Marine Log - November 2007 - (Page 42) TANKERTECH nook Cascade fields in the beginning of 2010, with production commencing in the first quarter. The FPSO will have a storage capacity of about 600,000 bbl of oil, a process capacity of 80,000 bopd and gas export facilities of 16 mmscfd. The FPSO will be installed on the field with a water depth of 2,600m, which would be the deepest water depth ever for an FPSO. The success of the operation could open up other fields for FPSO’s. BW Offshore’s subsidiary, APL, will deliver a complete Submerged Turret Production (STP) buoy and mooring system for the operation. The APL STP technology is the world’s leading disconnectable turret system with an unparalleled track record of more than 1,500 disconnect/connect operations, enabling the FPSO to disconnect from its moorings and seek sheltered waters in a hurricane situation with minimum disruption to operations. This will be the deepest application to date for the STP system and the first APL turret and swivel delivery to a Petrobras operated field. ICE CLASS TANKERS Svein Moxnes Harfjeld, CEO of BW Offshore, says: “It is one of BW Offshore’s goals to be the leading contractor of FPSO’s with APL’s disconnectable STP system in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. We are proud of the confidence Petrobras has put in us to deliver the first FPSO to the U.S. GoM. In June this year, we delivered the first FPSO ever in the GoM to the Mexican State-owned oil company, PEMEX. It is also of great importance installing an FPSO on an oil field located in waters this deep, demonstrating that FPSO’s are a preferred production solution in the development of ultra deep water oil fields.” OSG: TWO SHUTTLE TANKERS, PLEASE Shuttle tankers are the most practical solution for transporting oil from an FPSO when pipeline infrastructure is too costly or technologically unfeasible to build. The Petrobras America FPSO will be served by a pair of shuttle tankers chartered from Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (OSG) Last month, OSG signed a definitive agreement with Petrobras America to charter two 46,000 dwt Jones Act shuttle tankers that will be built by Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Philadelphia, Pa. “Being awarded the first contract to provide Jones Act shuttle tanker services for ultra-deepwater projects in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico is very exciting for OSG,” commented Morten Arntzen, President and CEO. The contract means that OSG had to slightly retool its newbuilding program. Now, two of the 12 product tankers that have been ordered from Aker Philadelphia Shipyard will be built as shuttle tankers. OSG expects to deliver the shuttle tankers to Petrobras in the first quarters of 2010 and 2011. This means that 11 of the 12 ships OSG has ordered from Aker have been chartered out to major oil companies and refiners. Aker American Shipping president and CEO Dave Meehan stated, “We are the first U.S. owner and builder entering the new and exciting shuttle tanker mar- DIESEL-ELECTRIC PROPULSION FOR AHL TANKERS AHL Shipping’s order for three product tankers has intrigued many U.S. shipbuilding veterans because of its groundbreaking modular construction or as some have called it, “virtual shipyard” approach (see ML, Aug. 2007, p. 8). The 49,000 dwt tankers, shown in artist’s conception below, were ordered by AHL Shipping Company, San Antonio, Tex., following a charter agreement with Shell Trading (US) Company, Houston, Tex., to transport crude oil, chemicals and products within domestic U.S. trade lanes from 2009/2010. Each tanker will have a length overall of 188m, breadth of 32m, draft of 11m, and cargo capacity 330,000 bbl. Atlantic Marine Alabama LLC, Mobile, Ala., will perform hull construction and final assembly of the vessels. Among the other key contractors secured by AHL for the project is Caterpillar engine distributor Louisiana Machinery LLC. The diesel-electric propulsion plant for each of the tankers will be three MaK 12 M 32 C generator sets (see photo inset) equipped with Siemens alternators. Each set will weigh about 120 tons and provide 5,760 kWe at 720 rev/min. Nine MaK 12 M 32 C generator sets in total will be delivered from the Caterpillar medium-speed engine facility in Rostock, Germany. The specifications for the generator sets were finalized during a recent customer visit to Caterpillar Motoren in Kiel, Germany. Shipment of the first set of engines is scheduled for Aug. 2008, with the second and third set due in July 2009 and Jan. 2010, respectively. There is also an option to power three more tankers with the same engine configuration. Gary Aucoin, MaK Business Unit Manager at Louisiana Machinery, said, “We have placed this project as a key to our future success. The tanker business is new to Louisiana Machinery, and the experience gathered will open up future opportunities. We are committed to building a first-class MaK dealership, to complement the already successful 42 MARINE LOG NOVEMBER 2007 www.marinelog.com http://www.marinelog.com
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