IHC Engineering’s Largest Project to Date

On May 31, IHC Engineering Business (EB) will reach a major milestone when their largest project to date, a 2,000t capacity J-Lay system for the Saipem FDS2 (Field Development Ship), leaves its manufacturing location on Teesside.

The lay system will then be en route to the Samsung Heavy Industries’ (SHI) Geoje shipyard in South Korea where EB’s engineers will work closely with Saipem and SHI to install and commission the system on the new build vessel.

The new system is able to accommodate pipes from 4 to 36 inches and is rated at 2,000t hang-off capacity. By adjusting the angle of the tower (from 45 to 96 degrees) the system is capable of laying pipe in deep or shallow water. Key design drivers have been optimization of pipe handling operations to ensure low cycle time, highly constrained working envelopes, and ensuring safety in all aspects of operation.

“There are plenty of fascinating statistics surrounding the J-Lay system including the fact that at 65 metres tall and 14 metres wide it is taller than the nearby Tyne Bridge,” explains Toby Bailey. “The total weight of the tower including all pipe handling equipment is 2,500t and the maximum weight of pipe that can be hung off the tower is equivalent to suspending 266 double-decker buses; there are 25km of cable; 60,000 lines of software code; and over 5km of welding.  Designing and building this first of a kind system has been a remarkable achievement that we are very proud of.”