Trelleborg’s engineered products operation has completed its supply of floatover equipment for Phase 3 of the DSO Escravos Gas Project, the operation’s first floatover in West Africa.
Contracted by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), Trelleborg provided Leg Mating Unit (LMU) pads for the floatover process, as well as surge fenders, shock pads and rubstrips to constitute the project’s boat landing systems.
SM Lee , Section Chief of Engineering Group at HHI, said: “Sea conditions are particularly rough in this region, meaning that the installation had to be very precise and the time frame in which the floatover process could be conducted, would be minimal. As such, we needed a solution that could handle the challenging environments, preventing the jacket and topside from being damaged during installation.”
Lee added: “Trelleborg’s floatover technology integrated well with our products and provided a successful floatover.”
Trelleborg’s elastomeric pads were incorporated into HHI’s LMU steel structures. According to Trelleborg, the pads are designed to take up static and dynamic forces of the topside structure, as well as the horizontal forces of open sea motions during the floatover mating operation. The company says that due to the large amount of load placed on the elastomer pads during the process, they must be carefully engineered to provide optimum protection of the jacket and withstand environmental impact.
Additionally, the company says that particularly adverse weather and sea conditions for this project meant Trelleborg engineers had to account for especially high sea swell and unpredictable winds when customising floatover technology for DSO Escravos.
Julian Wee , Managing Director from Trelleborg’s engineered products operation commented: “If damage occurs to the jacket, it can result in downtime and costly rectifications. This simply isn’t an option. We were able to supply reliable, tailored solutions that would perform for the long-term, providing HHI with peace of mind.”