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    1. Field Development

    ALE loads out platforms from Caspian yard

    Oct. 10, 2017
    ALE has completed offshore and marine operations for an unnamed platform project in Azerbaijan.
    ALE's Mega Jack system in Baku, Azerbaijan
    ALE's Mega Jack system in Baku, Azerbaijan

    Offshore staff

    HIXON, UK     -- ALE has completed offshore and marine operations for an unnamed platform project in Azerbaijan.

    The scope involved load-out of two jackets, weighing and jack-up of the topsides, strand jack skidding load-outs, ballasting and mooring, and offshore floatovers for two topsides.

    ALE began the first stage of operations in July 2016 with the ballasting load-outs of the production and riser (PR) and the living quarters and utilities (QU) platform jackets, weighing respectively 13,977 t and 12,369 t.

    Jacket constructor BOS Shelf commissioned the company to provide the full external ballast system and engineering, and the ballast system design and calculations.

    The jackets were loaded-out onto the STB-1 launch barge, measuring 153 x 45 x 12 m (502 x 147 x 39 ft), using the client’s push/pull skidding system.

    Next, ALE performed weighing and jack-up of the QU topsides for a separate client, deploying load cells to weigh the deck at 12,789 t and the Mega Jack system to jack-up the topsides 14.5 m (47.6 ft).

    Subsequently the load-out frame was transferred under the topsides, followed by skidding load-out of the QU deck, now at 14,200 t, by means of 900-t strand jacks and ballasting the barge.

    In addition, ALE supplied a large spread of mooring winches ranging in capacity from 20 t to 85 t.

    Recently, the company completed floatover of the QU topsides using its own ballast system and mooring winches.

    Matthew Hodgson, Engineering Manager for ALE - Offshore Services, said: “Our Offshore Services team, who are also contracted for the engineering and ballasting for the load-out and floatover operations, have designed and fabricated bespoke ballast piping to fit around pre-existing pipework on the barge, which will serve for all ballasting requirements for the entire project thus saving our clients time and money.”

    The final phase involved the load-in of the load-out frame, followed by the weighing, jack-up, load-out and finally floatover operations of the PR topsides.

    10/10/2017