The largest module of the mooring turret for the largest floating structure ever constructed has set sail from Dubai for the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje, South Korea.
The piece of turret is part of the mooring system for Shell’s Prelude Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) facility, a massive, 600,000 ton facility that will allow Shell to produce natural gas at sea, cool it onboard into LNG, and pump it directly into ships that will transport it around the world.
The turret mooring system, designed by SBM Offshore and constructed at Dubai DryDocks World, will ensure that the Prelude FLNG can operate safely while permanently moored over the Prelude gas field off the coast of Australia for 25 years, even during the most extreme weather events.
To accomplish this, the turret system features a swivel design that uses a bearing arrangement and enables the facility to freely ‘weather vane’, or rotate according to the prevailing wind, waves or current, while the turret moorings remain fixed to the sea floor.
At almost 100 meters tall and weighing 4,300 tons, the turret module will run through the front of the Prelude FLNG facility, connecting mooring lines to 62.5 meter long and 5.5 meter diameter anchor piles secured to the seabed. The mooring system includes four groups of four mooring lines, sixteen in total, that will secure the facility to the anchor points about 250 meters below the surface of the sea. The mooring chain links will also be among the largest in the world at about one meter in length.
In addition to the mooring system, the subsea connections that extract and control the flow of gas from the reservoir below also connect via the turret.
“Prelude FLNG combines our many years of experience in shipping and in managing complex LNG and offshore projects. It’s great to see our innovative designs and technologies become a reality as we reach significant project milestones like this,” Matthias Bichsel, Projects & Technology Director at Shell said.
“Designed in Monaco, built in Dubai, shipped to South Korea and for use off Australia, the turret is an example of the truly global nature of this project,” added Bichsel.
Once complete, the Prelude FLNG will operate in a remote basin around 200 kilometers off Australia’s north-west coast for 25 years, produceing 3.6 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG, 1.3 mtpa of condensate and 0.4 mtpa of LPG.
DUBAI, Oct 6 (Reuters) – Iran’s oil minister landed on Kharg Island, home to the country’s main export terminal, and held talks with a naval commander on Sunday, the oil ministry’s news website...
(Bloomberg) — Iran’s oil production has defied years of US sanctions to return to almost full capacity — a tide of supply that looks increasingly vulnerable as tensions with Israel...
(Bloomberg) — Climate-friendly hydrogen was one of the most-hyped sectors in green energy. Now the reality of its high cost is taking its toll. In recent months, some of the...
October 3, 2024
Total Views: 1265
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.