ROG Ship Repair Completes FPSO Moonpool Project
Holland’s ROG Ship Repair said it has come to the aid of a Floating Production & Storage Offshore (FPSO) vessel ran into problematic weather conditions while being towed from Europe to the Middle East.
Having recently been assigned a new contract, the 89,184 dwt, 248.1 m long FPSO Aoka Mizu (Japanese for Bluewater), owned and operated by Holland’s Bluewater Energy Services, will be utilized for the early production system (EPS) phase of the development on Hurricane’s offshore field in the North Sea.
The contract for the upgrade of the 30,000 bpd, Aoka Mizu, was awarded to Dubai’s Drydocks World, and the vessel needed to be towed from Gdansk, in Poland, where she was in layup, to Dubai. During this passage, high sea states were expected and therefore the turret moonpool on board had to be closed off.
Rotterdam’s ROG Ship Repair was awarded a contract for the fabrication and installation of the moonpool cover, with delivery required in a very short lead time. ROG said it worked 24/7 for two weeks to fabricate the steel structure according the highest quality standards, in its workshops in Waalhaven.
After fabrication, the cover was transported to Maasvlakte, Rotterdam, where it was positioned and coordinated on the seabed, ready and waiting for the arrival of Aoka Mizu. When the FPSO arrived, under tow, she was moored in a position precisely above the cover. ROG then came on board to mount the hoisting arrangements.
Before lifting the cover into the Aoka Mizu, air pressure hoses where connected underneath the cover to ensure that it was not sucked onto the seabed. Divers connected the cover to the hoist and ROG began the controlled lift, which hoisted the moonpool cover into the correct position. Once in position, sea-fastenings were installed and secured.