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    1. Vessels

    Saipem plans 8,000-ton deck floatover in US Gulf

    Nov. 1, 1998
    The key components in Saipem's Anteo mating system are the lowering units shown in retracted and extended configuration. [25,109 bytes] Saipem will perform a 8,000-ton deck installation using its new Anteo floatover system in the US Gulf of Mexico during the spring and summer of the year 2000. The field has not been identified. The installation of large integrated decks by mating or floatover is a requirement of the market today, especially in geographical regions where heavy lift or
    Saipem will perform a 8,000-ton deck installation using its new Anteo floatover system in the US Gulf of Mexico during the spring and summer of the year 2000. The field has not been identified. The installation of large integrated decks by mating or floatover is a requirement of the market today, especially in geographical regions where heavy lift or construction vessels are not readily available.

    Saipem has studied float-over methods since the 1980s and developed the Anteo system as a result of float-overs performed on behalf of Shell Sarawak Berhad off Sarawak. The two float-overs were, M3PQ-A Integrated Deck 7,800 metric tons (mt) and M1PQ-A Integrated Deck 6,050 mt.

    The experience on that project has underlined the need for an improved approach, as it has shown that the passive system used was simple, but too slow, especially in the critical moments, and associated with high impact loads. The Anteo mating system is based on an active approach, overcoming the drawbacks of passive system, enlarging the weather window, and reducing risks and impact loads.

    Active hydraulic system

    Anteo is a large active hydraulic system, providing a reliable and cost-effective solution to the market demand for integrated deck installation by the floatover method. The system consists of the actuated leg system (ALS) and the barge release system (BRS), designed to allow the integrated deck installation in critical environmental conditions such as long/short crested seas up to 2.25-meters or swells up to 2 meters (depending on the periods and headings). The lowering system, core of the whole operation, is mainly based on hydraulic jack action.

    The system is designed to cover a large range of integrated deck installations:

    • Decks from 4 legs to 8 legs and up.
    • Deck weight from 3,000 mt tons to 20,000 mt
    • Cargo barges from 300 ft by 100 ft class to 650 ft by 150 ft class
    • Long-crested seas up to 2.25 meters or swells up to 2 meters.

    Copyright 1998 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.