Brief: Refloating Maureen platform for reuse in waters away from the North Sea

Journal Article · Mon Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1996 · JPT, Journal of Petroleum Technology

OSTI ID:218369

Tilling, G M ^[1]

---

1. Phillips Petroleum Co. U.K. Ltd., Woking (United Kingdom)

The Maureen platform in the U.K. sector of the North Sea is refloatable by virtue of being a steel, gravity-base structure with large oil storage tanks as legs. The fields producing into the Maureen platform will soon be depleted, and plans are to decommission the platform from its present location. The attractive disposal options all involve refloating the platform as a first step. Of these, reuse of the facility is potentially the most attractive. Once afloat, the platform becomes a towable 110,000-tonne vessel available for use in areas of the world away from the North Sea, with location determined by environmental conditions and water depth. The bulk of the weight (92,000 tonnes) is in the jacket structure; topsides weight is 18,000 tonnes. Subject to detailed tow-route and naval-stability calculations, moving the structure long distances appears to be feasible. This paper discusses the refloating and marine stability of the Maureen oil platform as a vessel under tow. Development and maintenance aspects are presented.

• OSTI ID: 218369
• Journal Information: JPT, Journal of Petroleum Technology, Journal Name: JPT, Journal of Petroleum Technology Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 48; ISSN 0149-2136; ISSN JPTJAM
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
42 ENGINEERING
DECOMMISSIONING
MAINTENANCE
MARITIME TRANSPORT
NORTH SEA
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
RETROFITTING