Installation of a DP system and adaptation of the reel barge Chickasaw for deep water pipelay
Recently enhanced to permit pipelaying operations in water depths much greater than 1,000 ft., the reel barge Chickasaw is now installing deep water pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico. Included in the modifications performed on the barge are the design and installation of a full function, dynamic positioning (DP) system specifically adapted for offshore pipelay. The capabilities and operational requirements of this new system are significantly different from the station keeping of drilling vessels and other traditional DP applications. A fixed, short radius stinger has also been constructed to provide the high, near vertical departure angles required in deep water. The pipe reel has been strengthened and its tension capacity more than doubled to support the increased weight of the pipe column at these depths. As offshore resources are discovered in increasingly deeper waters in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere, the capabilities of existing pipelay vessels are being exceeded. The offshore pipeline industry is faced with the need to improve the operating capabilities of existing vessels or undertake the construction of new vessels specifically designed for operation in very deep water. The barge conversion described hereinafter extends the Chickasaw`s operating range and ability to lay small to medium diameter pipelines and perform vertical stab-in connections in water depths to 5000 ft. and beyond. The paper describes practical, cost effective modification which greatly increase the deep water pipelay and operational capabilities of an existing reel vessel. Programs of this type can improve the industry`s ability to use offshore resources in very deep waters.
- OSTI ID:
- 160713
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950501--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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