MURPHY Sabah Oil Co. Ltd. has developed the Kikeh Field located offshore Malaysia in the South China Sea in a water depth of 1325m. This field development is based on a Floating Production Storage and Offloading unit (FPSO) and a Spar Dry Tree Unit (DTU). Fluids are transported in fluid transfer lines (FTL) using SBM’s newly developed and patented Gravity Actuated Pipe (GAP) system. This paper highlights the challenges and solutions associated with the engineering and execution of the 188 nautical mile tow of the GAP from the SBM construction site in Bintulu (Malaysia) to the Kikeh Field. Substantial effort was invested at the engineering stage to study the tow-induced fatigue, including influence of wave direction, tow speed, trailing tug back tension, current and submergence of towheads in order to develop a tow strategy which was a compromise between fatigue damage reduction and realistic and cost effective marine operations. This process is detailed in the paper. Finally, all tasks associated with tow from the point at which the beach hold-back rigging was abandoned to the point at which field pre-entry tasks were carried out are also described in the paper.
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ASME 2008 27th International Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering
June 15–20, 2008
Estoril, Portugal
Conference Sponsors:
- Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4818-0
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Preparation and Execution of the GAP Surface Tow
Pierre Morin,
Pierre Morin
Single Buoy Moorings Inc., Monaco
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Philippe Jean,
Philippe Jean
Single Buoy Moorings Inc., Monaco
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Cecile Melis,
Cecile Melis
Single Buoy Moorings Inc., Monaco
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Yann Helle,
Yann Helle
2H Offshore Engineering, Woking, UK
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Barry Shepheard
Barry Shepheard
Murphy Sabah Oil Co., Ltd., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Pierre Morin
Single Buoy Moorings Inc., Monaco
Philippe Jean
Single Buoy Moorings Inc., Monaco
Cecile Melis
Single Buoy Moorings Inc., Monaco
Yann Helle
2H Offshore Engineering, Woking, UK
Barry Shepheard
Murphy Sabah Oil Co., Ltd., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Paper No:
OMAE2008-57541, pp. 587-595; 9 pages
Published Online:
July 27, 2009
Citation
Morin, P, Jean, P, Melis, C, Helle, Y, & Shepheard, B. "Preparation and Execution of the GAP Surface Tow." Proceedings of the ASME 2008 27th International Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering. Volume 1: Offshore Technology. Estoril, Portugal. June 15–20, 2008. pp. 587-595. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/OMAE2008-57541
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