-shore cranes for the Egyptian port of Damietta.

This first-ever contract from PCT provided

GL Noble Denton with an excellent opportunity

to build recognition with the Greek customer.

An ambitious five-month time limit was set for

completing the project. “For a project of this

scale, we would have normally estimated seven months,”

says Bernitt. “But we made good on our commitment.”

Combined Efforts of the Experts

Three engineers were dispatched to the manufacturing site,

each one focusing on his specific field of expertise: mechan-

ical, electrical and steel structure engineering. David Chang

Wei, non-destructive testing expert and project manager

with GL Noble Denton, said he felt the GL team did an

excellent job in providing reliable, independent services. In

the contract, GL Noble Denton accepted responsibility for

type Of structure: ship-to-shore

container crane

rateD capacity: under telescopic spreader: 65 t

type Of cONtaiNers tO be haNDLeD:

20’/40’/45’

raiL GauGe: 30.5 m

Outreach: 65 m

backreach: 22 m

STS Cranes for Piraeus – Key Specifications

scheDuLe.An ambitious

five-month time limit was set for completing

the project. GL ensured timely and successful delivery.

Lift: 46 m (above

rail top), 17 m

(below rail top)

16 energıze


“The inspections went very well. The owner is satisfi ed

because we showed the necessary amount of fl exibility

while strictly adhering to the set principles,” Wei added.

He mentioned discussions regarding welding standards that

arose when the Greek engineer representing the ow ner

spelt out requirements the supplier found overly rigorous.

“We sat down to discuss this with the engineer and fi nally

agreed to the generally-recognized AWS D 1.1 standard,”

Wei recounted. “I was impressed by the smooth handling

of the communication process and the exchange of ideas.”

As a technical consultancy, GL Noble Denton is dedi-

cated to offering suppliers a variety of options in dealing

with specifi c challenges. At the same time, GL Noble Den-

ton ensures strict compliance with all contractual stipula-

tions. When it was determined that the personnel lift of

the Piraeus cranes did not meet the noise and vibration

requirements of the relevant standards, Wei and the other

team members were able to offer diagnostic suggestions,

drawing on their experience and know-how. “We recom-

mended having the rack and pinion teeth re-grounded and

then cleaned. By following this advice, the manufacturer

was able to deliver what is probably the best-possible per-

sonnel lift while acquiring know-how they will benefi t from

in future projects,” Wei explained.

Final Spurt in Greece

When the completed cranes arrive in Greece this October,

GL Noble Denton engineers will do their operational in-

spections on site in Piraeus, including all crane commission-

ing tests, load tests, passenger lift load tests and service

load tests. It will be the fi rst time for GL Noble Denton’s

Shanghai team to conduct a cross-border operation inde-

pendently. The next phase of PCT’s Piraeus construction

plans involves eight rail-mounted gantry cranes that will

expand the handling capacity of the container terminals.

-“We have just learnt this contract has been awarded to GL

Noble Denton, too,” Wei proudly announced. ZL

GL NOBLE DENTON EXPERT:

Manfred bernitt

technical assurance Manager shanghai

phone: +86 21 2308 3868

e-Mail: [email protected]

On-Site Service. Fabrication and assembly were completed on schedule at the ZPMC facilities in China, and so was

GL Noble Denton’s inspection work at the manufacturing plant.

1702/2010


Drilling in Deep WaterAs an Independent Verification Body and Quality Surveillance Provider, GL Noble Denton has been supporting various Burullus development projects since 2003

GL Noble Denton has pro-vided technical assurance services to the Burullus projects since 2003

GL Noble Denton is in charge of independent verification and quality inspections

ABSTRACT

la. Meanwhile, geologists believe the Delta and its adjacent

offshore area are analogous to other gas and petroleum-

rich deltas, such as those in Indonesia, the Niger River Delta

in West Africa and the Gulf of Mexico.

Ambitious Aims for all Participants

West Delta Deep Marine is owned by the Burullus Gas

Company consortium, a joint-venture company com prising

the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC),

Egypt’s national oil company, British Gas (BG) and Petronas.

Successful exploration and appraisal wells since 1997 have

resulted in the discovery of nine gas fi elds: Scarab/Saffron,

Simian, Sienna, Sapphire, Serpent, Saurus, Sequoia, Solar

and Sienna Up. The fi rst WDDM fi elds – Scarab/Saffron in

Some 90 kilometres from the Nile Delta shore-

line, in water depths of 250 to 1,250 metres,

lies West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM), Egypt’s

largest gas fi eld development area. The region and its geo-

logical horizons for natural gas came to attention in 1990,

when researchers discovered rich, high-quality gas deposits

in late Tertiary sands 2 to 5 million years

old, mainly in the Pliocene horizons, in

the Nile Delta.

These horizons extend far into the

deep waters of the Mediterranean Sea

to the north and north-west of the Del-

ta and the Western Desert, including

the offshore north of the Sinai Peninsu-

Successful Exploration.

A total of nine gas fi elds

have been discovered

off the Egyptian coast.

Scarab

Saffron

Saurus Sequoia

Sapphire

SerpentSolar

Sienna

Simian Cairo

18 energıze

technical assurance burul lus

018 Burullus-fhHSAKfhgmol.indd 18 01.10.10 14:17

enna offshore facilities consist of eight subsea wells tied into

the existing WDDM gas gathering network. In addition there

is a shallow water control platform.

Independent verifi cation services for the development

projects were placed into the hands of GL Noble Denton.

The next development phases of the West Delta Deep Mar-

ine area, called Phase IV, comprised eight additional wells,

fi ve of them in the Scarab/Saffron area, two in the Serpent

fi eld and one in the Sinbad fi eld.

Subsea Equipment

With two manifolds already in place and fl owline termina-

tion (PLET) and umbilical termination (UTA) points for each

of the eight existing wells located close to the respective

manifolds, the area is congested. The closest possible loca-

tion for the new northern manifold is more than 50 metres

away from either existing tie-in hub.

The subsea equipment for WDDM IV includes eight

horizontal subsea trees, two manifolds with subsea control

modules with 20-inch future connections, and four tie-in

spool bases (TSBs) with hubs for 23 jumpers and a 66-kilo-

metre, 10-inch diameter fl owline. Each Scarab/Saffron man-

ifold contains a 20-inch connection hub for the tie-in of

further wells. 68 kilometres of installed umbilicals deliver

power, low and high-pressure hydraulic oil and communi-

cations services to the subsea facilities.

Furthermore, the equipment for WDDM IV includes

one new subsea distribution assembly, eight wet gas fl ow-

meters and at least 18 fl ying leads. Well drilling was com-

pleted in 2007 and gas has been fl owing ever since. ZL

Drilling in Deep Water

600 to 800 metres of water – started production

in March 2003. The daily contract quantity is 633

million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) over

a period of at least 17 years.

In 2005 the Simian, Sienna and Sapphire fi elds

were added to increase production to the Liquefi ed Natural

Gas (LNG) plant at Idku on the Egyptian coast. Both of these

fi elds set records for the longest direct-to-beach tie-backs,

with Simian being 123 kilometres in length. The Simian/Si-

123 kilometres.

The fi elds set

records for the

longest direct-

to-beach tie-

backs.


Hisham El-Grawany

Country Manager Egypt

Phone: + 202 25287295/6/7/8


Phot

o: N

ASA

THE WEST DELTA DEEP MARINE (“WDDM”) Concession, located

approximately 90 kilometres off the north-western margin of the Nile

Delta, is being developed progressively to maintain current and future

gas supplies to the Egyptian domestic and export markets.

WDDM Phase VIII comprises an estimated 33 wells to be

developed in three stages; Phase VIII a, VIII b and VIII c, for comple-

tion during 2011, 2013 and 2015 respectively. Burullus appointed

GL Noble Denton to provide Independent Verifi cation Authority

(IVA) and Quality Surveillance (QS) services. The challenge:

INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION AUTHORITY

The scope of verifi cation scheme includes design, fabrication,

manufacture, offshore installation and commissioning. It will be

applied to all offshore facilitys SCEs (Safety Critical Elements)

associated with the WDDM Concession development projects, such

as subsea production trees, pipelines, jumpers, subsea manifolds

and structures, control systems and umbilical incl. fl ying leads.

QUALITY SURVEILLANCE (INSPECTION):

Provision of all quality disciplines

Quality Co-coordinator

Senior Quality Surveyors at vendors and manufacturers of subsea

production trees, pipelines, bends, umbilicals, controls, valves,

welding, NDT, coating, AUT.

Quality audits / surveillance programme, including Quality Sur-

veillance HSE Expediting.

CLIENT REPRESENTATIVES

GL Noble Denton can mobilize Vessel / Barge Rep’s during the

installation of equipment such as subsea production trees,

pipelines, umbilicals, control systems and sub-sea structures, as

well as for surveys and pre-commissioning.

Case Study

1902/2010

018 Burullus-fhHSAKfhgmol.indd 19 01.10.10 14:17

Data published by the UK’s Health & Safety

Executive (HSE) for the offshore industry in

the North Sea has highlighted that vibration

induced fatigue can be a major threat to pipework integrity,

concluding that fatigue/vibration was the primary cause of

over 20% of all hydrocarbon releases. In addition to the

health, safety and environmental concerns associated with

any process fl uid release, the consequences for plant oper-

ations and business performance due to pipework integrity

issues can be signifi cant, including unplanned shutdowns

Managing Pipework Vibration

Vibration is a significant threat to the integrity of process pipework, yet identifying plant at risk can be a challenge for operators of large diverse assets

and maintenance, vibration and noise problems, as well as

penalty clauses and other contractual obligations associ-

ated with failure to supply.

Screening Methodology

Tackling this issue on a process plant can be a signifi cant

undertaking, with many kilometres of process piping and

numerous welded and mechanical connections potentially

at risk. A structured screening methodology is therefore

essential to:

Phot

o: D

ream

stim

e

Typical approach for implementing a pipework vibration screening methodology

STAGE 2

Site measurements and assessment of risk to pipework

STAGE 1

Initial screening

STAGE 3

Detailed investiga-tions and develop-ment of solutions

20 energıze

technical assurance pipes

020 PipeVibes-fhHSfhgmfh.indd 20 01.10.10 14:17

During the initial screening, plant

areas that are likely to experience vi-

bration problems are identifi ed by

pinpointing the main vibration sourc-

es while assessing the relative risk for

planning subsequent investigations. Stage 2 then covers

investigation of these key areas, including vibration mea-

surements and a review of the as-installed pipework design

and condition. The fi nal stage concentrates on the loca-

tions which are of most concern. Detailed vibration

Managing Pipework Vibration Pipework vibration can be a significant threat to the integrity of process plants

Implementation of a struc-tured screening programme allows high priority areas to be identified and addressed

Detailed assessments are used to understand any problems identified and to develop solutions

ABSTRACT

identify the sources of vibration excitation;

identify pipework at risk and assess the relative

risk;

pioritize effort on areas of most concern;

consider the possible effects of changes in plant

operation.

An outline of the approach used by GL Noble Denton to

address the risk of pipework vibration issues on a large di-

verse asset, such as a gas processing plant, is shown below.

Risk. Vibration induced fatigue can be a major threat to pipework integrity

– it was the primary cause of over 20 per cent of all hydrocarbon releases.

2102/2010


measurement studies may be undertaken that cover

a range of plant operating conditions if necessary. Solutions

can then be developed to address the issues highlighted,

and validated experimentally or theoretically.

The approach defi ned in the publication from the En-

ergy Institute – “Guidelines for the avoidance of

vibration induced fatigue failure in process pipe-

work” – provides a framework for this screen-

ing methodology and is starting to be accepted

across the oil and gas industry as best practice.

However, these guidelines are primarily targeted

at offshore installations and process plants, and

therefore require further refi nement in some ap-

plications to account for specifi c issues, such as

assessment of the vibration risk on gas transmission facili-

ties and pipework.

GL Noble Denton has a team of engineers based in their

Loughborough offi ce in the UK who carry out

these assessments, and utilize a range

of vibration measurement equip-

ment for detailed studies to gain

MANAGEMENT.GL Noble Denton

implemented a structured

assessment methodology to identify problem areas and define

subsequent mitigation actions.

an understanding of the cause of any failures. Recently this

expertise has been applied to screening of vibration prob-

lems on several gas-fi red power stations, and a strategy

is in the process of being implemented for an operator in

North Africa with onshore and offshore gas production fa-

cilities.

Case Study: Offshore and Onshore

For one UK client with onshore and offshore facilities, this

expertise was used to satisfy the requirement to manage

the risk of potential vibration problems in response to rec-

ommendations by the safety regulator. To meet this objec-

tive, GL Noble Denton implemented a structured assess-

ment methodology to identify problem areas and defi ne

subsequent mitigation actions for the main pipework and

small bore connections.

The initial site survey consisted of a walk-round visual

review of the site processes and pipework, fol-

lowed by basic vibration measurements

and assessment of the likelihood of

failure of any connections. This Phot

o: D

ream

stim

e

22 energıze

technical assurance pipes


Stress. Fatigue failure at

the upper fl ange of a

small bore connection.

A Crack evident at weld

toe

B Fracture face showing

growth of fatigue crack

C Small bore connection

with blank fl ange

Fatigue Failure

Figure 1 shows an example of a failure on a small bore

connection on the PIPEWORK OF A GAS COMPRESSOR. The

failure was detected by the release of gas into the com-

pressor building through the crack in the weld between

the upper fl ange and pipe section. The subsequent inves-

tigation confi rmed that this was a fatigue failure DUE TO

EXCITATION of the second mode of vibration of the small

bore connection by forces relating to the blade passing fre-

quency of the compressor at certain operating speeds. This

problem had evidently been occurring over a long period,

as corrosion on the fracture face suggested the crack had

been growing intermittently.

A

C

B

the upper fl ange of a

small bore connection.

A Crack evident at weld

toe

B Fracture face showing

growth of fatigue crack

C Small bore connection

with blank fl ange

C

exercise identifi ed key problem areas for immediate reme-

dial action and further investigation, allowing effort to be

focused on the highest-risk areas in subsequent stages.

Immediate recommendations included improvement of

ineffective pipework supports, addressing maintenance is-

sues, and design changes for vulnerable small bore con-

nections that were highlighted to be at risk of failure. Sub-

sequent detailed assessment to analyse the problems and

develop solutions included installation of monitoring equip-

ment to assess the behaviour of the compression plant over

its full operating range, and during transient events such as

pipeline cleaning sphere arrival.

This ongoing project is successfully demonstrating to

the UK HSE that the risk of vibration-related pipework fa-

tigue failure is being adequately managed across the cli-

ent’s facilities. TM/PI


Dr Toby Miles

Senior Consultant – Asset Management

Phone: +44 1509 282284


2302/2010


oil & gas merger

Pho

to: N

ASA

dynamic positioning

energıze24

024 GL-energize-DP-olHSgmfh.indd 24 01.10.10 14:17

Dynamic Positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system that automatically maintains a vessel’s position and heading. GL Noble Denton provides DP assurance services, including failure mode and effects analyses (FMEA) and failure mode, effects and criticality analyses (FMECA).

02/2010 25

024 GL-energize-DP-olHSgmfh.indd 25 01.10.10 14:18

The use of of dynamic positioning in offshore

projects is growing. An increased number of

DP vessels are already operating in the Gulf of

Mexico and will be required for offshore wind farm instal-

lation in Europe and Asia. In addition, vessels and rigs are

becoming larger. The industry is increasingly approaching

dynamic positioning operations from a risk awareness per-

spective. A number of organizations are taking a close look

Very Dynamic Progress

the year 2010 sees some fundamental regulatory changes for dynamic positioning

at the regulatory framework. Classifi cation societies are

publishing updates to their dynamic positioning (DP) rules

as they do on a regular basis, but some of this year’s chang-

es go a bit further than usual. The effects of changes to the

relevant classifi cation society rules normally have a limited

impact because they tend to affect ships in that class only.

However, changes in class rules can level the playing fi eld,

thus providing the DP vessel owning community with more

energıze26

dynamic positioning overv iew

026 Overview-olHSolfholfhgmolfh.indd 26 01.10.10 14:18

choice. 2010 also sees the fi rst steps in a potentially radi-

cal approach to create a government-run regulatory and

inspection regime for DP applying to all DP vessels operat-

ing within a certain jurisdiction. This is happening in the

United States. The scope is wide and encompasses design

and engineering standards for DP vessels, DP operating

standards and DP training standards. These rules will fall

within the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) scope of

inspection for vessels sailing under the US fl ag as well as

foreign fl ags.

We should also turn our attention to

the International Marine Contractors As-

sociation (IMCA) who will, as usual, be

publishing new guidance documents for

the DP sector as well as revising existing

guidance, including the M103 “Guide-

lines for the Design and Operation of DP

Vessels”. IMCA are also reviewing and

updating their guidance on Annual DP Trials. This is likely to

refl ect changing patterns and the increasing importance of

annual DP trials in the DP sector.

Required Reference Standards

Over the past twenty years, the international trade associa-

tion representing offshore, marine and underwater engi-

neering companies has built up a valuable source of guid-

ance documents for the DP sector, accessible to members

and non-members alike. Much of the IMCA guidance is

referenced in company management systems and is found

on the bookshelves of a large number of DP vessels regard-

less of fl ag or location. Oil and gas companies frequently

use IMCA guidance as required reference standards

With the growing use of DP and a rising market demand, DP moves into the centre of attention

This year, several changes to regulatory documents have taken place or are being made

abstract

Magical Precision.

Dynamic Positioning

enables fl oat-over

installations of top-

sides in a fraction of

the usual time.

2702/2010


in pre-contract selection processes. For example, the

IMCA CMID inspection process is currently regarded by

clients, including most oil companies, as the preferred in-

spection tool for DP and other vessels. However, 2010 has

seen the implementation of an alternative process. This is

the OCIMF initiative – OVID – (Offshore Vessel Inspection

Database) which is now gaining a foothold among oil com-

panies. Whether two different inspection processes can co-

exist comfortably in the future and still meet the industry’s

apparent need for a common standard is yet to be seen.

Truly Independent Nature

IMCA’s pre-eminent position as a principal source of DP op-

erational guidance to the industry may soon be challenged:

The US-based DP Committee of MTS (Marine Technology

Society) is set to publish wide-ranging guidance on DP op-

erations. This is planned to be presented at the MTS DP

Conference in Houston in October this year. This MTS ini-

tiative is quite independent from what is happening at the

USCG although there is some cross-fertilization of ideas

between the two groups. The truly independent nature of

MTS, it is after all a non-profit technological society serving

no particular special group, should give it a better-than-

average chance of succeeding with its guidance. This is a

new venture for the MTS DP Committee and, if successful,

could lead on to more.

Target Date 2012

Finally, 2010 sees the continuation of the process at IMO

to include DP training and experience standards in the on-

going comprehensive review of STCW. It is expected that

standards for DP will be included in Part B, and hence will

not be mandatory. Each administration will, as ever, inter-

pret its responsibilities in its own way and will

develop its own response, whether it be in the

form of regulation, guidance or some other

measure. The target date for completion of the

revision of STCW is the summer of 2012.

It is too early at this stage to determine

what effect the inclusion of DP in STCW will

have on the DP sector. Many in the sector are

already suspicious of STCW certification and are likely to

remain suspicious after the inclusion of DP.

With the increasing use of dynamic positioning and a

rising market demand, dynamic positioning moves into the

centre of attention of a number of organizations. This year,

several updates and changes to DP regulatory documents

have taken place or are still being made. An intensive dia-

logue within the industry is currently going on, advancing

technological development and enhancing safety.

This text is based on a paper presented at the

European Dynamic Positioning Conference in May 2010.

source.The industry uses IMCA guidance as required reference standards in pre-contract selection processes.

Inspection. A US Coast Guard Officer

inspects the emergency alarms during

an annual inspection of a foreign

vessel.

Phot

o: U

SCG

28 energıze

dynamic positioning overv iew


Growth of Activity

Probably the most radical development with the greatest potential to affect the DP community in the us, also potentially worldwide, is currently taking place in the united states

The proposed rule-making covers three areas:

DP design and engineering, DP operations and

DP training. The process has begun and there

appears to be a tight timetable for its development and in-

corporation as a “Code of Federal Regulation” (CFR). This

2010 initiative is a reinstatement of the stalled 1999 ef-

fort to regulate DP in the US. A limited measure was put

in place in 2003 by the USCG. Penalties for contravening

a CFR are scaled depending on the se-

verity of the contravention and extend

from financial penalties (fines) through

to seizure of the vessel and on to im-

prisonment.

Since 2003 the USCG has witnessed

an almost exponential growth of activi-

ty in the DP sector offshore, particularly

on the OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) of the Gulf of Mexico.

In 2010 almost every OSV that attends rigs and platforms

in the Outer Shelf is DP Class 2 and even in the shallow

waters of the inner shelf the number of DP OSVs is increas-

ing. This is in addition to the rapid rise in the number of DP

drillships and MODUs, accommodation units, construction

vessels, pipelayers and decommissioning vessels, etc.,

The NOSAC prepares recom-mendations for rule-making in design and engineering, operations and training

The DP sector should watch developments in the US and be prepared for other coastal states following suit

abstract

Phot

o: iS

tock

phot

o

2902/2010

dynamic positioning us rules


almost all of which are DP-classed. This has given

rise to a situation where the USCG inspectors, who are

charged with the responsibility for maintaining safety and

environmental standards in US waters through regulatory

compliance inspections, are not in a position to properly do

so, since they have no regulatory basis for DP

inspections. This absence of a regulatory basis

in DP is a hole that the USCG is intent on fill-

ing. The US inspection regime requires all ves-

sels, whether under the US or foreign flags, to

be subjected to annual Coast Guard inspection

prior to issuance of a COI (Certificate of Inspec-

tion) for US-flagged or a COC (Certificate of Compliance)

for foreign-flagged vessels.

The USCG has entrusted the National Offshore Safety

Advisory Committee (NOSAC) with preparing recommenda-

tions for rule-making in the three designated areas: design

and engineering, DP operations and DP training.

NOSAC delivered their recommendations to the US

Coast Guard at the end of June 2010. NOSAC were re-

quired to deliver their recommendations to the Coast

Guard by the end of June 2010. Currently, NOSAC’s rec-

ommendations are being considered by the USCG. Now,

the real process will start towards creating the rules and

their incorporation into a CFR. That process will include

review opportunities for industry and other special groups

and interests, including environmental groups and Wash-

ington lobbyists.

oVID www.ocimf-ovid.com/microsite

ocIMF www.ocimf.com

IMca www.imca-int.com/

DP www.dynamic-positioning.com/

relateD eVents Mts DP Houston 12–13 October

IMca annual MeetIng 23–24 November

aDIPec 1–4 November

Infos & Events

Results. During the annual inspection marine safety officers inspect all parts of a

vessel for safety regulations and also look for environmental hazards.

uscg.The US inspection regime requires all

vessels to be subjected to

annual Coast Guard inspection.

Phot

o: U

SCG

30 energıze

dynamic positioning us rules


NOSAC consists of industry-wide interests and is not

limited to US based representatives. These industry-wide

interests include oil companies, drilling contractors, ves-

sel owners, equipment manufacturers, technical societies,

training institutions, trade associations and consultants.

The work of the NOSAC working groups has been con-

fi dential in its detail. However, in broad terms there appears

to be a move towards recognizing a considerable amount

of DP guidance already in the public domain, as well as in-

dustry practices that have proven to be successful in con-

trolling and mitigating DP incidents. For example, it is likely

that the NOSAC working group on DP design and engineer-

ing recommended to the Coast Guard that they adopt large

tracts of IMO MSC/Circ 645.

Extending the Scope

The group that deals with DP operations is also likely to rec-

ognize existing industry wide guidance as well as existing

oil company practices which may exceed or differ from the

provisions of industry-wide guidance and classifi cation so-

cieties. For example, this may be the case with the NOSAC

recommendations in relation to annual DP trials. In DP

training it is likely that existing training and certifi cation ar-

rangements, such as the internationally recognized NI DPO

certifi cation scheme, are included in NOSAC’s recommen-

dations, along with additional recommendations for vessel-

specifi c familiarization and training and for extending the

scope to cover engineering and electrical disciplines.

It should be emphasized that this current DP rulemak-

ing initiative pre-dated the Deepwater Horizon disaster by

many months. The path towards DP rulemaking in the US

as described above appears to be unstoppable. The DP sec-

tor should watch developments in the US and be prepared

for other coastal states, especially those that have deepwa-

ter oil and gas fi elds and rely on DP drillships and MODUs,

DP construction and other DP applications, to follow the

American example.


cpt. Joe Hughes

Dynamic Positioning

Phone: +1 281 6101090


Safety. The rapid rise in the number of DP drillships and MODUs, accommodation units,

construction vessels, pipelayers and decommissioning vessels call for a new regulatory basis.

Phot

o: D

ream

stim

e (l)

; Mar

cusr

oos

(r)

3102/2010


Decisions and Choices

classification society germanischer lloyd (gl) has updated its dynamic positioning rules. a brief description of theamendments and changes

A new version of the Rules for Dynamic Pos-

itioning Systems was published by Germa-

nischer Lloyd in May 2010. The updated rules

account for latest experience in DP projects. In addition,

they highlight the importance of the redundancy concept,

a design requirement for class notations DP 2 and DP 3.

The GL DP Rules are based on IMO MSC/Circ. 645

“Guidelines for Vessels with Dynamic Positioning Systems”

dated 6 June 1994, which still applies unchanged. The

owner or operator of a DP vessel has to make several deci-

sions and choices in preparing for DP classifi cation:

The owner / operator must defi ne the environmental

conditions and operational modes for DP operation,

e.g. by means of a DP capability analysis.

The owner / operator must specify the period for ter-

minating a DP operation safely after a single failure.

The operating area for the vessel must be defi ned as

a prerequisite for determining the DP Class Notation.

The DP class notation required for a particular opera-

tion should be agreed upon between the owner of the ves-

sel and the charterer, based on an analysis of the conse-

quences of loss of position during the operation. Depend-

ing on the specifi c dynamic positioning operational require-

ments, one of the DP notations (DP 0 to DP 3, related to Phot

o: iS

tock

phot

o

energıze32

dynamic positioning gl ru les


the respective IMO equipment class acc. to MSC/Circ. 645)

may be assigned by Germanischer Lloyd.

DP 0 anD DP 1: Loss of position is possible after a sin-

gle failure.

DP 2: Loss of position will not occur after a single fail-

ure in any active component or system.

DP 3: Loss of position will not occur after a single fail-

ure in any active or static component or system. This in-

cludes the loss of one compartment due to fi re or fl ooding.

The class notation only relates to the loss of position

aft er a single failure as defi ned above. It is not linked di-

rectly to the accuracy of the positioning of the vessel, nor

does it specify any conditions the system must fulfi l. Accu-

racy typically depends on optimal adjustment of all involved

DP system components, which is primarily achieved by fi ne-

tuning the software in the DP control system.

The Redundancy Concept

To save time and money during the construction phase, it

is essential to defi ne the redundancy concept as early as

possible during the design phase.

It makes sense for the redundancy concept and the

worst-case failure design to account for the operating

modes (e.g. the work to be carried out, such as pipe

Rough sea. High

safety standards

and clear rules

help seamen to

master difficult

situations.

3302/2010


laying, crane work, supply, transit, etc.) and the op-

erating conditions (e.g. environmental conditions for work,

lifting, etc.) during the design phase to allow for appropri-

ate design modifi cations. In the new GL

DP Rules, this is supported by the early

approval of the redundancy concept.

Defi ning Technical Challenges

The fi rst section of the new rules pro-

vides many defi nitions to form a com-

mon basis of understanding in this spe-

cial fi eld of shipbuilding. The following

defi nition updates may serve as examples:

DP caPabIlItY analYsIs: A theoretical calculation and

a polar plot representing the vessel’s capability to main-

tain position under specifi c wind, wave and current condi-

tions and directions. These conditions should be consid-

ered sepa rately for different thruster combinations, e.g. all

thrusters, loss of the most effective thrusters, WCF.

reDunDancY concePt: The means whereby

the design intent for coping with a worst-case failure is im-

plemented.

Worst-case FaIlure DesIgn Intent (WcFDI):

The worst-case failure design intent of a DP system is the

single assumed failure that serves as a basis for defi ning the

design and operating conditions. It usually involves simulta-

neous failure of several thrusters and generators.

sIngle FaIlure concePt: The single failure concept

assumes one single failure as the initiating event of an un-

desired occurrence. Simultaneous occurrence of several in-

dependent failures is not considered. However, common

mode failures are to be examined.

Worst case FaIlure (WcF): The single failure mode

identifi ed in the DP system that would have the great-

est conceivable effect on DP capability. It is determined

through FMEA.

The defi nitions of the documents required for approval

have been modifi ed and extended, especially so for nota-

The GL DP Rules 2010 ac-count for latest experience in DP projects

One of the DP notations 0 to 3 may be assigned by GL

During the service life of the vessel, the DP system must be tested annually

abstract

34 energıze

dynamic positioning gl ru les


tions DP 2 and DP 3. These modifi cations af-

fect the area of redundancy, i.e. the redundan-

cy concept and the Failure Mode and Effects

Analysis (FMEA), including the trial programme.

The FMEA and related trial documentation are

the main approval documents required for class

notations DP 2 and DP 3. They can be prepared by a body

such as GL Noble Denton.

A novelty in the GL DP Rules is the option to assign

both notations (DP 3 / DP 2) to a vessel so that either no-

tation may be used in specifi c DP operating confi gurations

as appropriate. This enables operators to ensure effi cient,

optimal power output and distribution as required for the

given operating parameters.

New Details for Innovations

Section 3 of the GL Rules explains surveys and tests to be

carried out during construction. A factory acceptance test

for the DP control system has been added. Furthermore, a

full integration test may be required by GL, depending on

the degree of technical innovation and the complexity of

the DP system. Apart from the standard survey, a heat run

for all thrusters and an endurance test of no less than four

hours of continuous operation are required.

The main practical verifi cation for DP 2 and DP 3 sys-

tems is done in an FMEA proving trial pursuant to an ap-

proved trial programme. This trial serves to verify the theo-

retical results of the FMEA document.

During the service life of the vessel, the DP system must

be tested annually. DP annual trials may be conducted in-

dependently from the annual class surveys. It is suffi cient

to submit the documentation of the DP annual trial to GL.

For the class renewal survey due every fi ve years, the

complete FMEA proving trial has to be repeated in the pres-

ence of a GL surveyor. Upon any major modifi cations of the

DP system, a test of either the modifi ed parts or the entire

system is required, depending on the given circumstances.

For DP 2 and DP 3 vessels, the FMEA is a critical safety

item and therefore a “living” document that must be up-

dated as necessary. As a key document, it provides the DP

operator with guidance on corrective action in case of fail-

ure. It also allows engineers to determine how temporary

removal of a component or system, e.g. for planned main-

tenance, will affect redundancy. US

FMea.The Failure Mode and Effects Analysis is one of the main approval documents.

GL MARITIME EXPERT:

uwe supke

automation, germanischer lloyd Maritime

Phone: +49 40 36149 9200


Classic. Light taut

wire, the oldest posi-

tion reference system

used for DP is still

very accurate in rela-

tively shallow water.

Phot

os: B

oH

3502/2010


”Nowadays almost every new Offshore Vessel has DP Capability“

bob thomson, gl noble Denton’s group Director Dynamic Positioning, about the challenges with DP and when vessels are “fit for purpose”

energIZe: Dynamic Positioning (DP) is the

hot topic at the moment. What does

gl noble Denton offer?

tHoMson: GL Noble Denton offers DP auditing and en-

gineering consultancy associated with new designs and

upgrades. We also perform fl oat-overs with dynamic po-

sitioning. The auditing involves annual audits, suitability

inspections and FMEAs – Failure Mode and Effects Ana-

lysis audits. We also provide specialist consultancy related

to feasibility, design and upgrades/refurbishment. It is a

growing market. The vessels are larger, more capable and

more complicated than ever. Nowadays almost every new

offshore vessel has DP capability.

energIZe: to which vessels does dynamic positioning

apply?

tHoMson: Today, basically every offshore service vessel

uses dynamic positioning. This is especially relevant for

windfarm installation vessels. But it’s not just ships. There

are also DP semi-submersibles and drillships. Why the lat-

ter? If an operator wants to drill in 5,000 feet of water,

he can’t possibly use a conventional mooring arrangement

using anchor chains, because the water is too deep. So he

uses a DP unit which automatically and very precisely holds

its position to allow drilling operations to be undertaken. It

is not connected to the seabed and just keeps its position

for weeks at a time.

energIZe: What is the actual the challenge with DP?

tHoMson: There are many, but one is certainly whether a

vessel is “fi t for purpose”. Let me give you an example: A

shipowner wins a long-term contract and goes to a ship-

yard and orders an expensive DP vessel. The shipyard will

build it, complying with the general standards of class and

other statutory bodies, but often this may not involve a

specialist DP audit company at the outset to check the de-

sign.The shipowner is reliant on the capability of the ship-

yard and his own experience. The shipowner’s client will be

the oil company who will have specifi c tasks in mind for

the vessel and will generally demand an independent audit

from a trusted service provider such as GL Noble Denton to

make sure that the ship will be fi t for purpose.

Prior to the contract, or perhaps on delivery, the vessel

will be given a full third-party audit, normally an FMEA, to

36 energıze

dynamic positioning interview


make sure the vessel is compliant with the specifi cations of

the contract. There is defi nitely a cost benefi t of involving

a specialist DP consulting company at the outset to ensure

that the vessel they build is going to meet the demanding

standards of the international market. SNB

GL NOBLE DENTON EXPERT: robert W. thomson

Dynamic Positioning

Phone: +1 832 3006718


Bob Thomson.

GL Noble Denton’s

Group Director

Dynamic

Positioning.

PerformanceIn addition to the many feasibility studies,

GL Noble Denton has performed these fl oat-overs

to date:

Bunga Raya A topside (DP assistance)

Bunga Raya E topside (DP assistance)

Rong Doi topside (DP)

EGP-3A topside (moored)

Bunga Orkid A topside (DP)

Umm Shaif CSP-1 topside (DP)

Umm Shaif UAP topside (DP)

Umm Shaif CP-1 topside (moored)

Maersk Oil Qatar – BG topside (DP)

Maersk Oil Qatar – BE topside (DP)

Dynamic Positioning Consulting & Assurance

GL Noble Denton’s global DP team provides

fi rst-class support in oil and gas wherever you

are. Our services include design and analysis of

redundancy concepts for Class 2 & 3.

GL Noble Denton’s FMEA & FMECA is used on

all types of offshore support vessels around the

world – from drillships to offshore supply

vessels including: diving equipment, ballast

systems, pipelay equipment, bow loading

systems, heavy lift cranes.

GL Noble Denton provides global DP support

with local resources in all regions supported

from a “Centre of Excellence” in Aberdeen,

Scotland.

Rong Doi.

Bunga Orkid A.

Maersk.Umm Shaif UAP topside.

Phot

o: A

li Ba

dri

Phot

o: K

en D

oerr

Phot

o: D

aejo

o

3702/2010


oil & gas merger

Pho

to: i

Sto

ckp

ho

to

consulting

Offering consulting across the entire asset lifecycle, GL Noble Denton combines exceptional engineering and analytical skills with operational experience of offshore and onshore oil & gas assets.

energıze38

038 GL-energize-Consulting1-olHSolgmfh.indd 38 01.10.10 14:19

02/2010 39

038 GL-energize-Consulting1-olHSolgmfh.indd 39 01.10.10 14:19

Badplaas

Secunda

Middelburg

METHANE RICH GAS

NATURAL GAS

METHANE RICH GAS

NATURAL

GAS

Witbank

Johannesburg

Pretoria

Vanderbijlpark

Lenasia

Randfontein

Newcastle

Volksrust

MatsuluKomatipoort

Maputo

Richards Bay

Durban

Miramar

SWAZILAND

SOUTH AFRICA

MOZAMBIQUE

Secunda

Badplaas

Newcastle

Volksrust

Johannesburg

Pretoria

Lenasia

40

consulting sasol

AFRICA

MAP SECTION

Connection. The South African

national transportation network

with more than 2,000 kilometres

of high-pressure gas pipelines.

40 energıze

040 Sasol-fhHSfhgmololfh.indd 40 01.10.10 14:19

Badplaas

Secunda

Middelburg

METHANE RICH GAS

NATURAL GAS

METHANE RICH GAS

NATURAL

GAS

Witbank

Johannesburg

Pretoria

Vanderbijlpark

Lenasia

Randfontein

Newcastle

Volksrust

MatsuluKomatipoort

Maputo

Richards Bay

Durban

Miramar

SWAZILAND

SOUTH AFRICA

MOZAMBIQUE

Miramar

41

Sasol Gas operates and maintains the South

African national gas transportation network

with more than 2,000 kilometres of high-

pressure gas pipeline, including the 865-km cross-border

pipeline linking the gas fi elds in Mozambique to the Sasol

Gas network in South Africa. Currently the network deliv-

ers more than 120 million gigajoules of gas per year to over

541 customers in the industrial regions

of Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-

Natal and Northern Free State. Sasol

Gas markets two separate types of gas

through their gas transmission network:

natural gas produced in Mozambique,

and methane-rich synthetic gas manu-

factured in the Sasol Synfuels plant in

Secunda. Sasol gas realized that manag-

ing a growing, complex gas transmission network effectively

requires state-of-the-art pipeline management systems.

With a software portfolio based on world-leading pipeline

simulation technology and broad experience in implement-

ing similar systems for major gas pipeline clients throughout

the world, GL Noble Denton was able to demonstrate it was

the right partner for this project.

Working together with Sasol Gas, GL Noble Denton en-

gineered a solution that not only meets the current require-

ments of the growing Sasol Gas gas transmission network

but will also handle its future needs. GL Noble Denton’s gas

management system is based on the Stoner Software suite.

The accuracy of simulation provided by the SPS/Simulator

is unsurpassed by any other product available today. A real-

time, simulation-based solution is particularly suited to the

dynamic operating nature of gas transmission networks. GL

Noble Denton’s SPS software suite supports a wide variety

of applications that can provide major benefi ts throughout

a gas pipeline company’s organization. Sasol Gas identifi ed

a number of key business issues which required addressing

in order to operate the pipeline network in a safe and ef-

fi cient manner. These included:

balancing the volume of gas across the entire value chain;

managing unaccounted-for gas;

A dynamic gas transmis-sion network requires a state-of-the-art pipeline management system

GL Noble Denton engi-neered a sustainable solution

aBStraCt

Ensuring Gas Supply Reliability in South Africa

By implementing a software solution tailored to the client’s needs, Gl noble Denton enabled South african Sasol Gas to operate its pipeline network reliably, safely and efficiently

4102/2010


consulting sasol

instruments which are used to drive the real-time, fully-

transient mathematical simulation model of the pipeline

network. The results from the simulation model are used

for a wide range of pipeline applications supporting all ar-

eas of the gas pipeline business.

Gas capacity or line pack is one of the key parameters

that gas controllers require in the daily operation of the

gas network, however it is through the use of advanced

predictive simulation tools that the gas controller can gain

the greatest benefits. The operations department also uti-

lize the online and predictive functions of the SPS model to

carry out the following operations:

leak detection;

pressure monitoring;

operational forecasting;

line pack analyses;

operational optimization;

composition and quality tracking;

pig and scraper tracking.

Marketing/System Support

The marketing department uses SynerGEE Gas for long-

range planning to validate potential new business and con-

duct what-if studies regarding debottlenecking solutions

for future gas delivery needs. Marketing is also concerned

with identifying customers who could take gas at rates be-

yond what their current contracts and nominations mandate

which may be difficult to recognize using current methods.

Software Solution

The pipeline management system that was installed at

Sasol Gas combined two products from GL Noble Denton’s

Stoner family of pipeline simulation software.

SynerGee GaS is a simulation package with multiple

modules which is used extensively in the design and plan-

ning of gas pipeline systems. It is used for both transmis-

sion pipelines and distribution networks.

Stoner PiPeline Simulator (SPS), a fully-transient

simulation package with multiple modules, is used for on-

managing a rapidly developing gas network;

optimally utilizing the existing infrastructure to service

existing customers;

Quantifying of spare capacity.

Sasol and GL Noble Denton worked together to define the

requirements for the new system, ensuring that the needs

of all stakeholders were met. The resultant solution was

a totally integrated gas management system consisting of

identical on- and offline simulation tools using common

simulation engines. Access to the system is through a web-

based graphical user interface that provides data access

across the whole Sasol Gas organization. The main users of

the system were identified as follows:

Engineering

SPS offline was utilized by the engineering department for

piping design, station design, as well as meas-

urement station design. Typical engineering ac-

tivities would include:

pressure and throughput analyses;

velocity analyses/pig tracking;

gas temperature analysis, heaters/conden-

sate prediction.

Gas Planning

SPS on-line and predictive functions are used by the planning

department to undertake network analysis, cost analysis, as

well as intermediate and long-term gas planning including:

throughput a pressure analysis;

multiple scenario capability;

contract compliance monitoring;

availability and survival analysis;

scheduling.

Operations

The Operations Group is the primary user of the on-line

pipeline management system. The system resides in the gas

control centre where it is connected to the pipeline SCADA

system and gathers information from the field measuring

SCaDa. Supervisory Control

and Data Acquisition, a technology using software to enable

realtime monitoring and control of infrastructure

systems, industrial plants and facilities.

42 energıze


line and offl ine simulations of gas pipeline systems, primari-

ly transmission pipelines. The application modules selected

for the Sasol Gas project included Leak Finder, Look Ahead

Model, and Planning Predictor. The SPS Operational Inter-

face is a web-enabled graphical user interface allowing in-

formation to be displayed directly through a web browser

on any PC connected to the Sasol gas network. Access is

tightly controlled through a comprehensive security system

built into the operational interface.

Project Implementation

A project team of Sasol Gas, Sastech, BCX (the Sasol Gas

IT consultant) and GL Noble Denton was established and a

number of key project stages were defi ned:

meterinG StuDy – The need for a detailed study on

the existing high-pressure fi scal metering system was iden-

tifi ed. GL Noble Denton validated the systems, identifying

potential areas of improvement.

DetaileD DeSiGn – A detailed system design study

was undertaken to defi ne the required system functionality

and architecture. Interfaces with other corporate systems,

including SCADA, metering systems, the ERP environment

etc. had to be defi ned to allow the systems to exchange

data. All of the project stakeholders were engaged in a se-

ries of workshops to ensure that all of the system require-

ments were included in the fi nal, detailed design.

imPlementation – A truly multinational team from

GL Noble Denton Software Solutions were involved in the

project, including resources in the UK as well as Mecha-

nicsburg and Houston. Final acceptance testing took place

towards the end of 2009, followed by an intensive training

programme for system users. AW


andrew Wilde

Software Solutions

Phone: +44 1509 28 2381

e-mail: [email protected]

Stoner Software by GL Noble Denton

SynerGee GaS – netWorK moDellinG anD analy-

SiS – SynerGEE® Gas, a general-purpose modelling tool for

gas piping networks, models and analyses complex, closed-

conduit transmission and distribution pipeline systems consist-

ing of pipes, regulators, valves, compressors, storage fi elds and

production wells. Used extensively in the design and planning

of gas pipeline systems, SynerGEE combines the features of the

most advanced pipeline simulation software commercially avail-

able with the ease and familiarity of a Windows-based operat-

ing system. These modules include the Customer Management

Module to link SynerGEE with the existing Customer Informa-

tion Services, Model Builder which lets you import, fi lter and

query data from multiple external GIS sources, and the Area

Isolation Module which allows you to choose an area to isolate

for emergency planning, maintenance or other scenarios.

Stoner PiPeline Simulator (SPS) – GL Noble Denton’s

Stoner Pipeline Simulator is the worldwide leader in transient

fl ow simulation for liquid and gas pipelines. The GL Noble

Denton pipeline simulation suite provides a complete range

of simulation solutions from the design and planning desktop

through operator training and qualifi cation, and into online

systems including leak detection and predictive simulation.

Using new technologies and innovative architectures, SPS

easily handles any combination of scenarios including control

system analyses, equipment performance analyses and pressure

fl ow capacity analyses with user-defi ned levels of complexity.

Transmission Networks. The basic challenge for operators is

balancing the changing conditions of supply and demand.

4302/2010


44

consulting fpso

Integrity is Crucial

The durability of FPSO mooring systems can be improved by optimizing the de-sign and integrity management. The results of a joint industry project (JIP) were presented at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston last May

Floating, production, storage and offl oading (FPSO)

systems are used for offshore oil and gas exploration and

development. These fl oating systems allow access to deep-

water and remote reserves.

In 2009 about 130 FPSO units were operating world-

wide and many more are planned. “A fl oating rather than

fi xed asset is a major integrity step change,” says JIP man-

ager Brown. Floating hulls often have additional and com-

plex interacting systems, some of which are linked to the

safety-critical issue of station-keeping. “The project ad-

dresses a number of areas that are of particular concern

with regard to mooring/station-keeping integrity, and is

feeding the results back to the operators,” Brown adds.

Failure Detection System

“For the fi rst time, the JIP has introduced a method to evalu-

ate the extent of combined wear and corrosion affecting

“The challenge of achieving consistent moor-

ing integrity for FPSOs requires operational ex-

perience and stringent analysis of all available

data,” says Martin Brown, FPSO expert at GL Noble Den-

ton in Aberdeen. “Improvements are necessary in the areas

of design and integrity management.”

This is one of the results of Phase 2 of

a joint industry project on mooring in-

tegrity. The project has again brought

to the fore the importance of mooring

integrity, which has led to improved

offshore inspection and condition mon-

itoring.

The OTC paper presents the steps that

have been initiated to improve mooring durability in terms

of both design and integrity management, based on opera-

tional experience.

FPSO mooring systems are subject to high loads and constant fatigue loading for an extended duration

Improved inspection and condition monitoring ensures integrity

ABSTRACT

energıze44

044 MooringIntegrity-fhHSol_e2_AKolfhgmolfh.indd 44 01.10.10 14:21

45

chains over time, based on the predicted motion of the ac-

tual fl oating structure,” says the FPSO expert. This “Comley”

model (named after the project engineer) allows a more ac-

curate assessment to be made of the accumulated effects

of wear and corrosion. It is important to be able to evaluate

the loss of steel, since this will infl uence when a mooring

is no longer fi t for purpose. “Some mooring systems are

designed for 25 years or more of continuous opera-

tion. This is a tough challenge for any mechanical

system,” says Brown.

More and more FPSO operators are realizing

the commercial and safety benefi ts of a mooring

line failure detection system which helps to assess

whether all mooring lines are properly intact at

any given time. The project reviewed the state of

the art in line failure detection systems. “The sta-

tus and maturity of the technology has improved,”

says Brown. Nevertheless, detecting failures, particularly for

existing units with internal turrets, represents a major chal-

lenge. More fi eld testing is required to come up

with improved and reliable designs.

An investigation has been carried out into

the phenomenon of microbiologically infl u-

enced corrosion (MIC) on mooring components,

which can accelerate local corrosion signifi -

cantly. For the fi rst time, it has been shown that MIC can

be an issue, but much more data is needed to defi ne

the extent of the problem; operators need to be

GL Noble Denton has been involved

with more than 100 mobile off-

shore production units since the

fi rst FPSO unit ever built, Petrojarl 1

in 1984, including more than 15

newbuilding projects, 20 conver-

sions and 65 studies. With experts

on hull, structural, mooring, turret

and marine systems, living quarters,

and safety and utility modules, GL

Noble Denton takes on all phases

of the project from conceptual

and front-end engineering design

to detail design, site management

and asset integrity management.

GL Noble Denton FPSO Achievements

MIC. Microbiologically influenced corrosion on mooring components can be a problem for operators.

Growth. In 2009 about

130 FPSO units were

operating worldwide

– and many more are

planned.Phot

o: D

ream

stim

e

4502/2010


consulting fpso

need to be improved. Monitoring campaigns offer verifi ca-

tion of design and analysis assumptions, correlation of fa-

tigue analyses plus instantaneous and continuous integrity

monitoring. “The most important message is probably to

plan what you intend to do with the data beforehand and

then to follow through with the process so that maximum

benefi t can be obtained from the data,” JIP project man-

ager Brown sums it up. “Collecting data without interpreta-

tion and checking for trends is a wasted opportunity. Thor-

ough examination allows potential issues to be detected

early before they develop into very expensive problems.”

Brown continues: “The JIP has demonstrated that

through close collaboration between all sides of the supply

chain it is possible to accelerate the mooring integrity learn-

more prepared to share data. The project has pro-

duced guidance on selecting optimal materials for long-

term mooring components, accounting for hardness, sur-

face properties, chemical composition and microstructure.

In addition, mooring system inspection guidance has been

developed for non-mooring specialists, enabling them to

glean as much insight as possible from remotely operated

vehicle (ROV) inspection videos.

There is a vast array of ROVs available for survey work.

Selecting the right type for a particular survey is a complex

task that not only needs to consider the scope of work

but also the general availability of ROVs and

the suitability of the vessel used to deploy the

ROV. Smaller ROVs can now be launched over

the side of the actual FPSO unit itself, and some

are now suffi ciently powerful to clean off ma-

rine growth. This can help reduce the cost of

inspection operations signifi cantly. The guid-

ance document includes specifi cations for lights and cam-

eras, which can infl uence the quality of the recorded im-

ages considerably.

A guidance document on monitoring and recording sys-

tems produced by the project assists operators by maximiz-

ing the benefi t gained from recording data. This data helps

to improve mooring response prediction tools, which still

SERVICE. A guidance

document on monitoring and

recording systems helps to maximize

the benefit of recording data.

The 25th FPSO Research ForumGL Noble Denton will host the 25th

FPSO Research Forum in Aberdeen,

UK in October. More than 150 ex-

perts will meet for the four-day

conference, which will include a

number of “Joint Industry Project”

(JIP) Steering Committee meet-

ings. The mission of the forum is

to identify the common techni-

cal issues facing those involved

in designing, fabricating and op-

erating FPSOs and to foster JIPs to

tackle these issues for the com-

mon good of the industry. As a

public event, the FPSO Forum on

Wednesday, 13 October will discuss

“Human, System and Ageing

Effects on FPSO Integrity”.

OTC. Members of the

Mooring Integrity

Session at the Offshore

Technology Conference

in Houston.

energıze46


ing process and, at the same time, tackle areas of key expo-

sure, such as mooring line failure detection and MIC. Our

work on improving inspection strategies for mooring systems

should help to identify anomalies before they get a chance

to become safety-critical”.

Summary of Findings

This JIP has attracted the support of 38 organizations. GL

Noble Denton runs the present JIP and reports to a steering

committee made up of world experts including operators,

regulatory authorities, classifi cation societies, designers

and manufacturers plus service and inspection companies.

The full paper, titled “Phase 2 Mooring Integrity JIP -

Summary of Findings”, which is part of the OTC conference


Martin Brown

Consultant Naval Architect

Phone: +44 1224 289 108


Contents of the Summary Paper

proceedings, was written by Martin G. Brown, Andrew P.

Comley and Morten Eriksen from GL Noble Denton, as well

as Ian Williams, Wood Group Engineering (North Sea) Ltd;

Philip Smedley, BP Exploration Operating Company Limit-

ed and Subir Bhattacharjee, ExxonMobil Production Engi-

neering. Phase 1 of the mooring integrity JIP highlighted a

number of important mooring integrity challenges for the

offshore industry. Phase 2 was launched to address these

challenges. A third JIP phase is in the planning stage. MB

Defi nition of a practical method to estimate wear/cor-

rosion based on calibration using fi eld measurements

Feedback on the break testing of worn components

The infl uence of proof load on fatigue endurance

Material compatibility guidance

Inspection guidance for ROV operators

Review of the effects of Microbiologically Infl uenced

Corrosion (MIC)

Guidance on how to monitor station-keeping perfor-

mance and what to do with the data received

Summary of mooring line failure detection options


Inspection.

Remotely operated

vehicles are in use for

failure detection.

Phot

o: D

ream

stim

e

Phot

o: F

ilm-O

cean

02/2010 47


Technical due diligence is a process carried

out by independent, third-party experts to

identify, mitigate and control technical risks

throughout a project, from its concept to completion.

During the Beijing workshop, which was chaired by Dav-

id Rowan, Managing Director Execution Services at GL

Noble Denton, senior GL Noble Denton executives and

senior executives from West LB and Standard Chartered

Bank provided in-depth information on the subject. The

workshop was attended by over 40 representatives from

leading Chinese banks, financial institutions, energy

companies and the media.

“Currently the offshore industry is a very healthy area

to do business in,” said David Rowan. Countries like Brazil,

Russia, India and China need energy to fuel their growth,

driving developments both onshore and offshore. Rising oil

prices further boost this trend. Rowan said the recovery

from the global recession will free up capital for project

funding.

The Offshore Promise

“There has been a huge boom in the construction of jack-up

rigs around the world, and there is a continuing need to

replace retired units,” said David Rowan, assessing the po-

tential for the offshore exploration market. As the offshore

industry goes into deep water, semi-submersibles and drill

ships will be needed for exploration and development. An-

other factor is offshore renewable energy, such as wind

Drilling Rig. Emerging markets need energy to fuel their growth, driving developments both onshore and offshore.

Phot

o: B

P

48 energıze

consulting due di l igence

048 DueDilligence-fhHSfhfhgmfh.indd 48 01.10.10 14:21

Finance, West LB AG, said that the biggest part of the capi-

tal is raised in the form of debt or construction loans from

banks. “Typically you can raise up to 80% of the project

cost in debt,” he said. Equity accounts

for 10% to 30% in typical deals.

Hertel continued that a project

budget needs to be mapped out care-

fully before approaching the financial

markets. “The crucial role of the inde-

pendent engineer during the due-dili-

gence phase is to demonstrate that the

assumptions underlying the proposed

project are conservative and feasible and will support the

budget,” said Hertel.

The Confidence BuildersTechnical due diligence is indispensable for project financing, especially for offshore projects that are technically sophisticated. In a joint one-day workshop in Beijing on 27 April, GL Noble Denton, West LB and Standard Chartered Bank explained keys for for successful project financing

The financing of major off-shore projects is big business

GL Noble Denton provides project structure reviews, yard audits, design, speci-fication reviews and execu-tion plan reviews and other due diligence services

ABSTrACT

farms, where specialized installation and maintenance

ships are needed.

Project Finance

Project finance is a method of raising long-term debt

financing for major projects, based on lending against the

cash flows generated by the project alone. “It is tied to a

specific asset whose repayment source comes from its cash

flow,” explained Paul Clifford, Director and Head of Project

Finance, Standard Chartered Bank. “In 2009, almost 300

billion US dollars of project finance capital was raised

globally across about 700 different transactions.”

In his presentation on capital structures for project fi-

nance, Claus Hertel, Executive Director – Energy Structured

According to Claus Hertel, West LB AG,

offshore oil production has increased

by 22% and GAS proDuCTIoN By 55%

since 2000.

Annual offShore expLorATIoN AND

proDuCTIoN expenditure is expected

to increase from 250 billion US$ in 2007

to over 350 billion US$ in 2012.

GL Noble Denton’s David Rowan, an in-

dustry veteran with over 40 years experi-

ence in the marine and offshore industry,

expects A 40% INCreASe IN offShore

rIG DemAND over the next five years.

Floating Production and Storage Units

(FPSO) have experienced mASSIve

GroWTh over The LAST TeN yeArS,

with more growth predicted. Five large

projects are to be initiated this year, and

up to 75 new FPSOs will be needed over

the next five years.

Offshore Trends

Growth. A great

number of new

FPSOs will be

needed over the

next years.

Phot

o: B

P

4902/2010


Paul Clifford of Standard Chartered Bank addressed

a different aspect of the due-diligence process. “The due

diligence requirements serve to assure that the project can

be completed on time and on schedule, will operate as

expected and will generate cash flow as projected,” he

said. A thorough feasibility study and a reasonable allo-

cation of the project risks are keys for successful project

financing, he added, listing five risk areas for

project finance: construction and completion

risks, project contract risks, operational risks,

legal, social and environmental risks, and finan-

cial and commercial risks.

Independence Is Key

“Project finance typically requires assessment by

an Independent Engineer (IE) or Technical Advisor (TA) as

an inherent requirement of the funding,” said David Row-

an. The independent engineer works under the direction of

the lender but keeps in close contact with the owner. His

work is subdivided into two main phases: due diligence

and monitoring.

The due diligence phase takes place once the project

has been set up and structured. The independent engineer

scrutinizes the design of specific units, their fitness for the

given purpose and their conformance with contract require-

ments. In addition, the IE assesses the technical expertise of

the proposed shipyard.

In the second phase, independent engineers monitor

the ongoing works at the shipyard, preparing progress re-

ports based on site visits and document reviews. Once the

equipment is in operation, the independent engineers verify

whether it performs properly and lives up to expectations.

Podium. Expert

David Rowan

(l.) at the Off-

shore Industry

Technical Due

Diligence

Workshop at

the Raffles

Beijing Hotel

close to the

Forbidden City.

Due DILIGeNCe.GL Noble Denton

supports clients in their assessment of

technical and commercial risks of

major oil and gas projects on- and

offshore.

Platform.

Large-scale

projects need

sound

finan cing.

Phot

o: G

azpr

om

50 energıze

consulting due di l igence


are investing heavily in offshore development, and Chi-

nese yards have displayed increasing competence in semi-

submersible and drill ship construction. Rowan belives ten

years from now China may take the lead in this area. On

the other hand, there may be overcapacities, in which case

a qualified independent engineer can help lenders and

owners identify the best contractors.

GL Noble Denton has facilitated the financing of several

projects launched in China, drawing on its offshore exper-

tise. For example, GL Noble Denton provides project struc-

ture reviews, yard audits, design reviews, specification re-

views, execution plan reviews, milestone confirmations, and

other due diligence services for the construction of several

drillships and semi-submersibles in Yantai.

The workshop was wrapped up by David Rowan who

conveyed the essence of technical due diligence by quoting

Ronald Reagan as saying “You hope for the best, but you

plan for the worst”. zL

The key requirement for all technical due diligence

work is independence and impartiality. Rowan said that his

creed has always been: “We have to say what we believe

to be the truth.”

John Tate and Paul Braden, two Directors of Technical

Due Diligence at GL Noble Denton, went into further detail

concerning the work of independent engineers. Mr Tate

discussed project planning and research in view of mar-

ket fundamentals, technology, project execution philosophy,

planning, initial risk and cost control. He also addressed

items an independent engineer must review in a shipyard

audit, such as shipyard capabilities, management issues,

yard facilities, production control, quality assurance, secu-

rity, etc. Mr Braden elaborated on three financial criteria

an independent engineer must keep in mind: revenue gen-

eration, costs and financial performance. In two additional

presentations, Braden discussed design issues in technical

due diligence as well as items to consider when reviewing

shipyard and charter contracts.

Promising Chinese Market

The offshore industry in China is relatively young, but its

potential for growth is tremendous. Chinese shipyards

Project finance is a method of raising long-term

debt financing for major projects, based on LeND-

ING AGAINST The CASh fLoWS generated by the

project.

Project finance is not a new concept. In the 19th

Century, the English road system and numerous rail-

way, water, gas and electricity projects were funded

uSING prIvATe SeCTor moNey.

Finance for natural resources projects, from which

many modern project finance techniques are drawn,

developed in the Texas oilfields in the 1930’s, and

later in the DeveLopmeNT of NorTh SeA fIeLDS

in the 1970’s.

Project finance has accelerated its development over

the past 20 years. In 2009, almost 300 BILLIoN uS

DoLLArS of projeCT fINANCe CApITAL was raised

globally across about 700 different transactions.

Most of the capital raised is used to fund EPC con-

tracts (eNGINeerING, proCuremeNT AND CoN-

STruCTIoN) and Owner Furnished Equipment (OFE).

Project Finance

GL NOBLE DENTON ExPERT:

David rowan

managing Director execution Services

phone: +713 5434319,

e-mail: [email protected]

5102/2010


“When you are standing in front of an attorney

who asks you what steps you have taken to

mitigate the risk of an accident and you can

say ‘Sir, we have taken this equipment to the only facility

on the face of the Earth that can reach the flow rates we

require’, you feel a darn sight more comfortable with your

test programme.” This was the comment from the project

manager of a major sub-sea safety valve manufacturer fol-

lowing tests in the slam shut test rig at the GL Noble Den-

ton Flow Centre in County Durham, UK. During the test

work, the valve proved capable of shutting off a gas flow

of 137 metres per second at 55 bar in

3 seconds. This is the highest flow rate

available world wide for this type of test.

Uncertainty and Traceability

Manufacturers and operators of gas

flow meters require calibrations to dem-

onstrate that their products are accurate

and that the uncertainty can be quanti-

fied. A small discrepancy in the indicat-

ed flow may mean that significant differences are reported

between producers and buyers. For instance, an error of

0.1% on a typical flow of 5,000 actual cubic metres per hour

(acmh) represents an annual deficit of 1.7 million euros.

A World-Class Facility

GL Noble Denton’s Flow Centre is the one facility where safety and financial risk are mitigated in full-flow high-pressure testing

Manufacturers and op-erators of gas flow meters require calibrations to dem-onstrate that their products are accurate

The Flow Centre is the only facility for full-flow high-pressure testing of sub-sea safety valves

abstraCt

On even higher flows, this deficit will be significantly great-

er – it doesn’t pay to gamble with your gas.

It is an essential requirement that the measurements

taken during a calibration can be traced to international

standards. The Flow Centre uses several routes to trace-

ability. The reference turbine flow meters used on site are

sent to Europe each year for calibration against the Inter-

national High Pressure Volume Flow Standard. In this way

the meters are directly traceable to the lowest possible flow

uncertainty in the world. Temperature, pressure and electri-

cal calibrations are carried out on-site in the UKAS-accred-

ited Calibration Laboratory, which holds standards directly

traceable to UK national standards. Using this facility has

eliminated the dependency on external calibration labs and

reduced the uncertainty of the secondary instrumentation

used on site. Laboratory activities also include a managed

Unique Facility. The Flow Centre is the only vertical test

rig in the world for full-flow high-pressure gas tests.

52 energıze

consulting test ing

052 Flowcenter Spadeadam-olHSfholgmfh.indd 52 01.10.10 14:22

These effects can be captured in the high-speed data logging

system for analysis and incorporation into future models.

GL will be commissioning an extra bank of

reference meters in the autumn to cope with

the increased turn-down range of the latest ul-

tra-sonic fl ow meters. This will ensure that the

site can maintain its position as the leading Eu-

ropean test site for large meters and also allow

the latest generation of sub-sea fl ow meters to

be accommodated in a purpose-built test line,

accessible with large-capacity cranes. This test

line will also be used to calibrate large mass fl ow meters

required when CO2 metering becomes an important indus-

try requirement. DB

orifi ce plate calibration and storage service to clients with a

diverse metering portfolio. Due to its quality and consisten-

cy, the calibration lab is the preferred choice for high-pres-

sure instrument manufacturers who are required to supply

a calibration certifi cate with their equipment.

Specialist Test Work

With a fl exible site layout and experienced technicians, the

Flow Centre is ideally suited to construct test rigs for a vari-

ety of high-pressure tests. In addition to sub-sea safety valve

testing, a sand erosion rig has been developed to test valves

and piping geometry under real-life conditions. With the

higher sand content found in the wells now being exploited,

there is an increased risk to the integrity of pipework and

equipment. The effects can be modelled with CFD packages,

but the results need validation to ensure that the parameters

and assumptions used in the model are correct.

Pressure drop trials on fi lter assemblies and pipework lay-

outs can be conducted to endorse design calculations or pro-

vide data for more extensive arrangements. Whilst classical

calculations and computer simulations are essential to devel-

op ideas, unexpected effects may occur due to complex fea-

tures or properties which may not be adequately modelled.

Risk Assessment. Pipelines

are exposed to extreme

and potentially hazardous

physical forces.

Located near the UK National Grid

Bishop Auckland compressor sta-

tion, the Flow Centre was originally

a test facility for British Gas. The

Flow Centre has been in operation

for over thirty years. Today it is one

of the LEaDING CaLIbratION Lab-

OratOrIEs IN tHE WOrLD, and

the leading European test site for

large fl ow meters. Its capabilities in-

clude calibration of HIGH-PrEssUrE

Gas FLOW MEtErs and a wide

range of instruments, as well as

tEstING PIPELINE COMPONENts in

real operational conditions. In the

discrete, secure location, high-fl ow

custody transfer meters are routine-

ly calibrated by a team of highly-

qualifi ed experts who know how to

CONtrOL tHE EXtrEME aND PO-

tENtIaLLY HaZarDOUs PHYsICaL

FOrCEs at work during these tests.

Testing at the GL Flow Centre helps

the clients to reduce fi nancial risk.

GL Noble Denton Flow Centre Experience.

The Flow

Centre has

been in oper-

ation for over

thirty years.

alistair Milne

Project Engineer, GL Flow Centre

Phone: +44 1388 724039


GL NOBLE DENTON EXPERTS:

David brown, General Manager spadeadam

test site & GL Flow Centre

Phone: +44 1697 749138


VaLIDatION.Sand is fed into the erosion rig in a single pass which ensures that the particles are not rounded off, ensuring that the GL tests are as close to the operational scenario as possible.

5302/2010

052 Flowcenter Spadeadam-olHSfholgmfh.indd 53 01.10.10 14:22

54

consulting mopu

54 energıze

054 Mopu-ol_e2_AKolHSfholfhgmfh.indd 54 01.10.10 14:37

55

The MOPUstor (Mobile Offshore Production

Unit and Storage) platform was built by SBM

Offshore, a subsidiary of GustoMSC, at Adyard

in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Completed in May 2010,

the platform weighs 12,500 tonnes. Upon its arrival in Nor-

way, its legs will be fitted at an in-shore location before

the unit will be taken to the offshore well site where it will

lower its legs onto the seafloor and jack itself up above

the water line. The oil from its subsea storage tank will be

transferred to tankers through a submerged loading sys-

tem (SLS).

How to Haul a Colossus

In Egersund Basin in the North Sea, 100 km off the coast of Norway, Talisman En-ergy is about to install a MOPUstor jack-up platform to develop the YME oil field. The catch: The unit was built in far-away Abu Dhabi. Experts from GL Noble Denton made sure the challenging transfer from the yard to the dry-transport ship went smoothly

The transport of the MOPUstor to its load-out location

and the load-out onto the dry-transport vessel for the voy-

age to Norway were technically very challenging and re-

quired utmost engineering skill. At the yard, the unit was

transferred onto a specially mod-

ified bottom-reaction, semi-sub-

mersible barge that had been fit-

ted with side sponsons forward

and coupled with a large hinged

secondary support barge aft to

partially support the weight of

the module. With a final floating

displacement of 28,600 tonnes –

the complete unit was 139 me-

tres long and 85 metres wide at the water line (98 metres

overall) at a maximum draught of 5,20 metres and

Precision Job.

Manoeuvring the behe-

moth down Mussafah

Channel was a complex

challenge.

The MOPUstor jack-up platform for the YME oil field off Norway was built in Abu Dhabi

The transfer from the yard to the sea transport vessel was a major engineering challenge

GL Noble Denton played a key role in ensuring the safe transfer

ABSTrAcT

5502/2010


consulting mopu

astrous consequences for the integrity of the module.

Furthermore, ongoing dredging operations for the near-

by new Mussafah Channel added to the complexity of

the move because they had a continuously changing lo-

cal effect on tidal time predictions. Tidal gauges were set

up to monitor the change in tidal predictions and ensure

up-to-date data was available to the tow masters. SBM

Offshore gave invaluable support throughout this data

gathering process.

with an air draught of 55 metres – this was by far the

largest vessel ever built in Abu Dhabi.

Narrow Channel

SBM Offshore called on the local knowledge and tow-

age expertise of GL Noble Denton’s Abu Dhabi office to

supply two tow masters for the voyage out, prepare a

concise towage manual and look after all marine aspects.

The tow masters faced numerous obstacles and chal-

BAThYMETrIc SUrvEY. The water depths and ocean floors were analysed to ensure accurate and reliable data.

Off to Norway. Excellent sea

and weather conditions

were key requirements for

successful load-out.

lenges to complete this operation in a safe and efficient

manner, given the draught and size of the MOPUstor

unit. It was also essential for the unit to clear the Mus-

safah Channel, which is subject to very strong

tidal currents, by nightfall.

The initial, narrow section of the chan-

nel had not been officially surveyed since

1986. A full bathymetric survey, study-

ing the water depths and ocean floors, of

the 18-mile channel was completed to en-

sure accurate and reliable water depth data. It was de-

termined that the transit was tide-bound and could

only be completed safely during certain tidal win-

dows. Any grounding of the barge would have had dis-

Additional complications resulted from ongoing con-

struction work for a new bridge across the channel. Pre-

passage the channel lateral buoys required repositioning,

and coordination and cooperation with the construction

contractors and port authorities was needed to ensure that

operations were shut down temporarily for transit. Maxi-

mum clearance through this area at water level was just

40 metres.

For the day of the move the entire channel, which is

critical for the supply of all Abu Dhabi offshore drilling op-

erations as well as various shipyards and EPC contractors,

was closed to all vessel movements to ensure that no traffic

would be encountered during the passage down the Mus-

safah Channel.

56 energıze


a.m., Captain David Wells, assisted by Captain Morvan Le

Dorven, Senior Surveyor from GL Noble Denton, as well as

fi ve towing vessels, manoeuvred the complete unit from

Adyard Mussafah, completed a 180-degree turn and pro-

ceeded down the channel. The wind and tidal conditions

were favourable. The 18-nautical-mile Mussafah Channel

transit was competed in less than 6 hours. The tow was

then taken 20 nautical miles offshore to the “Mighty Ser-

vant 1” load-out position.

Successful Finale

At first light the following morning, weather conditions

were acceptable for the load-out and, after rearrang-

ing the towing vessel configuration, the MOPUstor was

This project has underlined the versatility of GL Noble

Denton in tackling all aspects of complex offshore opera-

tions and in providing clients with comprehensive expertise,

and thereby, the level of comfort and confi dence they need.

The feedback GL Noble Denton received from its clients

speaks for itself: “The operation was a great success and GL

Noble Denton was instrumental in this achievement.” MLD

NOTE: GL Noble Denton’s sub-contractor Chris Lovett did all the lead-up work but he was not able to attend during the tow.


Morvan Le Dorven

Marine Operations consultant and Surveyor

Phone: +971 2 44298704653


The MOPUstor, including all support barges, was to be

loaded out onto the semisubmersible dry-transport vessel

“Mighty Servant 1” for the voyage to Norway. Owned by

Dockwise, Mighty Servant 1 is one of the largest carrying

vessels on the market. The wind and sea conditions would

be critical for open water towage and for the load-out op-

eration. Two separate, independent weather forecasts were

constantly monitored to ensure the stipulated weather cri-

teria would be adhered to. On 12 August 2010 at 06.05

carefully manoeuvred alongside and loaded out onto the

“Mighty Servant 1”. This was reportedly the largest-dimen-

sioned load ever carried on board this ship; its final deck

clearance was less than one metre forward and zero aft

with substantial overhangs either side. The load-out op-

eration took approximately five hours and followed a care-

fully planned procedure. After deballasting for the voyage,

the final MOPUstor transport weight was approximately

23,000 tonnes.

OWNEr: Dockwise

BUILDEr: Oshima Shipbuilding Co.

Ltd., Oshima, Japan

IMO NUMBEr: 8130875

TONNAGE: gross tonnage (GT) of

29,193 tonnes / 40,910 metric tonnes

deadweight (dwt)

LENGTh: 190.03 m (623.5 ft)/

174.70 m (573.2 ft) b.p.

BEAM: 40 m (130 ft)

DrAUGhT: 4 m (13 ft) (minimum)/

8.77 m (28.8 ft) (sailing)/

26 m (85 ft) (submerged)/

14 m (46 ft) (maximum cargo)

DEPTh: 12 m (39 ft)

DEPTh OF hOLD: 50 x 16 x 7.5 m

[160 x 52 x 25 ft]

hATch: 31 × 14.6 m [102 × 47.9 ft]

Mighty Servant 1

5702/2010


The CLV “Nexans Skagerrak” was the first

purpose-built ship to be designed specifically

for the transport and installation of submarine

high-voltage cables and umbilicals. There are to date only

two vessels of this kind in the world. The conversion was

initiated by the owner, cable solutions supplier Nexans, to

increase the vessel’s capability to per-

form more demanding cable and um-

bilical installation tasks as well as to

provide a service life extension.

Throughout its life, the vessel has

been constantly upgraded and new sys-

tems have been added, but this conver-

sion is the largest and most complicat-

ed upgrade to date. The available time for the actual con-

version was limited due to the vessel’s busy schedule, so

three months construction time had to suffice.

Increasing Capability

Nexans engaged GL Noble Denton in Sandefjord to manage

this conversion, who provided a team for project manage-

ment, design and construction follow-up. The scope of the

conversion included improved loading condition, enhanced

deck facilities, as well as increased and upgraded accommo-

dation facilities. The loading condition enhancement was

done by lengthening the vessel by 12.5 metres. The new

hull section was prefabricated to save conversion time, and

the Cammel Laird yard Birkenhead, United Kingdom, had

to prefabricate some 800 tonnes of steel before the vessel

arrived for the actual conversion work. The work included a

totally reworked global strength as well as stability calcula-

Ready for Operation. The upgraded “Skagerrak”.

Elongating of a Cable Laying Vessel

Starting a new life: The cable laying vessel (CLV) “Nexans Skagerrak” was recently relaunched after

a successful conversion and upgrade

The cable solution supplier Nexans initiated the con-version of its CLV “Skager-rak” to meet the changing needs of customers

The owner engaged GL Noble Denton to manage the conversion

abSTraCT

58 energıze

consulting ship convers ion

058 Skagerak-olHSgmfh.indd 58 01.10.10 14:22

and facilities that needed to be interfaced during the in-

sertion of the new hull section, as well as the general

challenge to get new and old systems to fit together as

one seamless unit.

The GL Noble Denton team covered all the phases of

this conversion, namely the conceptual design and concept

selection, preparing yard specifications, evaluating a pro-

posed yard, the naval, structural and marine systems design

as well as the safety systems design. GL Noble Denton pro-

vided the yard supervision and was responsible for all class

and as-built documentation. ØT

This article was first published in “Ship + Offshore” magazine.

tions and design of all steel structures for hull strengthen-

ing in addition to the extension plug itself. The upgrade in-

creased the ship’s deadweight from 7,886 to 9,373 tonnes.

After the conversion, the vessel has a perpendicular

length of 112.25 metres. A new 2,000-m2 work deck was

fitted on board to accommodate requirements for increased

storage and to accommodate additional cable

laying equipment. This work also included some

modifications of existing cable laying equipment,

fitting new deck cranes and an upgrade of the

on-deck safety systems, including fitting of two

new lifeboats and lifeboat stations. Domestic

and service areas such as mess room, dayrooms

and galley were refurbished in addition to an

increased number of single cabins to 60, includ-

ing the fitting of one accommodation module with 17 sin-

gle cabins, which was prefabricated to save conversion time.

Coordinating New and Old Systems

The work performed was reported to be complex both

due to the limited time and the large amount of systems

Oxmx mxis. GLMillibus. Tin

nam latem eicto doluptae

idunto estenis est quam,

quaes inus et harumqui

ProjeCT.The first task for the ”Skagerrak”

is laying of 292 km of HVDC cable for the BP

Valhall Power from Shore

project in the North Sea.

Change. An additional

accommodation module

and a new work deck

have been installed.

GL NObLE DENTON ExpERT:

Øyvind Thoresen

engineering Manager

Phone: +47 33 447051


5902/2010

058 Skagerak-olHSgmfh.indd 59 01.10.10 14:22

oil&gasxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxaround the world

projects in brief Nord Stream Gas for Europe

Oktopus Know-how to Investigate Deep Sea Areas

baltic sea Pipe-laying operations for the Nord Stream subsea gas pipeline project, which will connect Russia and the European Union via the Baltic Sea, have begun re-cently. The 1,220-km pipeline will be capa-ble of supplying enough gas for 26 million households in Europe. GL Noble Denton, Department Plant and Pipelines in Ham-burg has been tasked to conduct various safety studies to ensure optimal pipeline routing and maximum safety, including: study of potential interference with ship-

ping, evaluating the probabilities of acci-dents in close vicinity of the pipeline route;

assessment of potential emergency an-choring and grounding near the pipeline;

investigation on the optimal burial depth of the pipelines inside the Greifs-walder Bodden up to the border of the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

to maintain ease and safety of shipping; assessment of possible interference with

a planned offshore wind farm in the “Adlergrund” area; evaluation of military training areas in

the course of the pipeline routing; study of the draught of shipping traffic

in the German EEZ and the risk of po-tential interference with the pipeline.

These studies have been of particular importance since the Baltic is a relatively shallow, highly sedimented, largely en-closed sea. All parties involved are work-ing hard to assure that the Nord Stream pipeline, which is due to come fully on line in 2012, will not inflict any further envi-ronmental harm on the Baltic or interfere with ship traffic.

germany GL’s Pressure Vessels and Under-water Technology department has recently certified a research vehicle for deep sea use up to 6,000 metres. The epibenthos sledge, built by Oktopus GmbH, Kiel, Ger-many, consists of a towed steel frame equipped with searchlights, a camcorder, a pressure-compensated battery as well as testing equipment. The epibenthos sledge is now ready for deployment on deep sea floor exploration missions.

The Greek word “epibenthos” is a sci-entific term used for animals that live on or immediately above the seafloor. Some are attached to the substrate, others are mo-bile. Examples are sponges, corals or star-fish. The epibenthos sledge was examined

and tested by technical experts from the Pressure Vessels and Underwater Technol-ogy department according to the new re-vised GL Rules for Underwater Technology, Chapter 3, Unmanned Submersibles (ROV, AUV) and Underwater Working Machines.

The rapid increase in worldwide ener-gy demand has been driving the explora-tion of new deep-sea energy resources such as gas hydrates, oil and gas. The in-vestigation of deep sea areas in general and the exploration and mining of energy resources in particular require special know-how. The GL team for pressure ves-sels and underwater technology specializes in ensuring safe and reliable underwater systems.

Solitaire. The tubes

will be welded aboard

the pipelay vessel.

Epibenthos. The research vehicle is now

ready for deployment.

Phot

o: N

ord

Stre

am A

G

60 energıze

060 Projects-fhplfhgmfh.indd 60 01.10.10 15:41

BEP GL Noble Denton Software Selected for Bunde-Etzel Pipeline Project

London Array Service Contract for 630-MW Phase

GLGH Research Report Marks Growth in Europe

england London Array will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when fully complete. Located around 20 km off the British coasts of Kent and Essex, off-shore construction on the first 630-MW phase of the project is due to start early next year. During the offshore installation of the 175 turbines for phase one, GL Noble Denton will confirm that technical risks are kept within acceptable levels.

The technical service provider to the energy industries has been contracted by London Array Ltd to perform Marine War-ranty Survey services for the first phase of the project. The first 630-MW phase is scheduled for completion by the end of 2012. With its capacity it will generate enough energy to supply around 475,500 homes and displace over a million tonnes

of CO2 each year. “The transportation and installation of huge, awkwardly shaped structures offshore involve risks that can only be mitigated by adhering to codes and standards,” says Gabor Bohner, who heads GL Noble Denton’s Marine Opera-tions and Marine Warranty Survey department in Hamburg.

europe GL Garrad Hassan has released a new edition of their “Offshore Wind Energy Market Report”. It shows that concerns over energy security, climate change and ambi-tious European renewable energy targets have led to an improved regulatory frame-work, and increased industry action in Euro-pean markets. Despite activities in other regions, the European offshore wind mar-ket is likely to outpace the rest of the world for some years to come, mainly because of improved support mechanisms in the main offshore markets identified. The new report provides detailed information on market status, drivers and barriers, as well as a regulatory framework and industry outlook. In addition, it includes exclusive in-house wind resource maps that utilize GL Garrad Hassan’s real project experience.

germany The pipeline management sys-tem for the Bunde-Etzel Pipeline (BEP) in Western Europe will be provided by GL Noble Denton. The BEP project involves the connection of a 48" pipeline from gas storage facilities, which are currently under development in Etzel, Germany, to the Gas

Transport Services (GTS) entry point/exit point at Oude Statenzijl, which is part of the gas transportation system of GTS in the Netherlands. This pipeline, covering a dis-tance of 60 km, will become a major source of natural gas for Western Europe.

GL Noble Denton’s pipeline manage-

ment system will use its industry-leading gas modelling software, Stoner Pipeline Simula-tor (SPS), to provide advanced functionality for the safe and efficient operation of the pipeline. This includes real-time leak detec-tion and location, as well as predictive appli-cations to support pipeline operations. The system will be integrated into IT company Telvent’s supervisory control and data acqui-sition (SCADA) system to provide a complete control system for the pipeline that will optimize security and operations as well as help assure reliable supply.

Construction. The pipeline connects the

cavern facility in Etzel to the natural gas

grid in Oude Statenzijl in the Netherlands.

Offshore Installation. London Array

will serve 475,500 homes.

London ArrAy

river ThAmes

30 km

Phot

os: B

unde

-Etz

el-P

ipel

ineg

esel

lsch

aft

Illus

trat

ion:

Brit

ish

Cro

wn

and

SeaZ

one

Solu

tions

Ltd

.

6102/2010

060 Projects-fhplfhgmfh.indd 61 01.10.10 15:41

service

dates & rulesConferences & Fairs IMPRINT

This product was printed on FSC Certifi ed Paper

energize oil & gas, issue No. 02/2010,

October 2010 Frequency energize oil & gas

is published twice a year Published by

Germanischer Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft,

Hamburg Editorial Director Dr Olaf

Mager (OM), Corporate Communications

Managing Editor Stefanie Normann-

Birkholz (SNB) Authors of this issue Lea

Behnsen (LB), David Brown (DB), Martin

Brown (MB), Karsten Hagenah (KH), Joe

Hughes (JH), Jörn Iken (JI), Morvan Le

Dorven (MLD), Zhang Li (ZL), Toby Miles

(TM), Stefanie Normann-Birkholz (SNB),

Richard Palmer (RP), Uwe Supke (US),

Felix Weise (FW), Andrew Wilde (AW)

Cover photo iStockphoto Design and

production printprojekt, Schulterblatt

58, D-20357 Hamburg Layout Oliver

Lohrengel Translations Andreas Kühner

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Media Cologne Kommunikationsmedien

GmbH, Luxemburger Straße 96, D-50354

Hürth Reprint © Germanischer Lloyd

Aktiengesellschaft 2010. Reprinting

permitted on explicit request – copy

requested. All information is correct to the

best of our knowledge. Contributions by

external authors do not necessarily refl ect

the views of the editors or of Germanischer

Lloyd Enquiries to: Germanischer

Lloyd AG, Corporate Communications,

Brooktorkai 18, D-20457 Hamburg, Phone:

+49 40 36149-4509, Fax: +49 40 36149-

250, E-Mail: [email protected]

Subscription service: for address

changes and orders please send an

e-mail to [email protected]

OCTOBER

11. – 13.10.2010

TEAM Europe 2010

Edinburgh, UK

12. – 13.10.2010

MTS Society Dynamic

Positioning Conference

Houston, Texas, USA

GL Noble Denton: booth 20

13.10.2010

25th FPSO Research Forum

Aberdeen, UK

26. – 29.10.2010

28th North Sea Flow

Measurement Workshop

St Andrews, UK

NOVEMBER

01. – 04.11.2010

ADIPEC 2010

Abu Dhabi, UAE

GL Noble Denton: booth 11430

23. – 24.11.2010

International Marine

Contractors Association

(IMCA) Annual Seminar

Dubai, UAE

23. – 25.11.2010

Asset Integrity

Management 2010

Aberdeen, UK

30.11. – 03.12.2010

OSEA 2010

Suntec, Singapore

Edinburgh. Scotland’s

capital with a fi ne tradition.

Abu Dhabi. The capital of

the United Arab Emirates.

Aberdeen. The so-called

“oil capital of Europe”.

Aberdeen. The Mercat

Cross in the town centre.

Houston. The city of the

US oil and gas industry.

Dubai. Boomtown in the

Persian Gulf.

St Andrews. Location of

Scotland’s fi rst university.

Singapore. Fascinating

mega-city in Asia. Phot

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The power of dynamic positioning

GL Noble Denton is a leader in the field ofdynamic positioning, a computer-controlledsystem that automatically maintains avessels position and heading. Our servicesinclude failure mode and effects analyses(FMEA) and failure mode, effects andcriticality analyses (FMECA) on all typesof offshore support vessels around theworld – from drillships to offshoresupply vessels.

We also do FMEA/FMECA on:

• Diving Equipment

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• Heavy Lift Cranes

Contact us now to learn moreabout how we can help you.

Email: [email protected]



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A global network with a local presence

Assurance

Advanced Engineeringand Consulting

Marine Operations

Project Execution

Software Solutions

www.gl-nobledenton.com Email: [email protected]



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0Region Asia/Pacifi cLevel 39, Menara AmbankNo. 8, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng50450 Kuala LumpurMalaysia

Phone: +60 3 2160 1088Fax: +60 3 2160 1099E-Mail: [email protected]

Region europeBrooktorkai 1820457 Hamburg Germany

Phone: +49 40 36149-7700Fax: +49 40 36149-1781E-Mail: [email protected]

Region Middle east/AfricaZahret El-Maadi Tower66, Cornich El-Nile, El-Maadi35th Floor, Apartment 211431 CairoArab Republic of Egypt

Phone: +20 2 25287295Fax: +20 2 25287294E-Mail: [email protected]

Region AmericasSuite 900 5177 Richmond AvenueHouston, TX 77056USA

Phone: +1 713 586 7000Fax: +1 713 586 7007E-Mail: [email protected]

GL GroupHead Offi ceBrooktorkai 18 20457 HamburgGermany

Phone: +49 40 36149-0Fax: +49 40 36149-200E-Mail: [email protected]

www.gl-group.comwww.gl-nobledenton.comwww.gl-garradhassan.com

Hamburg

stavangerOslo

Abu Dhabi

Aberdeen

London

Cairo

Kuala Lumpur

shanghai

Perth

singapore

Houston

Rio de Janeiro

GL Noble Denton



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