Overview

Total faced several top chain failures on deepwater units mooring systems. Some of these failures are mainly due to Out of Plane Bending (OPB) fatigue or to premature chain corrosion in the splash zone.

In order to mitigate these two phenomena, Total is looking for a new concept of mooring legs.

The new mooring system concept was checked using the Moho Nord FPU and site (offshore Congo) characteristics.

Overview

The Alba Marina is a stern turret single point moored FSO located in the Rospo Mare Field, Adriatic Sea. The turret also houses the electrical cables and two flexible hoses connected to the seabed. The hoses allow transfer the product from the field pipelines to the FSO tanks.

During the first period of operation numerous failures of the threaded rods of the flanges connecting the various sections the compose the hoses were experienced.

The problem was understood to be caused by the risers clashing with eachother in particular environmental conditions.

Consequently the plant was temporarily shut down and the system reassessed in order to understand the phenomena and apply the necessary modifications.

Overview

The West Mischief jack-up rig, owned by Seadrill was engaged in drilling activities at Nene Marine 2 and 3 wells operated by ENI Congo.

The rig move from the first well to the second was delayed as the swell conditions were beyond the limiting ones reported in the Operating Manual, with consequent risk of violent impact of the spud cans with the seabed and jack-up structure potential damage.

The scope of work was the analysis of the jack-up rig motions, with the aim of evaluating if and up to what point the wave conditions were such to effectively not allow the demob operations.

Overview

FMC designed of a new concept of marine loading arms, named OLAF, for offshore transfer of LNG and LPG in side by side configuration for the Shell Prelude FLNG Project.

During the detailed phase of the project, Principia assessed the dynamic responses of the LNG and LPG MLA through a series of time domain simulations in connected and connecting modes using DeepLines software.

Loading arms were built and tested in the FMC facilities and the results compared to the ones obtained through numerical simulations. Part of the scope of the tests was also to determine the actual friction and damping forces acting in the swivels and bearings.

Principia was requested by FMC to update the analyses performed on the basis of the tests results.

Overview

The Vega field, operated by Edison, is located at approximately 12 miles south from the southern coast of Sicily.

It includes a fixed platform, Vega-A, and a floating storage offloading unit (FSO), located at 1.5 miles from the platform in a water depth of 116.5m.

The offshore facility was installed in August 1987 with the FSO unit being the 250,000 DWT converted tanker Vega Oil.

Due to international double hull requirements, in July 2008 the FSO Vega Oil was disconnected and replaced in September 2009 by the converted 110,000 DWT Aframax tanker named Leonis.

The Vega field was certified by RINA for a design life of 25 years. In August 2012 the certification expired and, upon Edison request for a field life extension of 20 years, RINA reassessed the structures integrity in order to evaluate the possibility of re-qualifying the field facilities.

Overview

Eni Congo have recently installed a new oil production platform in the Nene field offshore Congo. In order to facilitate the completion of the installation works, commissioning and commencement of production, Eni Congo decided to moor the accommodation and work barge Armada Hibiscus (owned and operated by Bumi Armada) close to the platform to provide lifting facilities, operational support, storage and accommodation.

The West Mischief jack-up, operated by Seadrill, was positioned in close proximity to the platform during the same period, conducting drilling operations.

The scope of work included the definition of the Armada Hibiscus barge final positioning and mooring pattern, with the aim of ensuring the maximum barge crane operability while minimizing the risk of barge and mooring system clash with other structures (platform, jack-up and sealine).

Overview

The General Electrics GTG lower module was transported from Porto Nogaro (Udine, Italy) to Marina di Carrara (Massa-Carrara, Italy) on the P7 barge.

The scope of work consisted in the transportation analysis.

Overview

The Fincantieri construction C6245 (Viking) was planned to be moored at the Ancona (Italy) construction yard.

The scope of work was to define the mooring pattern and mooring equipment to assure the loads acting on the bitts, fairleads, ropes and fenders were within the OCIMF requirements with the system subject to the design metocean conditions.

Overview

Consequently to the passage ban of big cruise ships through the Canale di San Marco and Canale della Giudecca in Venice, sanctioned by the ministerial decree dated 2 March 2012, the realization of a new cruise ships terminal is being evaluated.

One of the proposed solutions is based on a modular floating terminal concept, presented by the work group formed by professors S. Boato, C. Giacomini, M. R. Vittadini and architects Y. Bristot, A. Stefani. The structural configuration of the modules and the preliminary project of their mooring system have been presented by engineer V. Di Tella.

Overview

On 28 December 2014, the MS Norman Atlantic ROPAX ferry caught fire in the Strait of Otranto, in the Adriatic Sea, and was towed to the port of Brindisi, Italy, arriving there on 2 January 2015. The vessel was then docked in the port of Bari.

Oceanira S.r.l. was awarded the contract for the strength analysis of the mooring lines and onboard mooring fittings of the ship, in order to assess their aptness to keep the ship safely moored at the quay.

Overview

Fagioli S.p.A. is investigating the possibility of converting & joining two inland navigation dry bulk barges into a single barge.

The barge is to be used for inland & sea navigation within 2 miles from the coast in favourable weather conditions.

Fagioli and San Marco Shipping have requested Oceanira S.r.l. to perform a preliminary feasibility study of the conversion.

Overview

MOSE (Experimental Electromechanical Module) is a project intended to protect the city of Venice, Italy, and the Venetian Lagoon from flooding. The project is an integrated system consisting of rows of mobile gates installed at the Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia inlets that are able to temporarily isolate the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea during high tides.

Fagioli S.p.A. is in charge of transporting and installing the gates, which is carried out by means of a specially designed installation frame.

Fagioli has requested Oceanira to perform dynamic analyses to assist in veryfying the installation frame strength and designing the shock absorbers between the frame and the subsea housing structures.

Overview

FMC designed of a new concept of marine loading arms, named OLAF, for offshore transfer of LNG and LPG in side by side configuration for the Shell Prelude FLNG Project.

During the detailed phase of the project, Principia assessed the dynamic responses of the LNG and LPG MLA through a series of time domain simulations in connected and connecting modes using DeepLines software.

Loading arms were built and tested in the FMC facilities and the results compared to the ones obtained through numerical simulations. Part of the scope of the tests was also to determine the actual friction and damping forces acting in the swivels and bearings.

Principia was requested by FMC to update the analyses performed on the basis of the tests results.

Overview

OLT Offshore LNG Toscana S.p.A. and its operator ECOS S.r.l. planned to install new bitts (double bollards), closed chocks and capstans on the Toscana FSRU main deck to allow mooring of mini LNG carriers on the portside.

ECOS requested Oceanira to provide its engineering services in relation to the procurement and installation of the new equipment.

Overview

In the context of the offshore operation activities at the Nené field (offshore Congo), Eni S.p.A. requested Micoperi S.p.A. to carry out specialist analyses to ascertain the Remas OSV installation vessel dynamic response and expected workability limits in relation to available project statistical metocean data.

In the frame of this project, Micoperi S.p.A. requested Oceanira S.r.l. to perform dynamic positioning (DP) and seakeeping analyses for the vessel.

Overview

The Goliat FPSO, operated by Eni Norge, is a new-build, geostationary, circular platform located in the Barents Sea in about 400 meters water depth. The offloading operation is carried out directly from the platform via a hose. The offloading station has a hose reel with dedicated hose arrangements permitting up to approximately 360 degree shuttle tanker heading variations.

Following problems experienced with the offloading system, which lead to offloading operations interruptions, Eni S.p.A. awarded RINA Services S.p.A. the task of evaluating the possibility of installing an offloading backup system.

RINA Services requested Oceanira S.r.l. to provide its technical assistance from a structural, naval architecture and dynamic/hydrodynamic perspective.

Overview

The Al Shaheen Field Block 5 is an oil and gas producing field located in Qatari waters, approximately 80 km from shore in water depths varying from 59 m to 63 m.

On 14th July 2017, operation of the Al Shaheen Field has been transferred from the current operator Maersk Oil Qatar (MOQ) to North Oil Company (NOC). As part of the preparations for the transfer of operatorship, NOC have executed development studies aimed at identifying and defining an optimised export scheme, to ensure safe and reliable operations over the 25 years of the license period.

NOC awarded Principia SAS the task of reassessing the SPM-4 CALM buoy mooring system in extreme, operating and fatigue conditions. Principia requested Oceanira S.r.l. to provide technical assistance for the execution of these analyses.