marine transport
‘Inaccuracy is mainly caused due to the narrow gap between cargo and HTV.’ Onno Peters
Bowless Vanguard adds new strings
Deepwater discharge of major offshore structures and dry-docking FPSOs while still attached to their turret moorings are among the more exotic possibilities now under serious consideration for the huge, bowless marine transport vessel Dockwise is building in Korea. David Morgan reports.
R
epresenting a $240 million investment by Dutch-headquartered Dockwise, the Dockwise Vanguard is under construction at the Hyundai yard and due to complete sea trials early December in readiness for its maiden assignment – collecting the 50,000t hull of Chevron’s Jack/St Malo semisubmersible hub production facility from the neighbouring Samsung yard and delivering it to Kiewit’s Corpus Christi facility on the US Gulf Coast. Key features of the new semisubmersible heavy transportation vessel are its cargo carrying capacity – a staggering 110,000t in addition to some 7000t of consumables; 275m length end to end and 70m beam; 27MW of power; two retractable azimuth thrusters forward for heading control and two controllable pitch propellers aft for redundant propulsion; and a 14 knot maximum transit speed, which translates to average service speeds in the 11-13 knots range with cargoes. There are also some heavyweight industry names associated with the project, among them DeltaMarin, which undertook the detailed design and model testing; Newfoundland’s Oceanic
Offshore discharge model testing.
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Consulting, which handled further model testing at Chevron’s behest, and serial offshore innovator Leen Poldervaart, who is serving as a consultant on the vessel’s construction and marketing. But the standout feature of Dockwise Vanguard remains its innovative bowless design, with the steering room and accommodations starboard and moveable casings that will allow maximum flexibility for cargo loading over the side, bow or stern (OE September 2011). Offering around 50% greater lifting capacity and 70% larger deck area than Dockwise’s current flagship, Blue Marlin, the new vessel will be capable of dry-towing floating production units of just about any shape or size, including a new and much larger generation of deepwater spars, semis and tension leg platforms. The unobstructed deck will allow cargoes to protrude fore and aft, bringing FPSOs up to 325m in length within range. That particular facility will not be tested by the vessel’s second confirmed contract – the mid-2013 delivery of Hyundai’s 52,000t Sevan-type cylindrical floater to the Eni Norge Goliat field in the Barents Sea – but Dockwise sees plenty of potential with the more conventional ship-shape FPSOs too, both in transporting them and servicing them on station. In March this year, ABS lent its Approval in Principle to the concept of using Dockwise Vanguard for offshore drydocking. This emerged following a technical concept review during a Hazid (hazard identification) study meeting reportedly also witnessed by two unnamed oil & gas majors. Uniquely, the concept envisages anchor lines and
risers remaining connected to an FPSOs internal or external turret mooring while drydocked at location, enabling the Dockwise Vanguard/FPSO combination to freely weathervane while inspection, maintenance and repair work is under way. ‘We think this is a really big market for this vessel going forward,’ said Robb Erickson, Dockwise vice president of sales, heavy marine transport, during the recent OTC show in Houston. ‘We are now able to bring the drydock to the floating production system. For example, if you have an FPSO working offshore Brazil that needs some maintenance, certification or inspection work that might previously have involved disconnecting the turret, towing the FPSO to a yard some distance away and taking it offline for maybe three or four months. Now we can come to them and lift the FPSO out of the water while operations continue and the work is carried out.’ With three contracts for the new vessel near enough in the bag – the third remains a letter of intent (LoI) for the time being – ‘we feel like we’re doing pretty good already’, Erickson said. The LoI is for transporting the first Norwegian spar platform, destined for 2015 installation in 1300m of water at Statoil’s Aasta Hansteen (ex Luva) field in the Vøring area. But the details of this contract – notably whether it will be coming to Norway from Korea or Finland – will not be firmed up until the outcome of the current platform FEED competition between Aker Solutions and Technip is declared. The kind of stresses and strains to which the new vessel will be subjected as its cargo weights and dimensions start to w w w . o f f s h o r e - e n g i n e e r. c o m
approach design capacity can be judged from its deck construction. For the most part this is in the order of 20t/m2 but in certain critical portions this increases to 45t/m2 and the vessel’s side shell will be further strengthened to 90t/m2. Erickson pointed to another key aspect of the Dockwise Vanguard design – its maximum submersible draft of 16m. ‘Having 16m of water above deck, compared with Blue Marlin’s 12m, will be very important in terms of transporting deep draft structures,’ he noted. It has also persuaded his company to start thinking the hitherto unthinkable: discharging fully integrated structures in remote deepwater locations. ‘Currently the tendency is to discharge in a sheltered location close to shore, in the kind of water depths where, if the ship sank for some reason, you wouldn’t have to go far to retrieve its cargo,’ explained Erickson. ‘But where people in the Gulf of Mexico want it these days is anything from 25 to 30 miles out and in 8000ft of water. Can’t you just drop it off out there! The problem is that when your vessel has 50,000t in the water and a wave comes along you really don’t want those two bodies to meet each other. ‘But we’ve figured out a way to get separation between the two quickly enough and safely enough to make deepwater discharge an option,’ he added. ‘This is a big deal because they don’t have to go inshore to do all this stuff and then tow it back out again – they can just have the whole marine spread there on site.’ Erickson’s grounds for optimism are to be found in the ‘promising findings’ of one of the technical papers (OTC 23329: Hydrodynamic behavior during offshore loading and discharge) presented at the
marine transport
‘We are now able to bring the drydock to the floating production system.’ Robb Erickson
2012 conference by a team from Dockwise Shipping and TU Delft. Following substantial lab work and fundamental model testing, an extensive model test campaign was recently undertaken with a heavy transport vessel (HTV) and a large semi-submersible to simulate an offshore discharge operation in northwest Australian conditions. Co-author Onno Peters, Dockwise’s senior marine engineer, pointed out that as offshore discharge operations are sensitive to environmental criteria, this has consquences for workability. ‘Currently safe conditions are based on long-term operational experience. No proven numerical methodologies are available in the market today to assess the hydrodynamic behavior of submerged HTVs in rough seaway, in short offshore loading/discharge. Both the basic design (of both HTV and systems) and hydrodynamic behavior have been investigated.’ According to Peters et al, problems had been encountered in past R&D projects focusing on offshore loading/discharge, especially in the area of predicting the relative behavior of floating structures above a HTV. ‘Investigations have shown that inaccuracy is mainly caused due to the narrow gap between cargo and HTV. Development of an accurate and cost-effective method to predict hydrodynamic behavior of a cargo floating above a HTV is in progess,’ he added. Cargo handling system performance is also being investigated. ‘Also here, as industry software has its limitations, new methods may need to be developed to be able to satisfy safe operation and handling of equipment.’ OE
On-station FPSO drydocking scenario using Dockwise Vanguard.
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OFFSHORE ENGINEER | june 2012
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feature: heavy lift
» Vanguard
• First of her kind • Asymmetric accommodation superstructure • Bowless vessel
Length: 275m Width: 70m Depth: 15.50m Open deck length: 275m (overhang on both stern and bow) Sample cargoes: Semi-submersible drilling rig; jack-up drilling rig; enlarged truss SPAR; 300,000dwt FPSO
Dockwise
Big and bowless Vanguard’s designed to handle ultra-long deepwater units
Vanguard – creating a whole new market “Upcoming projects decide if, or when, the time is right to build a new type of vessel,” said Dockwise’s engineering manager Michel Seij, involved in the Vanguard super-vessel.
“T
he idea of a new type of super-vessel had been pitched, off and on, within Dockwise before certain projects necessitated a serious brainstorming meeting at the beginning of 2010,” says Seij about the company’s Vanguard design. Also involved in the project were COO Rob Strijland, newbuild project manager Ronald Goetheer and sales manager Hans Leerdam. Emerging demand for ocean transports of 100,000 tons (907,000 tonnes) or more meant that, as CEO André Goedée commented at the time of commissioning, deepwater development of hydrocarbons was driving the company’s investment in the premium end of the marine heavy transport industry and would continue to do so. The option to simply take the company’s existing Blue Marlin design and make her bigger wasn’t going to match the needs of upcoming projects, such as the transport of Chevron’s Jack St Malo platform hull from
36 | Dredging and Port Construction | February 2012
Korea to the US Gulf of Mexico (now confirmed as the first Vanguard contract). What Dockwise needed was a vessel that exceeded Blue Marlin’s size and, ideally, would be able to transport extremely long, intact structures such as seagoing platforms for acoustic research (SPARs) and floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) units. In order to make optimal use of her entire length, the only solution was to design a bowless vessel.
Design considerations
A bowless design means that the crew’s accommodation unit is built on the extreme starboard side of the vessel, together with the lifeboats’ structure: “The design allows for large amounts of water to flow along the vessel’s entire deck without there being any chance of water entering Vanguard’s confines,” Seij explains. Given that safety’s high on Dockwise’s agenda, a bulwark is
included in the design to ensure future crews’ safety. The Vanguard’s bowless design has been classified, with a heavy lift ship notation, and approved by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), which will inform the IMO; she’s also been registered with the Netherlands’ government transport and water management inspectorate. The extensive tendering process saw 10 shipbuilders invited to submit proposals, of which three made the shortlist; Hyundai Heavy Industries ultimately won and will deliver the new vessel in 4Q/12. Vanguard is expected to form a valuable component in the company’s heavy transport activities and, since her capabilities have already resulted in the Chevron contract, much is expected of her. A second contract in 1Q/13 will see her return to Korea to load then transport the Goliat FPSO to Norway.
Finally...
In fact, Dockwise has recently announced 12 contracts worth $55M, including transportation of four jack-up drilling rigs, one semi-submersible drilling rig, assorted dredging equipment, offshore transfer and elevation platforms, tugs and barges. While $15M is for six contracts executed at the end of 2011, the remainder are scheduled for completion this year and in 2013 – these include transporting a SPAR buoy from Finland to the Gulf of Mexico and a multivoyage module transportation assignment. It’s also entered into a master service agreement with Singapore’s Keppel for transportation of its drilling units. CEO Goedée has great expectations: “This vessel will rapidly earn her place in the market and has the potential to create a whole new market of her own.” DPC » www.dockwise.com www.dpcmagazine.com
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e SCHIP MET VLAK DEK VOOR GROOT TRANSPORT
Over een andere boeg
Met het boegloze schip Vanguard gaat het Bredase bedrijf Dockwise nog grotere vrachten vervoeren. ‘Een schip van 275 m lang is voldoende om vaartuigen tot een lengte van 325 m te kunnen transporteren.’ Het weglaten van de boeg blijkt geen effect te hebben op het vaargedrag. Ze keken best vreemd op bij
34
KENgegevens
Computeranimatie van de Dockwise Vanguard met een FPSO (een schip voor olie-exploitatie en -opslag) als lading.
ILLUSTRATIES DOCKWISE
het Finse scheepsontwerpbureau Deltamarin toen ir. Michel Seij en voormalig COO Rob Strijland van Dockwise binnenkwamen met het idee om een schip zonder boeg te ontwerpen. Nog diezelfde week waren de reacties bij classificeerder Det Norske Veritas en vertegenwoordigers van de Nederlandse vlag, de Inspectie Verkeer en Waterstaat, niet veel anders. ‘Dat we hen in een week tijd bezochten, was omdat een schip zonder boeg zo exceptioneel is. We moesten eerst toetsen of ze bereid waren de gebruikelijke regels even te laten voor wat ze zijn en ons ontwerp te nemen voor wat het is. Dat is goed gekomen.’ Seij, manager Engineering van het Bredase bedrijf, dat is gespecialiseerd in zware transporten over zee, weet niet beter dan dat er al ideeën bestonden over een schip dat geschikt is om vracht langer dan zijn eigen lengte mee te nemen. ‘Op dit ogenblik is de Blue Marlin met een lengte van 226 m ons grootste vaartuig. Maar we weten dat er potentiële klanten zijn die een FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading), ‘Het stampgedrag een schip verandert nauwelijks’ voor olie-exploitatie en -opslag, willen laten vervoeren en zo’n vaartuig is meer dan 300 m lang. Een nog grotere Blue Marlin zou dan een lengte van 325 m moeten hebben, wat bijna een verdubbeling van de hoeveelheid staal betekent. Dat komt nooit uit.’ De vraag was dus hoe een beperkte scheepsomvang een maximale vrachtlengte te geven. ‘Dat kan met een boegloos schip’, aldus Seij. Het dek loopt hierbij helemaal horizontaal door, van voor naar achter, de brug zit dwars aan de zijkant. ‘Een schip van 275 m is dan voldoende om vrachten tot een lengte van
NAAM
Dockwise Vanguard AFMETINGEN
275 x 70 m
Tussen de opbouw op het dek is plaats voor bredere lading.
325 m te kunnen transporteren.’ Terwijl het idee al langer bestond, zijn de eerste stappen om zo’n schip daadwerkelijk te bouwen pas eind 2009 gezet. ‘Er waren toen betere computersimulaties en methoden om de risico’s te calculeren. Die hadden we per se nodig om ons uitzonderlijke ontwerp te laten classificeren. Gelukkig waren er bij Det Norske Veritas mensen die daarvoor openstonden.’ Dat ontsloeg Seij niet van de opgave aan te tonen dat het ontwerp in zijn vaargedrag en veiligheid niet onderdeed voor een conventioneel schip, en als het even kon zelfs beter presteerde. GOLVEN Het lijkt op het eerste gezicht vreemd, een schip zonder boeg. Die dient immers om de voorkant extra drijvend vermogen te geven en om de bemanning tegen overslaande golven te beschermen. ‘Maar kijk naar olietankers, die ook nauwelijks een boeg hebben. Daar slaan de golven zo overheen. Bij ons hoeft er op het dek helemaal geen bemanning te zijn. Motoren, pompen en ankers, alles zit onder het dek.’ Voor het schip zelf is water geen 24 februari 2012•de ingenieur•3
e nkel probleem. ‘We bouwen het om af te kunnen zinken tot een diepte waarbij we 16 m water boven ons hoofddek hebben. Dan kunnen we onder de lading varen en die vervolgens opdrijven – dat doen we met al onze grotere schepen. Het dek is, juist omdat het lading moet kunnen dragen, veel steviger dan bij welk ander schip ook, dus dat kan wel een golf hebben.’ De laadbelasting mag, afhankelijk van de plaats op het dek, oplopen van 27,5 tot 90 ton/m2. De impact op het vaargedrag is met een model uitvoerig onderzocht bij het maritiem onderzoeksinstituut MARIN in Wageningen. ‘Opmerkelijk genoeg heeft de afwezigheid van een boeg geen invloed. Het stampgedrag, de manier waarop de voorkant van het schip in en uit de golven komt, verandert ook nauwelijks.’ Zonder boeg kan op het dek gemakkelijk een laag water komen te staan. Daarom heeft MARIN een 75 cm hoge waterlaag nagebootst. ‘Je merkt niet dat het schip voorover gaat liggen. Het leidt hooguit tot wat minder stabiliteit, maar dat blijft ver van de kritische grens.’ Zo zijn alle kritische onderdelen van het ontwerp aan berekeningen en tests onderworpen, zoals dat de bovenbouw aan een enkele zijde
VOORTSTUWING
staat. ‘Het gewicht van zo’n 3700 ton kunnen we met onze ballasttanks in de romp van het schip, die een totale capaciteit van 230 000 ton hebben, eenvoudig compenseren.’ De stabiliteitscaissons tegenover de bovenbouw, aan de andere zijde van het schip, helpen ook. ‘Die zijn er vooral om een gebalanceerde opdrijvende kracht te hebben wanneer het schip is afgezonken.’ Een gevolg van de plaatsing van de stabiliteitscaissons is wel dat het zicht aan bakboord minder is. ‘Dat vangen we op met camera’s. En zodra de lading tot voorbij de bovenbouw komt, plaatsen we daarop aan de voorkant een tijdelijke brug die volledig operationeel is. Iets soortgelijks doen we op sommige van onze schepen nu ook al.’
Met die laatste opmerking snijdt Seij engineeringsbureaus die FPSO’s, 2 x 9-12 MW een ander ontwerpprincipe aan van spars (ronde drijvende productieplat(schroeven achter) het boegloze schip, dat inmiddels de 3 x 3 MW (thrusters voor) forms) en dergelijke installaties ontSNELHEID naam Dockwise Vanguard heeft gewerpen. ‘Die kunnen veel groter 14 kn kregen. ‘Los van de vorm hebben we gaan nu ze weten dat er een schip is 26 km/h LEEGGEWICHT alles geconstrueerd met bewezen dat hun ontwerp kan vervoeren. Dat 117 kt techniek: de ballasttanks, de dubbele geldt ook voor de diepgang: de Blue DRAAGCAPACITEIT wanden van de bodem en het dek, de Marlin kan tot een diepte van ruim 13 110 kt (gewicht) 325 x 65 m of 160 m x aandrijving en de ankers. We weten m water boven dek afzinken, de Vanonbeperkt (omvang) dat het werkt.’ Daarbij hoort ook dat guard tot 16 m.’ DIEPGANG BIJ de essentiële onderdelen voor de De eerste opdrachten zijn, voor LADEN -31,5 m voortstuwing van het schip dubbel als het schip eind dit jaar wordt opzijn uitgevoerd. ‘Gezien het type lageleverd bij de werf Hyundai Heavy ding dat we vervoeren, vaak unieke, peper Industries in het Zuid-Koraanse Ulsan, al bindure constructies voor de offshore gas- en nen. Zo is van de FPSO Goliat, die van Zuidoliewinning, is de belangrijkste vraag van Korea richting de Barentszzee moet, het geonze klanten hoe wij kunnen wicht zodanig groot dat transport met de Blue garanderen dat er met de laMarlin niet haalbaar is. ‘Met de Dockwise Vanding niets misgaat. Dus dat guard hebben we deze klant een oplossing heeft voor ons de hoogste kunnen bieden die hem in staat stelt de conprioriteit.’ structie in De bovenbouw en stabiliKorea volledig af te bouwen zonder transportteitscaissons beperken wel de beperkingen.’ breedte van de lading. ‘Let Seij ziet ook nog een andere functie voor de wel, over een heel stuk van de Vanguard. ‘Hij is ook als droogdok te gebruiVanguard kan lading aan de ken. Voor FPSO’s die ver van begaanbare hazijkant uitsteken. En een vens afliggen, zoals bij West-Afrika, biedt dat breedte van 65 m voor een uitkomst.’ Maar dat is toekomstmuziek; eerst Modelproef van de Vanguard vracht over de volle lengte is moet dit nieuwe paradepaardje van Dockwise met lading bij het marine in onze wereld uniek.’ Seij eind van dit jaar zijn doop krijgen. onderzoeksinstituut MARIN. merkt het ook uit reactie van www.dockwise.com/vanguard 24 februari 2012•de ingenieur•3
35
Perfect addition to the impressive Dockwise fleet
Type 0 Super Vessel provides 110,000 MT of possibility
The business rationale for deciding to build this new vessel is based on current trends for upcoming projects in the Oil & Gas industry, which indicate that there is a need for this type of larger vessel. “Exploration and production is shifting from more shallow waters in traditional areas to extremely deepwater Floating Production Units (FPUs) and more remote areas. Furthermore, the demand in the industry is for larger, heavier equipment, which can be built as a completed, integrated unit,” says Dockwise Managing Engineer Michel Seij. According to Seij, currently, floating production structures, like tension leg platforms and semi-submersible platforms, and gravity based structures with a deadweight of more than 50,000 metric tons must be transported separately and integrated or even built at the destination. Other production structures, like SPAR buoys, can only be transported to a certain size. The latest newly-built FPSO’s and semi-submersible crane vessels have to be tugged to their destination. Maximum
The maximum carrying capacity of the current biggest semi-submersible heavy lift vessels in the world goes up to 50,000 metric tons. Only the Dockwise vessel the Blue Marlin can transport, in specific cases, structures up to 73,000 tons (depending on the vertical center of gravity). As a result of providing innovative services to the Oil & Gas industry, Dockwise began to study the feasibility of investing in a new semi-submersible Super Vessel that is capable of helping clients meet their needs for bigger, integrated structures. This so-called ‘Type 0 Super Vessel’ will be the first of its kind for the maritime transport industry, and will make the perfect addition to the impressive Dockwise fleet. The vessel will have an overall deck size of 275 x70 meters, a revolutionary bowless design, and a carrying capacity of up to 110,000 metric tons.
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Spar loaded onto the Dockwise Type 0 Super Vessel.
2011
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Artist impression of the Dockwise Type 0 Super Vessel.
‘We aren’t just building a bigger vessel. We’re building a better vessel’
André Goedée, Dockwise CEO.
The Blue Marlin is 225 meters long, with a width of 63 meters, and a maximum water above deck of 13 meters. Dockwise concluded that if it could offer a vessel to transport these larger offshore cargoes as integrated structures, it would significantly reduce risks and insurance costs, as well as expensive offshore man hours for hook-up and commissioning for clients. In addition, time to production could be significantly reduced. From experience, Dockwise has also learned that a new vessel with even larger dimensions will trigger new design opportunities within the industry. Unique projects
A key target market for the new Dockwise Type 0 Super Vessel are all offshore structures between 50,000 and up to 110,000 metric tons. These structures can be categorized in floating production structures for water depths of more than 1,500 feet (Tension Leg Platforms, Semi-Submersible Platforms, and SPAR buoys), gravity based production structures for shallow water depth (less than 300 feet) in harsh environments, FPSO’s, floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) structures, and semi-submersible crane vessels. Dockwise has recognized a significant number of unique projects for the New Type 0 Super Vessel in upcoming years. But it’s not only the Type 0 Super Vessel’s size that makes it unique. The vessel also has a revolutionary innovative design: it has no bow. In addition, the Type 0 Super Vessel’s design makes use of its optimal deck
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length and provides more flexibility. The accommodation block and navigation bridge are located on the extreme starboard side. The vessel has a dedicated design for ultra heavy semi-submersible production platforms. This includes optimized deck strength, extreme wind load capabilities, and stability characteristics to carry the state of the art semi-submersible production structures in line with the latest air gap requirements. There will be two diesel electric main propulsion trains. In addition, there will be two azimuthing thrusters on the ship. “There is no self-propelled vessel of this size in the market and we are keen to provide a solution that will meet the needs of our clients in the Oil & Gas industry all over the world for decades to come,” says André Goedée, Dockwise CEO. New opportunities
The Dockwise Type 0 Super Vessel can also serve the top end of the current market for structures between 25,000 and 50,000 tons, as it is better equipped to transport the latest fifth and sixth generation semi-submersible rigs, due to its large maximum submersible draft of 16 meters. Also, structures with a very high vertical center of gravity are best suited for transport onboard the new Super Vessel. Its innovative construction has unlimited potential for the future as well. “The construction of our new vessel will change the opportunities for clients to build their structures completely integrated,” Seij says. “This is not only interesting from a cost perspective, but it’s also
interesting for platforms in remote areas, where there is basically no integration infrastructure. In addition, we have the flexibility to transfer larger modules and cargoes around the world. This means we can really go where no one has gone before – and focus on challenging projects in harsher climates in remote areas such as West Africa, and Western Australia. This will afford us new opportunities in the LNG market as well.” New Horizons
For the Oil & Gas processing market, marine transport services are required for heavy onshore structures, such as modules for LNG plants, refineries, and petro-chemical plants. Transporting large integrated units onboard the new Type 0 Super Vessel provides customers with a number of benefits, including the option of building and assembling large projects or parts of projects in lower cost environments, shorter transit times, and operating efficiencies arising from the reduced need for on-site support equipment. Despite recent economic woes, the reality is that the world still needs energy, as well as the equipment to find and produce it. Dockwise sees definite opportunities in the Oil & Gas industry that the Dockwise new Type 0 Super Vessel would be perfectly suited for. “Dockwise welcomes the opportunity to offer our new Type 0 Super Vessel as an integrated transport solution to our clients that offers innovative solutions in terms of safety, flexibility, and cost efficiency,” Goedée says.
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FPSO loaded onto the Dockwise Type 0 Super Vessel.
Dockwise also believes that the new Dockwise Type 0 Super Vessel offers clients and the industry a chance to rethink their design concepts. “It will open up the market for fully integrate semi-submersibles. It will lift a lot of the restrictions in the design process as well,” Seij says. “For Dockwise, it will set new boundaries for what we can transport. In addition, we’ll be able to rethink how we approach integrated builds that simply were not feasible before because of the weight limitations for transport. With our new vessel, we can play an important role in the construction philosophies of our clients.“ Leader of the Pack
Once construction of the new vessel is complete, the company will own the world’s most unique vessel in its industry. But it’s not just the new vessel’s size that makes it stand out
from the rest. “We aren’t just building a bigger vessel. We’re building a better vessel,” Seij says. “We made a thorough inventory of what our current vessels can do. And we identified the need for a vessel that is not only bigger, but also more flexible in its deck space design.” The result is a special design, but also a vessel that, according to Seij, incorporates all the features you would like to see in a heavy-transport vessel. “A lot of the other vessels, including a lot of the new builds, are in certain areas compromised with respect to efficiency and of course the investment to be made,” Seij states. “I think here, we really pushed for the best solution for the cargo and for the vessel itself, in terms of propulsion, safety, strength, ballasting, bowless design and flexible deck space. All of these come together to truly set this vessel apart.”
‘Terms of propulsion, safety, strength, ballasting, bowless design and flexible deck space all come together to truly set this vessel apart.’ 34
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The construction of a revolutionary new ‘Super Vessel’ ready to sail late next year is certain to create new opportunities for exploration, production and processing in deepwater fields and remote areas.
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Dockwise’s new ‘Super Vessel’ etherlands-headquartered heavy marine transport specialists Dockwise will be adding a new flagship to their existing fleet of 19 semi-submersible vessels of various concepts and designs. André Goedée, Dockwise chief executive officer calls it “a unique, one-of-a-kind ‘Super Vessel’, with an overall deck size of 275 by 70 meters, a revolutionary bowless design, with a carrying capacity up to 110,000 metric tons.” Dockwise believes this ‘Type 0’ Super Vessel will change how offshore structures of this scale will be designed, built, integrated, mo-
N
André Goedée, Dockwise Chief Executive Officer
bilized and installed on site. Dockwise decided to study the feasibility of investing in a new semi-submersible Super Vessel to meet demand from clients planning on bigger, integrated structures. “Exploration and production continues to shift from shallow to extremely deep waters. Demand in the industry tends towards the construction of ever larger and heavier floating production units (FPUs) and other megastructures preferably built as completed, integrated units,” says Dockwise managing engineer Michel Seij. “This is of course attractive from a cost perspective, but it may also prove decisive in
Artist’s impression of Dockwise’s new super vessel transporting an FPSO
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remote areas with basically no integration infrastructure. Adding this Type 0 Super Vessel to our semi-submersible heavy transport fleet, already the largest and most versatile in the business, means we can now go where no one has gone before – and focus on challenging projects in harsher climates in remote areas. We believe it will afford us new opportunities in the LNG market as well.”
Size and capacity According to Seij, currently, floating production structures like tension leg platforms (TLPs) and semi-submersible platforms, as well as gravitybased structures with a deadweight of more than 50,000 metric tons will no longer have to be transported separately and be integrated or even built at the destination. To date, other production structures like SPAR buoys, can only be transported to a certain size and the latest newly-built
FPSO’s and semi-submersible crane vessels still have to be tugged to their destination. Among 19 heavy transport carriers, the present Dockwise fleet includes the largest capacity semi-submersible heavy lift vessel in the world to date, the Blue Marlin. Depending on the vertical center of gravity of the structure involved, this 225 by 63-meter vessel is capable of
Artist’s impression of a spar tower under carriage
transporting structures up to 73,000 tons. The Blue Marlin, designated a ‘Type 1’ carrier, can submerge to an above deck water depth of 13 meters. The ‘Type 0’ design takes things a big step further. The new Super Vessel will be able to submerge to 16 meters of water above deck to load structures up to 110,000 metric tons. Construction of this one-of-a-kind
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vessel has commenced at the yards of Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) of South Korea and is scheduled for delivery in the last quarter of 2012. Two dieselelectric main propulsion trains and two azimuthing thrusters will provide the carrier with excellent maneuverability and a speed of approximately 12 knots, fully loaded. With some 19,000 square meters of deck space and unprecedented stability characteristics, the Type 0 Super Vessel basically redefines the laws of scale in the exceptional ocean transport domain in which Dockwise are recognized as the undisputed pioneers.
Innovative design But it’s not only size that matters. The Type 0 Super Vessel has a truly jaw-dropping, inno-
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Dockwise’s Blue Marlin piggy-backing Noble Drilling’s ‘Noble Jim Day’ semi-sub
vative design that prominently lacks a bow. The design concept uses the vessel's deck dimensions to the full and offers maximum flexibility. The accommodation block and navigation bridge are located on the extreme starboard side allowing cargo to protrude on all sides of the carrier. Through design and engineering Dockwise has effectively extended the limits of transport capacity by implementing optimized deck strength, extreme wind load capabilities, and stability characteristics to carry the state of the art semi-submersible production structures in line with the latest air gap requirements. “There is no self-propelled vessel of this class in the market and we believe Type 0 will enable us to
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exclusively meet our clients' most challenging demands for decades to come,” says André Goedée, CEO. Will the introduction of a new transport carrier indeed trigger new platform design opportunities? Michel Seij strongly believes so: “We have learned from experience that this will be the case. From the very early introduction of selfpropelled, semi-submersible heavy transport vessels, and with the scale expansion of our fleet in the past decades, our transport capacity has been a significant factor in the industry's approach to construction and mobilization. Being able to transport larger integrated structures reduces risks and insurance costs, substantially saves on expensive on site man hours for hook-up and commissioning, and –last but not least– contributes to reducing the time to production.”
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Production platforms As Dockwise sees offshore structures of 50,000 to 110,000 metric tons as a key target market for their Type 0 design, she may also serve the top end of the current market for 25,000 to 50,000-ton structures. The largest types of cargo can be categorized as floating production structures for water depths of more than 1,500 feet (TLPs, Semi-Submersibles, and SPAR buoys), gravity-based platforms for shallow water depths of less than 300 feet in harsh environments, FPSO’s, floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) structures, and semisubmersible crane vessels. “We have recognized a significant number of such projects in upcoming years, that will provide unique opportunities for the deployment of this new Super Vessel. The Type 0 is also ideally suited to transport the latest 5th and 6th generation of
semi-submersible rigs, because of its increased maximum submerged draft of 16 meters. Just the same, structures with a relatively high vertical center of gravity are a better fit on the new vessel. We really think Type 0 will unleash new opportunities for Dockwise and for the industry altogether,” says Seij.
Processing In the past, having the option of self-propelled heavy lift transportation has proven a great advantage also to the oil and gas processing industry. The use of heavy transport vessels opened up possibilities to build and assemble modules for LNG plants, refineries and petro-chemical plants in lower-cost environments, to have them delivered with short transit times and numerous operating efficiencies arising from the reduced
need for on-site support equipment. André Goedée emphasizes that this is another market in which the introduction of the new Super Vessel will set a benchmark: “It redefines the boundaries of what we can transport and allows for rethinking, together with our clients, how we approach integrated builds that simply were not feasible before due to weight limitations for transport. With our new vessel, we can play an important role in the construction philosophies of our clients. Unlike other vessels, the Type 0 has been designed almost without compromise.” We have really pushed for the best solution, both from a cargo point of view and for the vessel herself in terms of propulsion, safety, strength, ballasting, bowless design and flexible deck space,” he says.
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Offshore Technology April 2011
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tional upon the execution of a Covenant between the MEA and the oil and gas industry. The provisions of the new Act provide for the possibility to have a gas field qualified as a so-called “marginal field”. 25% of the investments made for the exploration and production of such marginal field may be deducted from the profit used to calculate the Dutch State profit share. The Covenant was executed by the MEA and 33 operators active in the Dutch North Sea on 31 August 2010. Interestingly enough, the Covenant stipulates that its rights and obligations are not enforceable in a court of law. It is therefore based on the free co-operation of the parties. Pursuant to the Covenant the MEA has agreed to only reduce a license area in very special cir-
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cumstances. What this means is not clarified and therefore potentially ground for dispute.
Fallow area The Covenant provides for a detailed procedure with regard to the publication and notification of fallow areas. It stipulates that for a period of 9 months after the publication of a fallow area on www.nlog.nl, the license holder may submit a plan of activity. If acceptable to the MEA, the area will be taken off the list of fallow areas. After the period for the license holder has lapsed, the co-license holders may, for a period of three months after expiry of the 9 month period, submit a plan of activity. In the event that no plans have been filed, third parties may submit a plan of activity. Such third party
plan is to be published on www.nlog.nl. Competing plans of activity may be filed within a period of three months after the publication. The New Mining Act should therefore be read in conjunction with the Covenant, which sets out the applicable proceedings in substantially more detail. In the event a license area is reduced, the new Mining Act does not provide for what happens to the assets located in the reduced area. Upon the Decree becoming effective, the license holder can no longer undertake any activity in the area and the mining works and infrastructure located in the area will have to be abandoned or removed. The MEA has stated that conditions with regard to a proper transfer of the assets and with regard to the way the infrastructure and mining
works are to be left behind for further use may be attached to his Decree to reduce an area. The MEA has proposed that EBN can play an intermediary role in this respect. How the license holders will be compensated for the transfer of assets, or for that matter for the loss of their hydrocarbons in areas that have been taken from them, is not clear. Many issues are therefore left open. It is to be hoped that they will be dealt with in the pragmatic way that is typical for the Dutch oil and gas industry. It will be interesting to see how the new Mining Act and the provisions of the Covenant will work out in practice. Author: Martika Jonk is an attorney-at-law at Derks Star Busmann Amsterdam. Martika.jonk@cms-dsb.com
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Offshore Technology April 2011
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Tank tests under way in St John’s, Newfoundland.
Super-sizing for market success
The offshore yard of Hyundai Heavy Industries in Korea will start cutting steel for Dockwise’s new marine transportation super vessel in September. David Morgan reports.
P
reviously referred to as ‘Type 0’ but officially named as Dockwise Vanguard on 19 August, the giant $240 million semisubmersible heavy transportation vessel – easily the world’s largest – is expected to open up new offshore design horizons in the way Heerema’s giant heavy lifting semis did back in the 1970s. Targeting offshore structures in the 50,000-110,000t† range, the vessel features an innovative bowless design to facilitate †
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t = metric tonnes
optimal use of its 275m x 70m deck area and maximize cargo flexibility. By way of comparison, the load-carrying ceiling for today’s heavy lift semis is generally deemed to be around 50,000t, although current Dockwise flagship Blue Marlin is capable in specific cases and depending on stability compliance, of transporting structures up to 73,000t. Dockwise expects the super-sizing of its latest vessel to accommodate floating production units of just about any shape or size, including a new and much larger generation of deepwater spars, semis
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‘This new vessel will present first-time opportunities for clients to build their structures completely integrated.’ Michel Seij, Dockwise
provide a solution that will meet the needs of our clients in the oil & gas industry all over the world for decades to come.’ Chevron had given its intent to use the new vessel as a base carrier for the transport of its Jack/St Malo hull provided certain conditions could be met -– since followed up with a confirmed order on 25 July this year – giving Dockwise shareholders and bankers sufficient incentive to fund its construction. The job in question calls for the transport from Korea to the US of the 50,000t hull for Chevron’s Jack/St Malo semisubmersible hub production facility, to be located in 7000ft of water in the Walker Ridge area of the Gulf of Mexico. With that giant hull also being built in Korea by Samsung, the race is now on to get the super vessel completed in time for the hull’s anticipated end-2012 loadout.
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and TLPs. On the Dockwise Vanguard radar too are shallow water gravity base structures, plus FPSOs, semisubmersible crane vessels and other items that traditionally require towing to location. For example, its unobstructed deck will allow cargoes to protrude fore and aft, putting it in the frame for a 325m FPSO. The vessel will also be marketed for top end structures in the 25,000-50,000t category as, with a large maximum submersible draft of 16m, it will be better equipped to transport the latest fifth and sixth generation semisubmersible drilling rigs. Crucially, the arrival of this new vessel will present first-time ‘opportunities for clients to build their structures completely integrated’, says Dockwise engineering manager Michel Seij. ‘This is not only interesting from a cost perspective, but it’s also interesting for platforms in remote areas, where there is basically no integration infrastructure, which means we can focus on challenging projects in harsher climates in remote areas such as the Arctic, West Africa and Western Australia. This will afford us new opportunities in the LNG market as well.’ Dockwise Vanguard will boast two diesel electric main propulsion trains plus two azimuthing thrusters, prompting Dockwise CEO André Goedée to declare: ‘There is no self-propelled vessel of this size in the market and we are keen to
Dockwise is confident that this fasttrack schedule will be met. It has also declared itself more than happy with the outcome of the tank tests that began a year ago at Marin in the Netherlands using a 6000kg model and, at Chevron’s behest, continued in Canada at the Oceanic Consulting wave basin facility in St John’s, Newfoundland. ‘They turned out fine, even better than we had assumed,’ confirms Seij. Clearly hoping that Chevron’s choice will encourage other operators to explore Dockwise Vanguard options, Dockwise suggests this could for example trigger a resurgence of spar platform interest in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The company transported the hulls of all but two of the US Gulf’s 18 spars from Technip’s Pori facility in Finland for topping out in local yards, including the biggest of them all, Shell Perdido. Its new flagship vessel will be capable of handling spars that are at least 25% bigger. OE
With the bowless design of the Dockwise Vanguard super vessel, the accommodation block and navigation bridge are located on the extreme starboard side. Its casings can be moved to various positions to accommodate different cargo shapes.
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