TECHNICAL ARTICLES

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FPSO-FSO MOORING HOOK UP PROCEDURE

The Buoy will be moored on an spread mooring lines. The moorings will consist of lines with a top chain ,
spiral strand riser wire (optional) , ground chain, adjustment and excursion limiter chain , ground wire,
ground chain and Anchors.

The anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel will be utilized for the mooring operations as the Primary
Installation Vessel (PIV). The PIV will make one trip offshore to complete mooring hook-up.

 Two tug boats will stabilise the buoy at location and remain there until at least 4 primary lines are
connected,
 The Primary Installation Vessel (PIV) shall be the stationed at location
 Diving support at location shall be provided.
 One weather window of few days required prior to commencement of the buoy hook up
operations
 Mooring system excluding riser wire and top chain will be pre-laid down on seabed with ROV
friendly recovery rigging prior to hook-up.

The weather will play a crucial role in the operation since it affects personnel on deck, crane loads, ROV
and Diver operations. To ensure the safety of personnel and equipment during the execution of the works
the following operation and environmental limitations shall be predetermined

 Maximum wind speed for ROV deployment

 Maximum wind speed for surface diver deployment
 Maximum surface current for ROV deployment
 Maximum surface current for surface diver
 Maximum combined wave height for ROV deployment
 Maximum combined wave height for surface diver
 Maximum operating depth for surface diver (based on thruster distance)

The buoy is to be moored at the location to an pre laid mooring spread. Prior to hook-up the PIV will
install riser wire and top chain to the existing ground components of the mooring system along with an
additional pull through wire. The complete mooring line will be laid down with a ROV friendly recovery
system prior to hook-up operation commencing.

The buoy is to be pre-rigged with a pull through messenger line fed through the chain stopper
mechanisms and secured in the buoy hang off hooks. Both ends may be secured in the hang-off hooks
during tow out but the lower end of the pull through must be released prior to operations.

Upon commencement of the buoy hook-up operations the PIV will recover each of the mooring lines from
the seabed and connect to the buoy pull through wire hang-offs using ROV intervention. Once a
minimum of 4 lines are complete, tow tugs may be disconnected however it is recommended that all eight
lines be hung off prior to tug removal.

Following the hang-off of all lines the PIV will stroke up each of the lines with the vessel crane and in a
minimum of two stages until the design connection point is locked in the chain stoppers. Air diver
intervention will be required during the pull through to temporarily secure lines and for the final
connections of the chain to the buoy.

The PIV will be mobilized with all the necessary equipment for completing the buoy hook-up
operation.The equipment will be loaded onto the PIV. The order in which the equipment will be mobilized
will depend on port logistics and dockside layout.
Order of Operations

 PIV to pick-up mooring system ground chain and install riser wire, top chain, and pull through wire
segment before laying down with ROV friendly recovery rigging
 Mooring buoy pre-rigged with Pull through wires through the chain stoppers shall be provided,
and the chain stoppers held open with fibre rope. Buoy to have two positioning vessels attached
to buoy with sufficient capacity to hold the buoy in position for the installation environments.
 PIV to retrieve mooring system from seabed
 PIV to connect mooring system to buoy pull through hang-off rigging by ROV
 Once all lines hung-off, PIV to pull through first pull through wire on all lines. Diver intervention
will be required for temporary hang-off.
 PIV to pull through second pull through wire on all lines and lock chain end into chain stopper.
 PIV to determine any required modifications to the top chain length until buoy is within design
tolerances.

Buoy Pre-Rigging

This section of the procedures indicates the pre-rigging requirements for the buoy prior to its arrival on
field. On arrival to the field, two tugs are to be attached to opposite sides of buoy for positional
purposes. Buoy to be pre-rigged with pull through wires fed through each chain stopper . Top end of pull
through wire to be connected to the buoy hang-off hooks via Bow shackle.

Mooring Line Retrieval and First Hang-off to Mooring Buoy

This describes the tasks to retrieve the pre-laid moorings and transfer to the hang-offs on the buoy. This
task is to use the ROV for subsea connections and Survey for monitoring position and clearances to the
buoy.On arrival to the field, two tugs are to be attached to opposite sides of buoy for positional
purposes.Tug 1 and Tug 2 to manoeuvre the buoy into the mooring location and orientate as close as
possible to its final position.

First line to be connected will be the weather line . Connection of lines will then follow in a diametrically
opposite manner.Ensure that the upper pull-through wire segment (pre-rigged on buoy) for the
appropriate line number has its lower end free and hanging vertically down.IV to set-up on DP over 1st
line to be connected and launch ROV

 PIV will deploy ROV hook assembly

 ROV to guide hook down to seabed for connection to Recovery grommet
 ROV to connect ROV hook on work wire into Dyneema sling on laid down pull through wire
 PIV to recover work wire
 PIV to manoeuvre stern first towards the buoy and hold position with the stern approximately 15
m from buoy connection point.
 PIV to deploy ROV to a working depth
 ROV to swim to bottom end of pull-through wire from buoy and connect ROV hook into the
bottom end of the 5m pull through wire. PIV deck to provide sufficient slack in tugger as directed
by ROV.
 PIV to retrieve tugger wire to deck and lock end of 15m pull through wire in sharks jaw.
 PIV to re-position during recovery so that stern roller has approximately 5m clearance from buoy
connection point.
 Available fendering to be used as required under direction of vessel and deck crew
 PIV to connect ends of the 15m upper and lower pull through wires on deck via the 5m pull
through section from the buoy end.
  Connection to be made with shackle with masterlink included in connection between 5m section
and 15m lower pull through wire.
 PIV to connect a wire sling to end of vessel work wire
 Overboard pull through wire connection and pay out on work wire until the load is transferred to
the buoy hang-off.
 ROV to monitor mooring line as work wire is paid out to determine when load transfer occurs.
 Once load is on the buoy hang-off, release the end of the sling from the ROV hook and recover
work wire.
 ROV to monitor free end of sling to ensure that there are no snags as it is pulled through
masterlink

Following the connection of the first 4 lines indicated in item 3 the PIV the following options can be
considered:

 If weather conditions are appropriate the tow tugs can be removed from the system
 If necessary tow tugs can remain connected until all lines are connected.

Removal of the tow tugs

This section of the procedures describes the tasks required to remove the tow wires from the buoy. As
the connection point to the buoy will be at the splash zone following the hang-off of either four or eight
lines, it is proposed to disconnect the line from the buoy at the connection point to the tow tug tow
wires. The tow wires will therefore remain connected for later retrieval if

 Tow tugs to reduce holding power and retrieve work wire until end of 30m wire section can be
secured in shark jaw.
 Feed a sacrificial sling through end fitting on the 30m wire section and connect both ends back to
work wire
 Pay out work wire until weight of 30 m sling is hung off the buoy
 PIV ROV to monitor until support tug work wire is slack
 PIV ROV to cut sacrificial sling and release tow tug
Retrieval of Pull Through Wires and Temporary Hang-off

This section of the procedures describes pull through of the mooring lines following the initial hang-off of
the eight mooring lines.
The first line to be tensioned will be determined on site depending on the predominant environmental
conditions. All following lines will be tensioned in a diagonally opposite pattern

 Position PIV so that the buoy is on one side of the vessel inline with the vessel crane.
 PIV to connect wire sling to crane hook and ROV hook to other end
 PIV to manoeuvre crane so that ROV hook is accessible by divers
 Connect wire liftsling to ROV hook
 PIV to pull through upper pull through wire until top end of the lower pull through wire is
approximately 1.5m from the buoy hang-off point. Crane to stop and hold position
 PIV crane to lower system until weight is taken on the buoy hang off
 Diver to disconnect the top of lifting sling at the shackle and place end of lifting sling in buoy
hang-off hook for later retrieval.
 PIV crane to recover upper pull through wire and shackle to deck
ANCHOR DEPLOYMENT PROCEDURE

Anchor and Mooring Line Installation

AHTS will sail to Field with all mooring system equipment and installation equipment on-board for the pre-
lay of the anchors.

 Mobilization
 AHTS deploy and pull test first anchor and mooring line
 AHTS recover working wire on-board, connect the marker buoy and pennant wire, then abandon
the mooring line
 Repeat the Step 2&3 above for remaining anchor and mooring lines
 Survey final position of the anchor using survey system
 In case the pull test cannot be done during the deployment due to the existence of drilling vessel
,the alternative installation procedure shall be adopted.

Anchor Deployment
AHTS sails to the drop anchor point, and then slowly pays out the mooring line to drop the anchor into the
target box.Target box is a small area around target point where anchors are supposed to be installed.

Mooring Line Deployment and Pull Test

AHTS sails forward and deploy the mooring line along the designed corridor. After mooring chain and
mooring wire are deployed, connect the towing wire to mooring wire and continue sailing forward to pay
out the towing wire to a sufficient length for pull test.Perform the pull test with the required amount for line
out. Tension in the mooring line is brought to 40% of the design load and shall be holded for some time.
Then tension shall be increased to design load and and to be held for 20minutes.

Pennant Wire Deployment and Abandonment

After pull test, AHTS recovers the towing wire, and then continues paying out the chain and pennant wire.
The installation of first line is completed after abandoning the marker buoy and Norwegian buoy into
water.

Contingency Procedures
Anchor Dragging
If the anchor drag is significant, the anchor shall be recovered and dropped again. New drop location and
target boxed are shifted 10m side-way from the initial drop position. The overall installation procedures
are unchanged. Excess of dragging may be caused as well by an incorrect anchor fluke angle. The fluke
angle may be changed if necessary.

Chain Twist
Chain twisting shall be avoided and swivel forerunner can be used in between the chain and the wire.

Loss of Marker Buoy

AHTS uses the grapnel to catch the mooring chain or mooring wire.Once recovered, the mooring lines
and chains are recovered on deck or in chain lockers and AHTS drums.
Existing Platforms,Existing Jacket,Pipelines and other existing vessels shall be considered while anchor
and mooring line laying.
The drilling vessels or other production vessel in the vicinity during the anchor deployment its 8-own
mooring system, which limits the mooring line deployment.

Equipment Storage and AHTS Deck Lay-out

Equipment for the anchor and mooring line installation normally requires Anchors, Marker Buoys,
Norwegian Buoys,chain segments, swivels ,PP rope,Mooring Chains, Steel wires.
Bulky equipment (anchors, penant buoys, short chains, swivels, PP rope and Norwegian buoys) shall be
stored on deck.Mooring Chains shall be stored in the AHTS chain lockers or on the deck based on space
requirement. The volume of each chain segment shall be estimated to know required chain locker
volume.Steel wires and pennant wires shall be stored on the Anchor Handling Drum, and/or on the
storage drum if available.The wires will be inter connected with shackles, which shall be fitted on the
wires.After storage length computation extra chain shall be stored on deck.

Installation Sequence
If cable length for the different mooring lines are different and there are presence of other moored vessel
on site during, the installation sequence shall be pre decided. When mooring wires are wrapped on AHTS
drums, it come out in reverse order and therefore the installation sequence must be followed.
Anchor Deployment Location
Anchor deployment location shall be made within a box of 10m long (+/-5m) and 10m wide (+/- 5.0m):- +/-
5.0m in line with the mooring line is defined to ensure a minimum drop precision before dragging the
anchor and exceeding the allowable drag length.- +/- 5.0m transverse to the mooring line is leading to a
variation in the final mooring line bearing angle of less than +/-0.3 deg. Such small variation of angle in
mooring line heading is deemed negligible.
Mooring Line Installation Path
Mooring line shall be laid in a limit around the targeted path, in order to avoid incorrect pretensioning
during hook-up.
Final Anchor Location and drag length
In any case, the anchors must not drag more than limit values from their drop position target boxes.The
minimum anchor radius should be kept for each line, as well as allowable drag length:
Any anchor dragging exceed the maximum allowable (leading the anchor radius less than minimum
required) can be considered improperly deployed and shall be redeployed.
Pull Test
Pull Test Tension for Drag Anchors
Anchors shall be pull-tested at 80% of the maximum intact design load for 15min, as recommended in
API RP 2SK. In addition, the test tension applied to the system shall be kept during 15min above this
load. A tension of 25% of the maximum intact design load (horizontal tension) is first applied and once
stabilized it must be kept for 10min to confirm anchor is digging in the mud. Then, the tension is increased
to 80% and maintained for 15min once stabilized (anchor will drag a bit more).

Stern Roller to Anchor Distance during Pull Test

Pull test is performed after all the chain, plus all the wire of single mooring line and an extra towing wire
are paid out of the stern roller.This extra length is used to ensure no uplift at the anchor during pull test.
Position of the anchor directly from the stern roller shall be computed.During pull test,horizontal distances
between the stern roller and the anchor shackle for the two tensions will be different because of different
elongation in the system.

Mooring Line and Anchor Recovery

AHTS sails to recover the marker buoy and pennant wire on-board.PP rope shall be disconnected from
marker buoy, Connect Anchor handling wire to the pennant wire. AHTS sails backwards towards the
anchor and recover the pennant wire, chain and mooring wire on deck.Lock the mooring wire in shark
jaw.Disconnect the 15 m chain from both ends.Re-connect the pennant wire to the mooring wire.
AHTS sails backwards while pay-in the pennant and mooring wire, until AHTS stern is above estimated
anchor position.
Swivel forerunner is on-board and passed the shark jaw.Lock the mooring chain in the shark
jaw.Disconnect swivel forerunner from both ends. AHTS pay-in the anchor chain and breaks out the
anchor from mud and bring it onboard. Disconnect the anchor from mooring chain and store it aside.Pay
in the mooring chain in the chain locker until the end of mooring chain is close to the windlass.The
recovery of one mooring line and anchor is complete. AHT sails to the next buoy location for the recovery
of other lines.
PILE DRIVING METHOD

1) The crane barge is set up at the first pile location and heading in-line with the mooring chain leg to be
installed in order for the pile pad eye to be orientated in line with the chain leg and center of mooring.

2) The pile transportation barge is temporarily moored on the side of the crane barge.

3) The subsea frame is lowered on the sea bed, with the center at the pile target coordinates, and center
of slot in line with the proposed chain. The frame will be orientated and centered as required by DGPS or
the pile orientation with subsea gyro attached with a surface read out.The level of the subsea frame will
be confirmed by diver and/or ROV depth sensor at the 4 corners of the mudmat. An onsite decision on
which method to be used has to be decided after consultation with the Class/MWS representatives
onboard.

4) The pile is lifted and brought to the installation side of the barge. The chain is then connected to the
pile mooring lug after which the pile will be lowered and set into the pile stabilization frame. The
orientation of the pile is maintained by the two orientation plates installed at the required positions on the
pile sides which are inter locked in guides on the stabilization frame. The pile orientation will be monitored
by divers and/or ROV before it is lowered to full self penetration by matching the white line marking on the
pile which will be aligned with the orientation markings on the pile frame. Once the pile orientation is
confirmed , the pile will self-penetrate with its own weight. A re-check of verticality and orientation will be
performed after self-penetration has been achieved.

After the pile has self-penetrated, the chain is lower so that there is enough slack. The ILT is then
disconnected from the pile and recovered to deck.

5) The hammer is lifted and pre-positioned on the surface above the pile target and then lowered over the
pile. ROV will monitor and guide the stabbing of the hammer on the pile top to prevent any side loads to
the pile.The barge moorings will be adjusted during all stabbing and pile driving activities, as necessary
depending mainly on the changing environmental conditions.
Before the hammer is activated, the chain catenary will be monitored by the ROV and a sufficient amount
of chain will be lowered as required to allow the pile to be driven to final penetration. The chain is now
secured on the chain barge with chain stoppers and all the tension on the chain payout winch is released.

6) The hammer starts to drive the pile and the chain is paid out as needed. The pile is now driven until its
top is at about 1m above the mud level, ROV to assist and monitor the marks on the pile until the pile is
driven to design penetration. The hammer is finally recovered.
7) Finally a chaser pile can be used together with the hammer in order to get the pile driven to the design
depth.
OFFSHORE MOORING PATTERN -COMMERCIAL ASPECT
After satisfactorily analysis of mooring analysis it is important to optimize mooring pattern in terms of
Opex and capex.
8 mooring lines and anchors can be cheaper than 12 lines arrangement or vice versa.
Proposed anchor patterns shall be checked against compliance of Extreme (Tension and Offset in Intact,
Damaged and Transient Condition), Fatigue (Design lifetime with safety factor of 10) and Offloading
condition where hawser tensions are in specified limits.
The commercial estimate is covered from the detail design of mooring system until hook-up and
installation phase. This estimation shall be based on information gathered from previous projects and
latest market cost on the work services and equipment.

These cost components shall include

 Chain cost based on the weight

 Chain procurement cost
 Anchor piles or other anchor cost
 Anchor shackles cost
 Hook up or installation cost for anchor or piles
 Chain stopper and fairlead cost
 Tensioning Mooring winches rental cost

So all these cost shall be added to get required capex for different mooring patterns and mooring pattern
with lowest capex shall be chosen.
MOORING DESIGN CRITERIA FOR OFFSHORE INSTALLATION

Mooring Lines Design Strength

Design basis for mooring activities with different safety factors for different classes.Jacket/topsides
installation positions are considered Class 2 (as close to the final platform structures).Stand-off position is
considered Class1 (as by definition far from any other vessel or platform)..

Winch Brake Capacity

The maximum tension in the mooring lines shall be lower than winch brake capacity. Winches brake
capacities depends on the paid-out length.

Anchor Ultimate Holding Capacity

The maximum tensions in the mooring lines shall be lower than UHC of anchor.Sensitivity on the UHC
shall be checked for the stand-off position.

Anchor Uplift

No Uplift at the anchor shall occur under intact condition. This criterion is not considered for damaged
conditions (one line failure).Sufficient Mooring wire lengths are used to ensure that winch brake capacity
and anchor uplift are never limiting under any intact conditions, as well as enhancing anchor holding
capacities.

Allowable Offset during Jacket / Topsides Lifting

During jacket and topsides lifting some lines slack, the offset in intact positions shall be limited to ±5 m as
keeping reasonable control of the barge during such operation. Such horizontal motions are mostly low
frequency (100s natural period). No offset limitation under line damage shall be considered as an
accidental case.

Clearance during Jacket /Topsides Installation

The minimum clearance between any part of barge and existing offshore structures shall remain 3 m
under any conditions.For mooring line, a minimum clearance of 10 m is usually considered between
mooring line and existing facility.

Surge Limitation is defined as follow:

 Surge is limited by the distance between stern extension frame and the jacket structure.
 The distance between the two structures shall be ensured 3 m. So surge motion with initial gap
shall not exceed this limit.
 The control points can be set at few locations to study these motions and monitor these clearances.

Sway Limitation is defined as follow:

 Sway is limited by the movements the barge leading to clash between mooring lines and jacket
legs.
 Stern-most line on each side of the barge shall be studied if they are potential lines clashing with
the platform.

Clearance during Pile Installation

The minimum clearance between any part of barge and existing offshore structures shall remain 5 m
under any conditions. Mooring line allowable clearances shall also be considered as 5 m.

Surge Limitation shall be defined as follow:

 Surge is limited by the movement of any mooring line towards the jacket.Surge motion at
corresponding fairlead shall be studied.Surge motion shall not be a limiting criteria after damaged
condition if other mooring lines are far from the jacket in drilling position.

Anchor Positioning and Mooring Line Clearance Anchor pattern is designed in accordance to the
following points:

 No anchors shall be placed at a distance less than 150-200 m from a pipeline of a subsea part of
a structure.
 Whenever a mooing line crosses a route of a pipeline, the anchor shall be placed at least 350-400
m away from the crossing point.
 Catenary mooring lines shall be at least 10 m above subsea line (laid on seabed) in intact condition
and 2 m above subsea line in case of one midline buoy failure.
FPSO SPREAD MOORING ANALYSIS GUIDE FOR BENIGN WEATHER

An FPSO is located within the production field and process the crude oil received from the production
well, and stabilized oil is offloaded to a shuttle tanker using a floating loading hose.
Main objective of the mooring analysis shall be

 Prove that the mooring system is adequate for both monsoon and cyclonic conditions and
satisfies the API-RP-2SK code requirements.

 Establish the offsets (maximum) for the worst cases analyzed.

Following loading conditions shall be modelled to get full range of results

 FULLY LOADED
 BALLASTED

Following particulars shall be extracted from stability and loading condition report

 Draft Loaded, TL Loaded displacement

 LCG position forward of amidships VCG position above keel
 Draft Ballast, TB
 Ballast displacement
 LCG position forward of amidships
 VCG position above keel

CRITERIA AND CODE

Classification society requirements and API-RP-2SK codes shall be used to get the criteria on minimum
factor of safety (FOS) in intact and single line failure (SLF) cases

1. FOS (Intact) should be greater than 1.67.

2. FOS (SLF) should be greater than 1.25.

Other criteria set are:

1. Sufficient ground length to avoid lift off at anchor and

2. Maximum offset to be within those set by riser design as per table below
STORM CONDITIONS

The design of a mooring shall be for extreme conditions. The approach of a tropical storm / cyclone could
be from any direction. Therefore only the most onerous of weather parameters shall be used to design
the system, assuming that this wave + wind + current combination can approach the installation from any
direction.

Order of mooring analysis severity shall be from weather from BEAM-ON, QUARTERING FROM STERN
and to HEAD-ON.

Additional intermediate angular positions shall also be checked for sensitivity to mooring system.

Cyclonic storm and monsoon storm conditions shall be considered if there is possibility of occurence

OMNI DIRECTIONAL CYCLONIC STORM

 Significant wave height, wave crossing period and spectrum chosen shall be well defined.
Spectrum shall be location based and values of g shall be chosen accordingly, More severe
weather conditions use JONSWAP spectrum with g varies from 1.1 to 2.0
 1-Hour Mean Wind Speed used with an API wind spectrum VERSUS 1-Minute Mean Wind Speed
 Surface current speed
 Wave, wind and current shall be assumed coming from same direction

Beam-on approaching
Quartering from stern
Head-on approaching
Additional four cases of the Beam-on @ 15-degree intervals

OMNI DIRECTIONAL MONSOON STORM

 Significant wave height, wave crossing period and spectrum chosen shall be well defined for
monsoon storm separately. Spectrum shall be location based and values of g shall be chosen for
monsoon storm, More severe weather conditions uses JONSWAP spectrum where g varies
 1-Hour Mean Wind Speed used with an API wind spectrum VERSUS 1-Minute Mean Wind Speed
 Surface current speed
 Wave, wind and current shall be assumed coming from same direction

Beam-on approaching

After comparing different storm conditions, severe storm condition shall be checked in more detail

WAVE,WIND AND CURRENT DATA

The environmental data for design shall be based on regional met-ocean analysis
The extreme design case is to be based upon a 100 year return period storm event. FPSO mooring
systems are designed for 100 year return period.

Design limits can be surpassed in following cases

 Marine transportation design cases shall be for route and season specific 10 year return period
conditions, consistent with typical Marine Warranty Surveyor requirements.
  Installation and abandonment design cases will be evaluated on a case by case basis during
FEED with respect to risk and the project plan.
 During extreme conditions tanker loading and drilling operations are expected to be restricted

METHODOLOGY OF ANALYSIS

This flow chart clearly shows the steps involved in the analysis of the mooring system.
The analysis is performed for (a) LOADED and (b) BALLAST drafts of the FPSO and for each draft BEAM
conditions are used as the load cases since these are the most critical cases.

Before going for time domain mooring analysis following additional computations shall be performed

 Equilibrium run to obtain the no-environment position and tensions

 Line profile checks and line pre-tensions
 Static run to build stiffness matrix before the model is ready for time domain runs.

Many simulations are performed and for each of the simulation, the maximum tension of the most loaded
line is noted.

FPSO SPREAD MOORING ANALYSIS FLOW CHART

FPSO HEADING, MOORING LINE ARRANGEMENT AND ASSUMPTIONS

FPSO heading shall be chosen to ward off worst possible environmental loads and minimize mooring
arrangement onboard. If worst cyclone is expected to be coming from north-east, its better to arrange
fpso in head on arrangement with that direction. However multiple factors are considered for this heading.
Swell effect, monsoon direction, nearby platforms etc are considered for heading. If monsoon, cyclones
and swell directions are different, then optimized directions shall be chosen so that overall performance is
improved.

Mooring lines shall be symmetrical and cost optimization shall be involved while choosing number of
lines, anchor, and winches etc. Less number of lines might be cost effective but redundancy in single
failure cases will also be low. More lines give more flexibility and redundancy will also be high in case of
single line failure.

For simplification following assumptions can be followed however more realistic conditions shall be
defined wherever required.

 Seabed is assumed flat

 Riser drag can be included or excluded depending on condition
 One directional approach of the worst 100-year storm shall be assumed for mooring
 1-minute mean wind speed or API based wind spectrum shall be chosen whichever gives worst
loading
 Wave, wind and current approach shall be assumed collinear for conservative approach
 For shallow water depth full QTF matrix shall be chosen as this will give more realistic loads
however for deep water it can be simplified.
 Top side projected areas shall be considered more realistic
 OCIMF wind and current coefficients or wind tunnel produced data shall be chosen

NUMERICAL MODELLING

The vessel particulars, FPSO mesh for representation and fairleads shall be accurately in the model.and
following shall be defined before running simulation

 Vessel draft, displacement, COG position and radii of gyration.

 The references for computing vessel motion response.
 Added mass [A] matrix
 Damping matrix [B] – Calculation as per guidelines.
 RAO data
 Diagonal and Full QTF data
 OCIMF based wind and current coefficients.

Due to corrosion, a reduced diameter of 0.4mm / year shall be considered for fpso design life.
Corresponding MBL for reduced chain diameter shall be selected.
The definition of wave and wind spectrum with respective seeds shall be selected
EQUILIBRIUM CONDITION SET UP
The equilibrium calculation decides the “zero-environment” position of the vessel, the pretensions and
builds the stiffness matrix for loading conditions.
TIME DOMAIN CALCULATION
The time domain calculation starts after filling the necessary input. Several seeds are run for each load
case and the results are presented in the following section.

RESULTS

This section deals with the Single Line Failure analyses results, run for various seeds for Beam-on cases
only. The result which is consistent with the intact results in terms of tension and offsets are selected and
rest are rejected.
Maximum offset,Loaded line no.,Fairlead angle,FOS and Ground length for each mooring line shall be
calculated.
Factor of safety shall be above the minimum required by API codes and the ground length sufficient
enough to avoid any uplift at the anchor.
Additional environmental loading conditions shall be analyzed

HIGHER PRE TENSION SETTING

if maximum offset is not acceptable to the riser designers. Further analysis shall be required higher
pretension on the mooring lines.Higher pretensions usually results in higher mooring loads. If designed
mooring system has excess capacity to absorb higher line load, larger pull-in winch capacity and hook-up
gear shall be required for installation of mooring system on FPSO.

With Higher Pre-tension, following shall be checked

 Offsets of the vessel

 Maximum tension values in the chains.

Load cases with maximum values on offsets and maximum loads shall be chosen for rerun for higher
pretension loads. The choice of cases shall be based on previous analyzed mooring configuration.

With an installation (ballast condition) higher pretension range for all mooring lines shall achieve and fulfill
following requirements.

 All the FOS (Intact) values calculated shall be greater than 1.67, the minimum required by API-
RP-2SK.
 All the FOS (SLF) values calculated shall be greater than 1.25, the minimum required by API-RP-
2SK.
 A minimum length of ground length shall be available.

FPSO MOORING LINE FATIGUE CHECK

FPSO Mooring Line Fatigue

For both the situations (FPSO alone and FPSO + offloading tanker connected), the assessment of the
fatigue damage of the mooring lines accounts for:

 Low frequency-induced fatigue damage,

 Wave frequency fatigue damage.

The two damages are calculated separately and the summation is performed with the combined
spectrum method.
For fatigue calculations, the wave height vs period distribution is needed for each direction. Directional
period / wave height scatter diagrams shall be generated by using for each direction the distribution of
height specified and assuming that the distribution of periods for each wave height to be the same as the
non-directional.

Assessment of low frequency damage

In order to estimate the low frequency damage of the mooring lines, the following method shall be
followed:

 Time domain, low frequency simulations, for the load cases of the condensed wave scatter
diagram,
 Standard deviation and up crossing period of the tension in the lines are extracted from the
simulations.

The environments for the analysis can be considered as follows:

 Wave condition as per the condensed scatter diagram,

 95% non-exceedance wind spectrum in-line with waves,
 95% non-exceedance current in-line with waves.

In tanker-connected condition and for the calculation of LF damage, the following configurations should
be considered:

 Tanker on ballast half of the time – FPSO in maximum load condition,

 Tanker in max-load condition half of the time, with FPSO in ballasted condition.

Mean offsets for each of the sea states of the 8 directions are also extracted. For each of the 8 direction,
the maximum mean offset weighted by the occurrence of probability is considered as static offset in the
Tension RAO calculation in wave frequency.

Calculation of wave frequency fatigue damage

Tension RAOs of the mooring lines shall be computed at the fairlead location from regular wave time
domain simulation for each wave heading and a range of periods representative of the whole range of
sea-states.

To cope with issues of drag non linearity, the tension RAOs are built using Airy waves of different
amplitude. Indeed, for each wave period, the amplitude of the regular wave is calculated as the average
height of all the sea state with the same wave period weighted by the probability of occurrence.

In order to consider the incidences of waves in the direction of the mooring line bundles which could lead
to higher fatigue results, additional cases of ±15° from each of the 8 prevailing directions shall be
included.

For each of the 8 prevailing directions, the tension RAOs of the mooring lines are computed for the base
case and the ±15° cases. Only the maximum tension RAOs from the 3 cases for each line is used to
calculate the respectively wave frequency damage.

The spectrum of the tension in the mooring lines will then be calculated for each box of the scatter
diagrams. From the response spectrum and the individual probability of each sea-state, the fatigue
damage is calculated.This process is followed for each sea-state of the scatter diagram, and the total
fatigue damage is calculated from each individual sea-state with Palmgren-Miner’s rule.

The offset with tanker connected is calculated with a numerical model including the FPSO, the tanker, the
mooring lines and a tug pull.

Summation of low and wave frequency damage

Damages due to low and wave frequency motions are combined as recommended by DNV-OS-E301,
using a combined spectrum approach.
The combined spectrum method is always conservative and may significantly overestimate the actual
fatigue damage.
In a an additional case with the environment condition (Hs, Tp, Dir, FPSO Load condition, Probability
Occurrence) leading to the maximum damage in the mooring line with the lowest fatigue life shall be
included. A combined LF+WF dynamic calculation is carried out over 10800 seconds simulation with this
selected environment condition.

Sensitivity cases

Sensitivities study shall be included for the environment condition (Hs, Tp, Dir, FPSO Load condition,
Probability Occurrence) leading to the maximum damage in the mooring line with the lowest fatigue life.

1. Wave Period sensitivity

2. Wind Spectrum sensitivity
3. Wave Enhancement factor Gamma Sensitivity

Wave Period Tp Sensitivity

Two sensitivity cases (Tp1 and Tp2) shall be carried out for the most damaging sea state where two
border Tp values shall be considered for each bin of the block.Upper limit of border Tp and lower limit of
border Tp are considered. This is to validate the methodology of selecting the mean Tp value (For
instance, Tp=7.5sec for Tp range 7 sec to 8 sec) for each bin in our analysis.

Wind Spectrum Sensitivity

A sensitivity study shall be carried out for the most damaging sea state using wind spectrum.

Gamma Sensitivity

Two sensitivity cases are carried out for the most damaging sea state by considering one entire gamma
value above and below (For instance, gamma=1 and gamma=2 for the sensitivity with the base case
gamma=1.30). This is to investigate the effect on the fatigue of the mooring system due to the changes in
the Gamma parameter.
MOORING PRE-LAY AS LEFT DATA ESTIMATION

The moorings consist of top chain, riser wire, ground chain, adjustment / dip zone chain and excursion
limiter chain , ground wire, anchor chain and Anchors.

As-Left Data

The pre laid moorings shall be installed and each line shall be fully tensioned at the anchor. The pre laid
moorings shall be installed up to the adjustment chain, and the ground chain, riser wire and top chain will
be connected prior to the buoy hook-up.

Anchor Position and Orientation

Coordinates for the anchor shall be taken using USBL fixes on top of the fluke. The anchor heading can
be measured by ROV Gyro. Sometimes anchors get dragged during tensioning and while repositining
coordinates are different compared to design location. Flukes are better locations to get the coordinates
compared to Shackle as sometimes aftet final tensioning shackels get buried inside of mud.

Anchor Penetration Status after Final Tensioning

Following the final tensioning of the system detailed information on penetration of the anchor can be
accessed by recording various depth by ROV.

Mooring Line Lay Routes

The mooring line lay routes shall be surveyed by ROV prior to the installation of the system . All lines shall
be laid within design corridors.

Comparison to Design Data and Proposed chain Cut Lengths

Detailed information of the differences in range between the design and final positions of anchor and
socket in ground chain shall be computed. For assessing the amount of adjustment chain to be cut, range
calculations using the LBL array between the upper socket and buoy centre position should be
taken.Based on the calculated cut lengths the number of links to be removed from the adjustment chain
shall be calculated and presented in Table . The cut removal of each link reduces the length of the chain
by the difference of link length and twice of link diameter.

Line Twist Information

Following the installation of the pre-laid moorings a ROV survey shall be performed on each line to
determine if any twists were present that require rectification. Based on information from the wire
manufacturer a maximum allowable rotation shall be determined over full range of wire.If observed twist
or rotation on any line is greater than the allowable, the vessel shall carry out remedial work immeditely or
during the top chain installation to remove these turns.
MOORING BUOY HOOK UP OPERATION

The Buoy will be moored on an spread mooring lines. The moorings will consist of lines with a top chain ,
spiral strand riser wire (optional) , ground chain, adjustment and excursion limiter chain , ground wire,
ground chain and Anchors.

The anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel will be utilized for the mooring operations as the Primary
Installation Vessel (PIV). The PIV will make one trip offshore to complete mooring hook-up.

 Two tug boats will stabilise the buoy at location and remain there until at least 4 primary lines are
connected,
 The Primary Installation Vessel (PIV) shall be the stationed at location
 Diving support at location shall be provided.
 One weather window of few days required prior to commencement of the buoy hook up
operations
 Mooring system excluding riser wire and top chain will be pre-laid down on seabed with ROV
friendly recovery rigging prior to hook-up.

The weather will play a crucial role in the operation since it affects personnel on deck, crane loads, ROV
and Diver operations. To ensure the safety of personnel and equipment during the execution of the works
the following operation and environmental limitations shall be predetermined

 Maximum wind speed for ROV deployment

 Maximum wind speed for surface diver deployment
 Maximum surface current for ROV deployment
 Maximum surface current for surface diver
 Maximum combined wave height for ROV deployment
 Maximum combined wave height for surface diver
 Maximum operating depth for surface diver (based on thruster distance)

The buoy is to be moored at the location to an pre laid mooring spread. Prior to hook-up the PIV will
install riser wire and top chain to the existing ground components of the mooring system along with an
additional pull through wire. The complete mooring line will be laid down with a ROV friendly recovery
system prior to hook-up operation commencing.

The buoy is to be pre-rigged with a pull through messenger line fed through the chain stopper
mechanisms and secured in the buoy hang off hooks. Both ends may be secured in the hang-off hooks
during tow out but the lower end of the pull through must be released prior to operations.

Upon commencement of the buoy hook-up operations the PIV will recover each of the mooring lines from
the seabed and connect to the buoy pull through wire hang-offs using ROV intervention. Once a
minimum of 4 lines are complete, tow tugs may be disconnected however it is recommended that all eight
lines be hung off prior to tug removal.

Following the hang-off of all lines the PIV will stroke up each of the lines with the vessel crane and in a
minimum of two stages until the design connection point is locked in the chain stoppers. Air diver
intervention will be required during the pull through to temporarily secure lines and for the final
connections of the chain to the buoy.

The PIV will be mobilized with all the necessary equipment for completing the buoy hook-up
operation.The equipment will be loaded onto the PIV. The order in which the equipment will be mobilized
will depend on port logistics and dockside layout.
Order of Operations

 PIV to pick-up mooring system ground chain and install riser wire, top chain, and pull through wire
segment before laying down with ROV friendly recovery rigging
 Mooring buoy pre-rigged with Pull through wires through the chain stoppers shall be provided,
and the chain stoppers held open with fibre rope. Buoy to have two positioning vessels attached
to buoy with sufficient capacity to hold the buoy in position for the installation environments.
 PIV to retrieve mooring system from seabed
 PIV to connect mooring system to buoy pull through hang-off rigging by ROV
 Once all lines hung-off, PIV to pull through first pull through wire on all lines. Diver intervention
will be required for temporary hang-off.
 PIV to pull through second pull through wire on all lines and lock chain end into chain stopper.
 PIV to determine any required modifications to the top chain length until buoy is within design
tolerances.

Buoy Pre-Rigging

This section of the procedures indicates the pre-rigging requirements for the buoy prior to its arrival on
field. On arrival to the field, two tugs are to be attached to opposite sides of buoy for positional
purposes. Buoy to be pre-rigged with pull through wires fed through each chain stopper . Top end of pull
through wire to be connected to the buoy hang-off hooks via Bow shackle.

Mooring Line Retrieval and First Hang-off to Mooring Buoy

This describes the tasks to retrieve the pre-laid moorings and transfer to the hang-offs on the buoy. This
task is to use the ROV for subsea connections and Survey for monitoring position and clearances to the
buoy.On arrival to the field, two tugs are to be attached to opposite sides of buoy for positional
purposes.Tug 1 and Tug 2 to manoeuvre the buoy into the mooring location and orientate as close as
possible to its final position.

First line to be connected will be the weather line . Connection of lines will then follow in a diametrically
opposite manner.Ensure that the upper pull-through wire segment (pre-rigged on buoy) for the
appropriate line number has its lower end free and hanging vertically down.IV to set-up on DP over 1st
line to be connected and launch ROV

 PIV will deploy ROV hook assembly

 ROV to guide hook down to seabed for connection to Recovery grommet
 ROV to connect ROV hook on work wire into Dyneema sling on laid down pull through wire
 PIV to recover work wire
 PIV to manoeuvre stern first towards the buoy and hold position with the stern approximately 15
m from buoy connection point.
 PIV to deploy ROV to a working depth
 ROV to swim to bottom end of pull-through wire from buoy and connect ROV hook into the
bottom end of the 5m pull through wire. PIV deck to provide sufficient slack in tugger as directed
by ROV.
 PIV to retrieve tugger wire to deck and lock end of 15m pull through wire in sharks jaw.
 PIV to re-position during recovery so that stern roller has approximately 5m clearance from buoy
connection point.
 Available fendering to be used as required under direction of vessel and deck crew
 PIV to connect ends of the 15m upper and lower pull through wires on deck via the 5m pull
through section from the buoy end.
  Connection to be made with shackle with masterlink included in connection between 5m section
and 15m lower pull through wire.
 PIV to connect a wire sling to end of vessel work wire
 Overboard pull through wire connection and pay out on work wire until the load is transferred to
the buoy hang-off.
 ROV to monitor mooring line as work wire is paid out to determine when load transfer occurs.
 Once load is on the buoy hang-off, release the end of the sling from the ROV hook and recover
work wire.
 ROV to monitor free end of sling to ensure that there are no snags as it is pulled through
masterlink

Following the connection of the first 4 lines indicated in item 3 the PIV the following options can be
considered:

 If weather conditions are appropriate the tow tugs can be removed from the system
 If necessary tow tugs can remain connected until all lines are connected.

Removal of the tow tugs

This section of the procedures describes the tasks required to remove the tow wires from the buoy. As
the connection point to the buoy will be at the splash zone following the hang-off of either four or eight
lines, it is proposed to disconnect the line from the buoy at the connection point to the tow tug tow
wires. The tow wires will therefore remain connected for later retrieval if

 Tow tugs to reduce holding power and retrieve work wire until end of 30m wire section can be
secured in shark jaw.
 Feed a sacrificial sling through end fitting on the 30m wire section and connect both ends back to
work wire
 Pay out work wire until weight of 30 m sling is hung off the buoy
 PIV ROV to monitor until support tug work wire is slack
 PIV ROV to cut sacrificial sling and release tow tug

Retrieval of Pull Through Wires and Temporary Hang-off

This section of the procedures describes pull through of the mooring lines following the initial hang-off of
the eight mooring lines.
The first line to be tensioned will be determined on site depending on the predominant environmental
conditions. All following lines will be tensioned in a diagonally opposite pattern

 Position PIV so that the buoy is on one side of the vessel inline with the vessel crane.
 PIV to connect wire sling to crane hook and ROV hook to other end
 PIV to manoeuvre crane so that ROV hook is accessible by divers
 Connect wire liftsling to ROV hook
 PIV to pull through upper pull through wire until top end of the lower pull through wire is
approximately 1.5m from the buoy hang-off point. Crane to stop and hold position
 PIV crane to lower system until weight is taken on the buoy hang off
 Diver to disconnect the top of lifting sling at the shackle and place end of lifting sling in buoy
hang-off hook for later retrieval.
 PIV crane to recover upper pull through wire and shackle to deck
 MOORING ANCHOR/CHAIN INSTALLATION AND TENSIONING

Description
The pre-lay mooring system consists of lines with Anchors, anchor chain,JSS ground wire, excursion
limiter chain, adjustment / dip zone chain and ground chain . The riser wire and top chain for the system
will be installed as part of the buoy hook-up stage. Anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel shall be
utilized for the mooring operations as the primary installation vessel (PIV). The PIV will make trips
offshore to pre-lay the complete mooring systems and if required shall be supported by a another AHTS
for tensioning operations.

Each step of the pre-lay installation shall be ascertained

 Maximum dynamic line loading expected during the installation of each mooring line component
 Line lengths, vessel positioning and bollard pull requirements for the tensioning operation
 Dynamically analyse the anchor tensioning operation using vessels for the maximum installation
design seastate
 Indicate the required line components and payouts during anchor tensioning operations to ensure
that sufficient mooring line remains on the seabed to maintain a horizontal pull at the anchor.
 Calculate the bollard pull requirements to achieve the minimum test tension at the anchors.

Following installation stages with the maximum installation design seastate shall be analyzed

 Lowering of the 25te Stevpris Mk6 drag anchor to the seabed

 Lay of the ground wire
 Lay of the excursion chain

Bollard Pull Requirement for tensioning

Bollard pull requirements for mooring line test load shall be achievable by AHTS.If primary installation
vessel BP is not sufficient for this test,for additional BP another AHTS shall be used.While deciding
combined BP, thruster losses and efficiency shall be considered.If two vessels are used for bollard pull,
minimum distance between the vessels during the tandem pull shall be at least 500m, This distance is
important to minimise the risk of shock loading and reduce any losses in the PIV BP efficiency due to the
wash from the vessel in front.

Mooring Line Test Loading

In order to avoid the use of the vessels work wires and ensure that sufficient grounded length is
maintained during the tensioning process, a method of test tensioning the system following the
deployment of the following mooring line components has been developed:

 Anchor
 Anchor Chain
 Ground Wire – Jacketed Spiral-Strand Wire (JSS)
 Excursion Limiter Chain
 Adjustment Chain
 Ground Chain
 Loadcell
 Work Chain
The tensioning will occur with the additional work chain locked into the sharks jaw and the load cell
will be connected between the work chain and the end of the ground wire segments connected to the
mooring leg. If the test load is greater than the maximum bollard pull of the Primary installation
vessel, a secondary AHTS will be used in a tandem pull to achieve the required bollard pull. To
achieve the tandem pull the second AHTS shall connect to its work wire to the smit bracket on the
bow of the PIV. The length of the connection between the vessels shall be taken as 500m.

Anchor Laydown

The anchors shall be deployed using AHTS vessels. The PIV will be connected to the anchor by the
anchor chain and the ground wire, and the secondary AHTS will be connected via a wire pennant.The
vessels shall be positioned stern to stern with approximately 50m separation.

Ground Wire Laydown

The lay down of the ground wire section is set-up to represent the end of the wire laydown where the
upper end of the wire is locked off in the sharks jaw. This allows the maximum loads to be estimated
during the lay down and also indicates the loads expected on the sharks jaw when making the
connection between the wire and the excursion chain. A nominal layback distance of 50m shall be
chosen for the lay of the ground wire. Reducing the layback will reduce the loading but may result in
compression at the seabed. Increasing the layback distance will increase the tension in the lines due
to the increased horizontal component of force.No additional rigging other than the vessels work wire
and permanent mooring equipment is required for this stage of operation.
Laydown of the Excursion Chain (Adjustment chain on deck)
Lay down of the excursion chain shall be split into two sections. The first section is with the excursion
chain (load chain and drape chain) deployed with dip chain/adjustment chain on deck. This model
therefore indicated the maximum loading expected at the sharks jaws for any required cutting of the
adjustment chain. A nominal layback distance of 50m shall be chosen for the lay of the excursion
chain section. Reducing the layback will reduce the loading but may result in compression at the
seabed. Increasing the layback distance will increase the tension in the lines due to the increased
horizontal component of force. No additional rigging other than the vessels work wire and permanent
mooring equipment is required for this stage of operation.
Laydown of the Excursion Chain ( Ground Chain Payout)
Lay of the excursion chain (load chain and drape chain) is set-up to represent the full excursion chain
and dip chain suspended in the water column close to the touch down point. Ground chain has been
paid out over the stern roller. A nominal layback distance of 50m has been chosen for the lay of the
excursion chain section. Reducing the layback will reduce the loading but may result in compression
at the seabed. Increasing the layback distance will increase the tension in the lines due to the
increased horizontal component of force.No additional rigging other than the vessels work wire and
permanent mooring equipment is required for this stage of operation.

Laydown of the Ground Chain

The model for the laydown of the ground chain is set-up to represent deployment of the upper end of
the ground chain to the seabed. To calculate the maximum results for this operation the model has
been set up with the upper end of the ground chain at the sharks jaw and the removal of adjustment
chain from the system (Assuming anchor drag at its maximum during tensioning). In this case of
ground chain, excursion chain, ground wire and anchor chain have been deployed outside of the
stern roller. A nominal layback distance of 50m has been chosen for the lay of the ground chain
section. Reducing the layback will reduce the loading but may result in compression at the seabed.
Increasing the layback distance will increase the tension in the lines due to the increased horizontal
component of force.The end of the ground chain is to be laid down with a ROV hook and recovery
rigging for future recovery. The maximum loading will be used to define the SWL of the laydown
rigging.
 MOORING DESIGN & MOORING ANALYSIS OF BARGE

This article presents the methodology of mooring analysis for accommodation barge,crane barge,
offshore support barges in a given water depth.

MOORING ARRANGEMENT OF BARGE

Barge is connected to sea floor by catenary lines. These catenary lines exert force on the barge so that it
can remain close to target position. Due to environmental forces on the floating body, it will try to move
from its initial location. So mooring lines will try to restrain floating body and there will be a equilibrium in
environmental forces and catenary line forces.

Offshore Support barges are moored in proximity of offshore jackets or platforms. There main objective are to
provide logistic ,cargo and manpower support to platform. Based on the size of barge, they have 4 or 8 point mooring
system. While designing of mooring arrangement of these barges, clearance from platform shall be determined and
any tangling of mooring lines with jacket legs shall be avoided.

Pipe laying barges move on the set track of pipe laying and barge moves with certain speed. So continuous
engagement of mooring winches are required so that barge can maintain its direction.
MOORING ANALYSIS OF BARGE

External Forces on Moored Barge

 Static forces (current, wind, and a mean wave force),

 Direct wave forces (forces at the wave period), and
 Non wave period forces (wave drift and wind gusts)

Barge Loading Condition

Barge loading condition in moored condition shall be defined approximately and any variation in
consumables, deck load etc shall be considered for worst load case scenario.

Inertia Calculation of Barge for Mooring Analysis

Moments of inertia are assessed using the estimated gyration radii of the vessel,
Roll inertia radius,
Pitch and Yaw inertia radii,
weight, m = displacement

Online Calculator for Inertia of Barge

The calculation of roll motion is a key point of any ship motion calculations. It is governed by the roll damping, which
is caused by two main contributions:

 The wave radiation (linear) and the viscous effects on the hull (quadratic) for sea-keeping analysis
 Add an additional quadratic viscous damping (BQ)

With:
Cd is quadratic damping coefficient (equal to 0.05 for this barge without a bilge keel),
ρ is sea water density (equal to 1025 kg/m3),
B is the breadth of the vessel,
L is the length of the vessel.

Additional Linear Damping for Low Frequency Motions for Mooring Analysis
Additional linear damping shall be calculated for spread moored vessel:
It should be noted that Maxx, Mayy, Maψψ are the diagonal terms of the asymptotic added mass matrix
of the vessel. And Koxx, Koyy, Koψψ are the diagonal terms of the mooring stiffness matrix [Ko]
evaluated at the average position of the vessel.
Wind and Current Loads in Mooring Analysis

Wind Load Calculation for Mooring Analysis

Wind Load Calculator

Wind loads can be calculated with wind tunnel test, API RP 2SK guidelines etc.Projected area and wind
force application point are required for wind force determination.
The steady state force (for bow or beam environment) due to wind acting on a moored floating unit can be
determined using following Equation,

Fw = Cw × Σ (Cs×Ch×A) ×Vw²

Where:
Fw = wind force, lbs (N),
Cw = 0.0034 lb/(ft² • kt²) (0.615 N• sec²/m4)
Cs = shape coefficient,
Ch = height coefficient,
A = vertical projected area of each surface exposed to the wind, ft² (m²),
Vw = design and speed, knots (m/sec).

Wind shielding in accordance with acceptable methods shall be considered as per API RP 2SK
guidelines. For API method,The equations presented are convenient for calculating wind and current
forces for bow and beam environments.

Current Load for Mooring Analysis

Current Load Calculation for Mooring Analysis

Fcx = Ccx×Σ S×Vc²

Fcy = Ccy×Σ S×Vc²

Where:
Fcx = current force on the bow (N)
Fcy = current force on the beam (N)
Ccx = ½ * ρWater * Shape Coefficient (considered 1) = 502.7 Nsec²/m4
Ccy = ½ * ρWater * Shape Coefficient (considered 1) = 502.7 Nsec²/m4
S = wetted surface area of the hull (m²)
Vc = design current speed (m/sec)
The graph below shows the value of coefficient multiplied with surface area at different angle of
incidences.
API Current load calculator

Mooring Lines Properties

Wave Model
Wave is modeled with JONSWAP spectrum using significant wave height Hs, the peak period Tp, and the
shape parameter Gamma.

Operating waves
For the operating position significant wave height range of that particular month or period shall be used.
Each Hs shall be allocated three Tp based on the Noble Denton guidelines. Gamma can be used as 3.3.

Extreme waves
Based on the operational periods, the monthly extreme value at field location shall be used which can be
extracted from metocean report. The Tp used for standoff position shall be taken with margin i.e as +/-
30% of the associated Tp of monthly extreme value.

Analysis Methodology

Capabilities of the mooring system shall be computed using quasi-dynamic simulations of the vessel and
the mooring system under combination of wind, wave and current environmental loads. Simulations shall
consider combining wave frequency and low frequency responses of the system to get the maximum
vessel motions and mooring line tensions.

Simulations shall performed for 3 hours duration environments. “Quasi-dynamic analysis” is performed,
meaning that full dynamic motion of the vessel is considered but line tensions are estimated from vessel
dynamic motions with static restoring curves.

The low frequency motion shall be computed in time domain while the wave frequency motion shall be
calculated in frequency domain. The global dynamic motion is the superposition of the low frequency
motion and the wave frequency motion, the stiffness shall be computed for the sum of the WF and LF
motion.

The tension in the mooring line shall be higher than horizontal component. For mooring chain laying on
the ground, there will be a constant difference in line tension and horizontal component of restoring force.
Once the mooring chain gets up from bottom, these two force becomes almost same.
If mooring line stiffness is small, small change in force will produce large changes in position. For this
reason, if one wants to stay close to a given position, he makes lines work in pairs. Suppose that we have
two of the lines above, but in the opposite direction. Now, by controlling the distance of each to their
anchor, we have zero net force on the body but each line has a "pretension". with large pretension in
mooring line stiffness increases. The greater the pretension, the stiffer the system becomes. We cannot
have such a large pretension that for a small movement, or the line breaks.

the higher the pretension, the less the body will move, but the tendency to break a line is also greater.

excitation forces as described above can be categories in three terms.

 Static forces (current, wind, and a mean wave force),

 Direct wave forces (forces at the wave period), and
 Non wave period forces (wave drift and wind gusts)
Static forces can be calculated by applying the force on the body and finding maximum excursion due to
external forces. In this scenario, there will be a equilibrium in external forces and mooring line tension.
Include the stiffness of the mooring system in the frequency domain equations of motions and the total
excursion will be the sum of the static and frequency domain motions. Knowing the position, we can back
calculate the tensions. But stiffness in mooring line is non linear term and any approximation will have to
dealt with non linearity. In this calculation stiffness is assumed at mean position of mooring line.

So we have two component of wave load. 1st order harmonic load on mooring system and 2nd order drift
force loads on mooring system.
For normal barge maximum 1st order sway force occurs around 10 to 15 second and second order drift
load occurs at higher period approximately 100 seconds. So wave mooring loads becomes significant
around 100 seconds as , harmonic load and drift load combines and gives worst effect loading. Tension
and motion behaviour of mooring lines are quite magnified at these higher periods around 100 seconds.

In general, if we are serious about analyzing a mooring system, we need to perform an analysis which
includes all three parts of the excitation. If, however, we have a very stiff system then it will not be
susceptible to large period forcing and a simple frequency domain approach will suffice.
Hydrodynamic Analysis
Diffraction radiation method evaluates hydrodynamic loads on a structure, submitted to regular waves
and enables to get accurate RAOs operation of the vessel. Newman Approximation shall be considered
for consideration of shallow water effects on drift loads.

RAO calculation for Barge Mooring analysis

Environmental Load Cases

The maximum allowable operational environmental conditions shall be estimated for each environmental
direction assuming Wind and current are applied collinear to the wave direction and Directions are
considered as coming from 0 to 337.5 deg and every equal intervals are screened.

Design Criteria
All mooring system criteria are majorly checked against the requirements of API RP 2SK, Design and
Analysis of Station Keeping Systems for Floating Structures .
Mooring Line Design Strength
The tension in the mooring lines shall be checked against API RP 2SK requirements. The tension must
therefore remain lower than:

 50% of the MBL under intact condition

 70% of the MBL under damage condition

Winch Brake Capacity

The maximum tensions in the mooring lines shall be lower than the winch brake capacity of mooring
winches at first layer .

Anchor Holding Capacity

The maximum tension in the mooring line shall be lower than ultimate holding capacity of that particular
type of anchor in specified ground conditions.

Anchor Uplift
No uplift at the anchor shall occur under intact condition. This criterion shall not be considered for
damaged conditions (one line failure).Anchor uplift is checked against class requirements.Vertical load at
the anchor should remain less than 20% of anchor’s wet weight.

Barge Clearance with Existing Facilities

The minimum horizontal clearance between barge and existing offshore structures shall shall be specified
for intact and damage conditions.

Barge Excursion for mooring line clearance

For mooring line, a minimum horizontal clearance of 10m shall remain under intact condition and a
minimum clearance of 3m with mooring line will be considered under damaged conditions.

Mooring line vertical Clearance with Subsea Facilities

Minimum vertical clearance of 15m shall be considered between mooring lines and existing pipelines for
all the range of tension from allowable environments. If midline buoys are installed, the vertical force
should not exceed 70% of the buoyancy capacity to ensure visibility.
 TANKER REPAIR AND LIFE EXTENSION FOR FPSO CONVERSION

Vessel Selection

The selected tanker shall not be too old as that will increase conversion cost and chances of failures will
be high.The service life of the vessel can be in range of 15 to 20 years.For higher service life FPSO, its
better to use new build hull.

Scope of Refurbishment Work

Refurbishment work required on the vessel's existing accommodation, fire fighting equipment, lifesaving
equipment, structures, piping systems, machinery, control systems, and electrical equipment shall be
carried out during the conversion period according to the following criteria:

 Shop drawings, shipyard procedures, test and inspection procedures and plans, and any other
fabrication/construction documentation required to perform the work shall be developed
 Hull, marine, mooring, and safety systems shall be designed and built to Class rules.
 Any additional classification is can be according to Marine guidance in "Role of Class for Offshore
Floating Production and Offloading Structures."
 Equipment identified with inherent problems or history of problems shall be replaced to ensure
trouble-free operation during the design service life of the FPSO/FSO.
 Existing spare parts used during the refurbishment shall be verified as supplied by the OEM and in
new or as new condition.
 Due consideration shall be given to which country's waters the vessel will be moored in. National
content requirements, logistics, jurisdictional regulations, rules, and other specific requirements for
FPSO/FSOs should be factored into decisions about repair/replacement of equipment and its future
maintenance requirements.
 All bulk parts/consumables for overhaul of systems shall be supplied and installed.
 Equipment prone to wear down or corrode, through regular use or otherwise, shall be overhauled
to "zero-time" maintenance running hours such that no major overhaul will be due during the first 3
years of the FPSO/FSO Operations.

Inclining Experiment

While alongside the wharf, with all debris, excess materials, Contractor tools, and equipment cleared from
the FPSO/FSO and after all major equipment and systems are installed, inclining experiment using ballast
water to simulate moment arms shall be performed.

After the experiment, following task shall be performed:

 Revise existing trim and stability curves and provide a new Class-approved trim and stability book.
 Prepare a revised loading manual and update the loading computer software from this data, with
the appropriate Class approvals.

Dock Trial

Prior to leaving the yard,dock trial alongside a suitable wharf shall be performed; this is to verify that all
ship machinery, auxiliary, control, and safety systems and equipment have been installed in accordance
with relevant specifications and are safe and operable. Dock shall be suitable for testing of equipment
(e.g., away from hazardous flammable materials).
Sea Trials and Inshore (Anchorage)

 Sea trials undertaken shall include the following:

a) Under full range of design operating conditions, run all main cargo pumps, ballast pumps,
and sea water pumps.
b) Stagger-test cargo tanks and ballast tanks.
c) Test-run fresh-water generators.

 Assigned Class Surveyor shall measure and mark new assigned load line for the FPSO/FSO per
requirements from IMO
 Vessel's ship-side shall be adequately protected from damage to the hull coating and structure
while at the yard. Any damage sustained shall be repaired.
 If the vessel's propulsion plant is to be used for transportation to site, a minimum 4 hour endurance
test of the propulsion plant, shall be carried out.
 All machinery and equipment shall be opened up, inspected, and overhauled to as-new condition
or renewed.
 Prior to deactivation of systems that will be retained for FPSO/FSO service or site transit, such
systems shall be run-tested to identify any deficiencies in the performance or operation of the
equipment. Samples of lubricating oils shall be taken for analysis and vibration readings shall be
taken to assist in the evaluation of machinery condition.
 Carry out a thermographic survey and megger testing of all electrical equipment. This survey and
testing includes all motors and motor pot heads, switchboards, motor starter cabinets, distribution
panels, etc. The megger readings shall be taken soon after equipment isolation to avoid inaccurate
results.

Hull Steel Condition Survey

The inspection shall take place after appropriate blasting and cleaning to ensure that no defects are
hidden by paint or scale. The scope of inspection shall cover the following items as a minimum:

 Close-up visual inspection of the entire external hull structure.

 Close-up visual inspection of the entire internal hull structure in all cargo, slop, ballast, fuel oil,
forepeak, aft peak, pump room, engine room, and void spaces.
 Close-up visual inspection of the toes of all transverse bottom webs and horizontal girders. Where
these toes connect directly to an oil-tight bulkhead, they shall be tested by Magnetic Particle
Inspection (MPI).
 Close-up visual inspection and MPI of selective critical structural connections that may be prone to
fatigue cracking. The critical connections shall be selected based on fatigue analysis results,
experience with similar vessel configurations, and vessel's previous service history.
 Close-up visual inspection of collar plates of all longitudinals passing through watertight or oil-tight
bulkheads. A minimum of 30% of the welds shall be tested by MPI.
 Ultrasonic Testing (UT) thickness measurements and close-up inspection of the entire main deck,
entire keel and bottom plate, and two full-length wind and water strakes—port and starboard,
particularly at ballast and fully loaded waterlines.
 UT thickness measurements and close-up inspection of all horizontal stringers and longitudinal
girders, including the centerline girder.
 UT thickness measurements and close-up inspection of all transverse bulkheads.
 UT thickness measurements and close-up inspection of three entire transverse girth belts in each
tank.
 Detailed measurements and pit mapping of all areas of significant pitting to side shell, bottom and
main deck, and in cargo, slop, and ballast tanks, voids, pump room, and machinery spaces.
  Close-up inspection of all erection welds and MPI of any suspect welds.
 UT thickness measurements and close-up inspection of all seachests and bilge well plating.
 Any additional tanks and structure as considered necessary by Class and Company.
 On arrival in the conversion yard, all tank bottom plates, including the turn of the bilge, shall be fully
blasted to Sa 3 or better and cleaned within 4 weeks of arrival to allow a detailed visual inspection
and mapping of the condition of the bottom plating.

Hull Steel Renewals

 The following equation shall be used when determining the vessel's required steel renewal
thickness, at time of conversion, that will result in achieving the required design life. Plate shall be
renewed if its measured thickness is less than: Rule required thickness * (1 − 0.75 * allowable
wastage)+ [(F(P)SO service life − X) * annual anticipated corrosion rate]
 Bottom plating shall be renewed as defined by the steel renewal criteria, including wasted bottom
plating in way of tank suction bell mouths. Repair of bottom plate pitting and grooving, etc. in cargo,
ballast, and slop tanks may use a combination of steel renewals and weld repairs. The scope of
work will typically cover, as a minimum, the Weld up all grooves.Gouge and re-weld external weld
seams. Weld repair all remaining pitting that is distributed through the cargo and slop tanks and
that is not repaired by bottom plate renewals.
 In general, typical members requiring partial replacement include bulkhead horizontal stiffeners,
bottom longitudinal face bars, horizontal stiffeners in way of bottom transverse web frames, webs
of side shell and longitudinal bulkhead stiffeners, and longitudinal stiffeners and face bars, as well
as ladders, platforms, and ladder handrails. Staging erected within the tanks for cleaning, close-
up survey, and in preparation for blasting and coating applications shall be employed for steel
replacements, where practicable.
 In general, members requiring renewal typically comprise web frame face bars, web frame
brackets, under deck longitudinal stiffeners, face bars on under-deck stiffeners, web plates of side
shell and longitudinal bulkhead stiffeners, at drain holes, and flat bar stiffeners.
 All pump and machinery foundations and deck plating shall be checked and renewed as
required. The scope of work will typically cover, All pump and machinery foundations
 Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) shall be performed on appropriate systems to identify
actions that could eliminate or reduce the chance of a potential failure (e.g., offloading system, DP
system).
 All known cracks shall be repaired in drydock during conversion. Repair of cracks is more difficult
once the facility is producing.
 All failed coatings shall be repaired or renewed.
 Mechanical/electrical equipment, subsystems (e.g., Uninterruptible Power Supply [UPS],
Distributed Control System [DCS], etc.) that cannot be supported by Manufacturer or approved
Service Company, in the region where the vessel will be operating, shall be renewed.

Structural Steel

Application: Hull girder—deck plate, side shell plate, bottom plate, frames, girders, longitudinals,
transverse and longitudinal bulkheads, major machinery foundations, and all other hull structural steel

 All structural steel shall have the steel thickness forecast over the design life. Corrosion thickness
forecasts shall be actual thickness, minus the assumed corrosion rate times the design
life. Corrosion thickness forecasts shall consider plate fields, full plate, Hull Section Modulus,
bands across structure, and any other combination relevant from a structural standpoint.
  Assumed corrosion rates for all internal surfaces (including those to be coated during the
conversion) shall be based on the mean of the range given for "General" rates for uncoated
surfaces.

 Deck plating, side shell plating within 3.0 m (9.84 ft.) of main deck, deck longitudinals, and deck
webs (uncoated on tank side) shall use 0.2 mm/yr (0.00787 in./yr) as a minimum corrosion rate.
 Side shell plating at least 3.0 m (9.84 ft) from main deck shall use 0.1 mm/yr (0.00394 in/yr) as a
minimum corrosion rate.
 The corrosion rates for single-hull vessels and double-hull vessels shall follow Class requirements.
 Sampling of all major types of erection joints during the baseline inspection, with emphasis on
erection joints incorporating "through bulkhead" stiffeners.
 Inspecting specifically for groove corrosion along welds on longitudinal bulkheads and on
transverse bulkheads where horizontally stiffened. The grooving is usually easily picked up on the
non-stiffened side of the bulkhead, but can also be noted on the stiffened side.
 Emphasizing any bulkheads previously exposed to ballast water.

Fatigue Life Issues

The fatigue analysis shall comply with the following:

For inspectable/repairable areas:

 Utilize a minimum safety factor of 5 for critical structures .

 Utilize a minimum safety factor of 2 for noncritical structures.

For non-inspectable/non-repairable areas:

 Utilize a safety factor of 10 for critical structures

 Utilize a safety factor of 5 for noncritical structures and for FPSO/FSO turret/mooring attachments.

 Include evaluation of low-cycle fatigue.

 The fatigue analysis shall identify areas where structural details require a higher level of inspection.

Critical structures are those that, in the event of failure, could lead to loss of structural integrity, loss of life,
or significant hydrocarbon release.Structure and details that do not satisfy the fatigue life requirements
shall be modified and/or renewed as necessary to obtain the minimum fatigue life.

All Pipe Systems

 Prior to departing the yard, pressure tests shall be performed to 1.5 times the Maximum Anticipated
Working Pressure (MAWP) that reflects the likely operating scenario or per Class
requirements. For example, the offloading line, crude oil wash line, and slop lines shall all be
pressure tested at the same time, if procedures allow them to operate concurrently.
 The existing pipe material and wall thickness shall be evaluated against field life. For an extended
field life, in-service repairs may be necessary; however, this shall be avoided during peak
production period.

 Pipes, supports, and couplings that fail or show excessive deformation shall be repaired/renewed.

· All main deck piping shall be renewed.

  Any cargo lines that transition through a ballast tank shall be rerouted.

Diesel Engines

Application: Generator drivers, emergency generators, fire pumps, etc.

 Crankshaft deflections shall be recorded prior to commencement of work and on completion of all
work, with vessel in a similar ballast/empty condition.
 External visual inspection shall be conducted.
 Review of maintenance history shall be performed.
 Review of Manufacturer's maintenance schedule, based on running hours, shall be performed.
 Internal visual inspection of all running surfaces, crankcase, gears, turbo chargers, and air coolers,
etc., shall be conducted.
 Calibration of all components (e.g., pistons, liners, valves, running gear, bearings) shall be
performed.
 Calibration, setting, and testing of safety devices shall be performed.
 Inspection of governors shall be conducted.
 Alignment and load tests shall be conducted.
 Vibration test shall be conducted.
 Confirmation that all specialized tools are available and in good condition shall be provided.

 If any part, sub-unit, or assembly does not satisfy Manufacturer's recommended tolerances, then
the part, sub-unit, or assembly shall be replaced.
 All consumable items (e.g., "O" rings, gaskets, piston rings, valve plates, springs, bearings, seals,
gland packing, flexible hoses) shall be renewed.
 Vibration test results shall be within Manufacturer's or ISO 8528 recommended criteria, whichever
is the most stringent.
 If spares are not available from original Manufacturer or reputable Supplier, then the unit or sub-
unit shall be replaced.
 Resilient mountings shall be renewed.

Turbine Equipment

Application: Cargo and ballast pump drivers, auxiliary generators, feed pumps, inert gas fans—not
including main propulsion turbines

 External visual inspection shall be conducted.

 Review of maintenance history shall be performed.
 Review of Manufacturer's maintenance schedule, based on running hours, shall be performed.
 Internal visual inspection of all turbine casing, gearbox, gears, etc. shall be conducted.
 Calibration of all components, turbine blades, nozzles, seals, bearings, gear backlash, etc., shall
be performed.
 Calibration, setting, and testing of safety devices shall be performed.
 Confirmation that all specialized tools are available and in good condition shall be provided.
 Measurement and submission of all turbine and bearing clearances shall be provided
 Prior to closure of casings, all drain holes shall be proven clear
 Inspection of governor and synchronizing motor shall be conducted, if applicable.
 Vibration test shall be conducted.
 Alignment and load tests shall be conducted.
 If any part, sub-unit, or assembly does not satisfy Manufacturer's recommended tolerances, then
the part, sub-unit, or assembly shall be replaced.
 Vibration test results shall be within Manufacturer's or ISO 7919 and ISO 10816 recommended
criteria, whichever is the most stringent.
 All consumable items (e.g., "O" rings, gaskets, piston rings, valve plates, springs, bearings, seals,
gland packing) shall be renewed.
 For generators, the steam regulating valve oil cylinder, linkages, and cam shaft shall be overhauled
to new condition.
 If spares are not available from original Manufacturer or reputable Supplier, then the unit or sub-
unit shall be replaced.
 Turbine Blades shall be replaced according to the following criteria:

 If a blade's diminution is 20% or greater of original blade thickness, the blade shall be replaced.
 If 30% or more of the total number of blades require replacement, then a total blade replacement
shall be required.

Main Propulsion

Application: Diesel or turbine

As required by Classification Society, if Project Design Basis does not include that the vessel will be
towed to site.
If main engine is not needed, then the engine block may remain, but all piping and ancillary
equipment shall be removed.

Single Hull Cargo and Ballast Tank Corrosion Rates

1) The individual wastage allowances are acceptable, provided the hull girder section modulus
(SM) is not less than 90% of the hull girder SM required.
2) Corrosion rates are total rates for plating or members exposed from two sides.
3) The corrosion rates shall be used in the equation above to determine the vessel's required steel
renewal thickness, at time of conversion, that will result in achieving the required design life.
 FPSO MOORING HOOK UP PROCEDURE

This article describes the procedure for mooring hook up of FPSO at operation site. It explains the
methods applied for hook up.

FPSO GENERAL CONFIGURATION DURING MOORING HOOK UP

Normally FPSO are hooked-up by mooring chains at ballast draft, with level trim. Based on ballast draft
loading condition, the final pretension of the mooring lines shall be set to calibrated 10 to 15% of mooring
chain maximum breaking loads. As 100 % loaded condition draft will be more than ballast draft, With such
pretension at ballast draft, lower pretension will be found for the “100% loaded” loading condition.

FPSO MOORING CHAIN PICK UP ARRANGEMENT

TUGS GENERAL REQUIREMENTS DURING MOORING HOOK UP

A minimum three tugs are recommended for the hook-up operations. An additional Installation vessel is
used to install the mooring lines.
A bare minimum of two tugs are required to hold FPSO position on site, typically the two of the ocean
tugs used for towing. However, a safe minimum of three tugs shall be used for hook-up. An additional
Installation vessel is required to support during the hook-up operations.
The positioning tugs and assisting installation vessel are arranged in following way

 Lead tugs, tied to the bow of the FPSO

 Stern tugs, tied to the stern of the FPSO
 Support installation vessel, located on site to support the hook-up operation.

MOORING GENERAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE HOOK-UP

Lead tugs are used to tow the FPSO to site, while the stern tugs are used to stabilize the FPSO fishtailing
during sailing and installation.
Installation Vessels used on site to recover the chains and ensure the connection of the chains with the
FPSO.

All the mooring chain,anchor and steel surface buyos shall be prelaid before FPSO or FSO approaches
the field. Prevailing wind and current direction shall be determined and FPSO-FSO approach shall be
fixed to minimize environmental loads on vessel so that vessel towing to the target coordinate will be
smoother. For example if wind and current is coming from north, then approach shall also be towards
north.
Buoys shall be prepositioned to give proper access to approaching vessel.
In the meantime,AHTS recover one end of Single mooring chain from buoy and will be waiting near
design chain stopper location.Selection of first mooring chain to be hooked up shall be based on
prevailing wind and current load. So that after connection vessel shall be able to weather vane around
that point.
Once FPSO OR FSO reaches at designated coordinates,mooring chain shall be connected to chain
stopper and chain shall be tensioned by vessel movement.

FSO or FPSO starts to weather vane against wind and current loads and rotates around single connected
mooring chain. In this scenario excursion is possible from target coordinates of turret or chain
stopper.Other mooring lines shall commence hooking up with respective chain stoppers on FPSO or
FSO. Vessel shall be aligned in the direction of each mooring wire for facilitating mooring wire tensioning.
So towing tugs shall be used every time when wire is pulled in through mooring winches and connected
to chain stoppers. Finally winches shall be used for pretension of mooring wires and to achieve target
coordinates.

General Hook-Up Sequence

The general hook-up procedure is as follow:
On-site, the positioning tugs are used to guide the FPSO to final location in order to start connection of
the mooring lines. Assisting installation vessel is used to pick up the lines and help transfer the chains to
the FPSO. First inner line of spread mooring system is recovered and the line hook-up procedure is
followed. This mooring line is hooked up with 50% of final pretension. Same procedure would be repeated
for other three lines at the four corners and on inner most locations. At the end of this stage, these four
lines are connected and their tension shall be adjusted to get the final tension.
To compensate new mooring line tension,At each new line connected, Lead Tug and Stern Tug shall
work to keep the FPSO around +/-15m offset from its final location .

The line hook-up procedure would be repeated for next set of middle lines .These Mooring lines also shall
be re-adjusted to get the final pretensions. In this way, The line hook-up procedure would be repeated for
next set of lines. So basic is that starting from inner most lines tugs shall work on next set of lines. At the
end of this stage, all mooring lines are connected. Once all the mooring lines are connected and
tensioned, adjustment of the mooring line tension shall be performed to get the correct positioning of the
FPSO (midship location, riser porch location and FPSO heading). The following sequence is to be used to
hook-up each mooring lines to the FPSO.

Retrieve mooring line end using the subsea or pennant buoy (at the line end location). Chain end is
recovered and locked onto the installation vessel. Buoys and pennant wires are stored on AHT deck
Moves towards FPSO stern corner, relocating the line up to fairlead of mooring line. Installation vessel
shall (with the end of the chain) move as close as possible towards FPSO, so that it will have minimum
distance from the appropriate fairlead. Meanwhile on the FPSO, mooring wire and winch sockets are
prepared and connected to fairlead. The mooring wire shall be placed through the chain stopper (open)
and stored into the chain chute. At the end of the mooring wire, A messenger line is attached to the
socket. Once the installation vessel close to the FPSO, the synthetic rope (messenger line) free end is
sent to the installation vessel (while the other end remains attached to the socket). Once the messenger
line is connected to a winch on the installation vessel, the mooring wire is paid-out from the mooring
winch through the chain stopper and fairleads; and the synthetic rope in paid-in from the AHT to guide the
open spelter socket from the FPSO to the installation vessel. Once the socket at end of the mooring wire
is on-board the AHT deck, the open spelter socket is connected to the last chain link. Once the chain has
passed 15 links inside the chain stopper, chain stopper shall be closed and messenger line shall be
retrieved which is ready to be used onto the next line. Then the chain stopper shall be opened and the
mooring winch is used to set the chain at 50% of final pretension.

FPSO MOORING CHAIN PROFILE

The tugs used for the hook-up operations are usually the same the one used for the towing operation.
Towing is usually designing but in any case, following requirements are needed for the Lead and Stern
Tugs.Bollard pulls of tugs are calculated based on the force required to keep the FPSO in position with
only two lines connected in specified wave heights, wind and current load in beam and quartering
directions.

Installation Vessel
An Installation vessel(INSTALLATION VESSEL) is required to support the hook-up operation.
The installation vessel shall be fitted with Anchor Handling systems. The installation vessel shall be able
to fit a studless link hydraulic stopper. Installation vessel shall be fitted with auxiliary winch to heave the
messenger line with drum capacity of about 50m.

MEASURES AND TOLERANCES

Positioning System
Recommended systems for the operation are:
DGPS1 with an accuracy of this system lower than +/- 1m. Gyrocompass with an accuracy lower than +/-
0.2 degree. A DGPS1 surface positioning system shall be used on the FPSO to position the vessel in the
target box. A survey Gyrocompass shall be sued to install the FPSO with the proper heading. An
additional DGPS1/2 system shall be placed at the riser porch tie-in location to monitor the good location
of the riser connection. Positioning systems shall be set with Projection UTM Zone 48, local datum.

Positioning Tolerances
The positioning of the FPSO using above equipment shall be as follow:
FPSO horizontal position tolerance is a box with +/-5m sides from reference point FPSO heading
tolerance is +/-2 deg from reference heading, with a maximum accuracy of +/- 0.5 deg

Mooring Lines Pretensions

The chain tension will be confirmed by a chain angle measurement gauge that will be fitted to each
mooring chain outboard of the chain chutes.ROV survey between the distance between the fairleads and
the mooring lines touch-down point on the seabed can be used as confirmation results of the proper
tensioning.

Tensions Tolerance
The chain angle accuracy shall be measure with accuracy of 0.5 deg. If ROV assistance is used, the
distance from fairleads to TDP shall be measured with an accuracy of 5m.Tension calculation using
above measurements shall be +/- 5MT from recommended pretension.

Mooring Chain Twist

The installation shall minimize the twist of the mooring lines. The twist tolerances shall be as follow:
There shall not be more than 1 twist every 100m. Not more than 3 twists all along the mooring lines shall
be occurring along the whole line. A ROV survey of the mooring lines shall be conducted to ensure that
allowable twist and no kinked chain link occurs along the mooring lines. Marking of the chain can be used
to help control of the twist during ROV survey.

Emergency Response Plan

The FPSO approach will be timed for the slack water prior to the start of the weaker ebbing tidal
stream. As an overall statement, weather condition shall not exceed for mooring lines hook-up operation:
Significant Wave Height less than specified Wind speed less than specified Current velocity less than
specified Otherwise, Mooring Line Hook-up is aborted and the line is retrieved and laid on seabed by the
Support Tug. Mooring lines hooked-up remains attached to the FPSO. The Lead and Stern Tug sets back
into a towing configuration in order to face the up-coming weather.

FPSO Preparation

Prior to FPSO entering the field, a dedicated rigging team will board the vessel to make final preparations
for the hook-up works.
The Tow Master will be in overall charge in Positioning of the FPSO, he will liaise closely with the Clients
Offshore Installation Manager to instruct the different tugboats for the approach and to hold the FPSO in
position during the hookup.
Mooring winches shall be used for the tensioning of the mooring chain legs. Chain angle measurement
gauge shall be prepared.For the hookup operation, synthetic ropes and appropriate equipment will be
prepared on deck at the fore and aft bundles of the FPSO. All safety equipment shall be as per SOLAS
specification, National Regulation and International applicable standards mooring hookup.
RISER INSTALLATION PROCEDURE
Basics of Riser installation

The estimated maximum installation tension shall be derived as sum of Weight of the pipe (FOW) in the
water column (maximum water level) and an additional water column pressure load.

 The minimum allowable bend radius should be followed to avoid any uncontrolled curvature of the
pipe. This is highly recommended when handling the pipe near the bend stiffener and towards the
extremities (end fittings) where high stiffness variation occurs.
 Maximum allowable twist and compression shall be followed from vendor specification.
 If a tensioner is required for installation, the maximum tightening force on the pipe depends on the
tensioner parameters .The maximum allowable tightening force on the pipe is given as an utilisation
factor of 0.90 times the flexible pipe’s ultimate crushing capacity.
 If damage to the riser external sheath is detected during the laying operation before the damaged
area reaches the water surface, repair of the external sheath must be performed prior to the riser
immersion in the water to prevent any water ingress.
 If damage to the external sheath is detected during the laying operation after the damaged area
has reached the water level, then the riser must be retrieved and the external sheath repaired to
prevent any further water ingress. The riser annulus must also be flushed to remove the water.
 After installation, a vacuum test of the riser annulus can be performed in order to confirm that the
annulus is not flooded. If the annulus is found to be flooded, the riser must be retrieved and
inspected.
 The riser may be installed either full of treated seawater or empty and filled with treated seawater
once installed.
 The flowline should not be laid over large seabed obstructions (e.g. rocks) as this may cause loads
that exceed the allowable crushing capacity of the pipe. If it is not possible to alter the flowline route
to avoid an obstruction.

Temporary Abandonment

During installation, if the flexible pipe needs to be abandoned on the seabed temporarily because of
typhoons or other emergency scenarios, the flexible riser and flowline system will need to be filled with
chemically treated seawater. Chemicals that should be added to the seawater will include corrosion
inhibitor, oxygen scavenger.

The flexible line system is free flooded during installation. Flooding water change out is recommended to
be carried out by injecting a volume of gel to act as an interface between the free flood water and the
chemically inhibited water. The lines is recommended to be flooded to 30% over volume allowance to
ensure that all untreated seawater is flushed from the system and displaced with chemically treated
seawater.

Installation Sequence

The installation of the flexible system shall include but not be limited to the following steps:

 Pay out on platform winch and come up on vessel winch to transfer J-tube messenger wire and
platform winch wire to vessel deck.
 Connect flexible flowline 1st end end-fitting to platform winch wire and lift flowline 1st end end-fitting
over layover arch.
 Come up on platform winch and pay out on reels to transfer flowline 1st end end-fitting to J-tube
bellmouth.
 Adjust flexible catenary for entry into J-tube bellmouth.
 Pull in flexible through J-tube. ROV to monitor riser entry into J-tube bellmouth.
 Hang-off flexible on top of J-tube.
 Lay away on require route alignment at the required installation tolerances.
 Make up flowline-riser flange connection on deck, install anodes, insulation covers,etc and test
connection.
 Overboard flowline-riser flange connection from vessel.
 Lay flexible system overlength.
 Pay out on reels such that the insert clamp (on riser) is approximately 5m above the MWA location.
 Continue pay-out on reel system such that riser insert clamp engages into MWA clamping system.
ROV monitors and confirms correct engagement.
 Crosshaul the FSO pull-in winch wire to the assisting vessel and connect to the riser 2nd end end-
fitting.
 Pay out pre-determined amount of riser.
 Come up on FSO pull-in winch with ROV monitoring the riser 2nd end end-fitting
 Transfer riser load onto the FSO pull-in winch whilst continuing to pay out riser in steps.
 Hang off the end fitting at the buoyant module “spider buoy” and secure.
 Leak test flexible system.
 Conduct as-built surveys and prepare as-built records of the flexible system installation.
FPSO-FSO TOWING PROCEDURE

Purpose of this procedure is to define the safe towing operation of the FPSO and FSO from yard to
operation field.
This procedure describes all the necessary steps to be taken during wet tow when stern tugs employed
for river or channel towing are removed and tow is maintained by lead and assisting tug boats.

Weather Forecast and Stability Check

Site specific marine weather forecast shall be provided to each tug that should include wind,speed,wave
height,wave period,current speed,visibility and other related parameters.Limiting criteria of environmental
conditions shall be followed from towing guideline and approved by marine warranty surveyor.
Maximum draft during towing shall be based on trim and stability calculation during towing.Intact stability
condition shall be checked for 70 not wind and damage stability shall be checked for single compartment
damage with 50 knot wind.

Before Towing

Weight changes before towing shall be accesses and impact on stability shall be checked.
Before towing it should be ensured that all watertight hatches are closed properly and related equipment
are functioning properly. All towing lines and poly propelyn lines shall be ready.

Towing Vessels

Depending on bollard pull calculation and route weather information,one or two AHTS vessels shall be
used. During river towing or channel passage harbour tugs shall be employed. Towing vessels’s towing
gerars shall be properly maintained and fuel reserve shall be sufficient for whole towing period.Tugs shall
have sufficient bollard pull and all the equipments shall be approved by MWS.Tug boat shall be equipped
with towing winch,tow wire and work wire of required length,hydraulic towing pins,open stern with
roller,deck tugger winch or capstan and other mechanical and safety equipments.

Normally FPSO-FSO are towed from bow with suitable smith bracket arrangement.Strength and
arrangement of all towing equipments shall comply to attending MWS.

Tow lines are connected to vessel by smit brackets.Towing bridle will have two stud chains which are
connected at one end to smit bracket and another end is connected to towing wires. Range of angles for
bridle chains shall be 45 to 60 degree. Retrieval system shall be provided on vessels to recover towing
wire in case of parting.Vessels shall be provide with emergency towing line which shall be of the same
property as main towing line.

Towing procedure

All compartments subject to potential flooding should be sounded.Cranes shall be secured and transfer
pipe valves shall be closed so that transfer of liquids from one compartment to another can be
minimized.All watertight hatches,doors and ventilators shall be closed prior to departure. AHTS will come
along FPSO to receive towlines.

During towing draft shall be measured regularly and if any change in draft is measured,all tanks shall be
sounded.Safe locations can be used for temporary fixing of the problems.

During towing trim shall be minimized,aft trim shall not increase by 1 degree while forward trim shall be
avoided.Roll and pitch shall be monitored and any abrupt change shall be corrected.

Contingencies

In case of lead tug failure,lead tug shall be disconnected and assisting tug shall be employed until
another lead tug is secured.If FPSO or FSO towing gear fails,lead tug shall go to recover towing line while
assisting tug will hold the vessel.In case of internal flooding in FPSO,assisting tug with salvage pumps
shall be berthed along vessel and tow shall be diverted to nearest port of refugee.If power or radio system
of tug or FPSO gets fail,tow shall be towards port of shelter to make corrective actions.

Emergency Procedures

Unexpected heel or trim shall be investigated, following might be the reason of this scenario

 Hull dmage or failuer of sea chest,valve,pipe fittings

 Transfer of liquids due to lining a pump incorrectly
 Shift of unsecured deck items

In case of flooding following measures shall be taken

 Make sure that all watertight doors,valves and other applications are closed
 Pump out flooded compartment or do cross flooding

In case of fire these actions shall be taken

 Fire general alarm shall be sounded and all the personals shall report to muster station.
 Start all fire pumps
 Confine the fire by closing all the doors and ventilation of fire affected place

Evacuation shall commence in following order

 Close off all compartments and ventilation trunk after full evacuation
 Sound abandon alarm and shut down power
FPSO-FSO BOLLARD PULL CALCULATION

Bollard pull calculation for FPSO or FSO shall be done for specified routes. So Environmental parameters
like wind speed,wave height and current speed shall be predefined for this estimation.Forward speed at
specified draft shall be defined.

It is recommended that acceptance of marine warranty surveyor or other authority shall be obtained for
weather criteria.
It is better to use dual propeller tug boats as unmarked fishing nets might render tug's pulling capacity.
FPSO-FSO TANDEM MOORING HAWSER SYSTEM

F(P)SO Tandem Mooring Hawser System

This defines the requirements for hawser system design for use at Floating Production Storage Offloading
(FPSO) and Floating Storage Offloading (FSO) units [F(P)SOs].

The theory is applicable to spread-moored F(P)SOs that normally discharge via a CALM buoy, but which
may be outfitted to do tandem operations as a contingency in the case of unavailability of the CALM
System.

There have been several cases where a single point failure in the tandem mooring system at a CALM or
an F(P)SO has resulted in a break-out of the receiving tanker with pollution and potential for collision. In
each of these cases, there was a component in the hawser system that was not redundant and when it
failed, the tanker was no longer moored. In one case, the tanker grounded. In several others the Gall
Thompson Marine Breakaway Coupling parted and resulted in a pollution event.
At a minimum, when designing and procuring equipment for the tandem mooring system, OCIMF
recommendations should be followed. Two Hawser/Two Chain Stopper system is 100 percent
redundant.

The system shall have two hawsers, two fairleads, and two chain stoppers on the F(P)SO (2 x 100
percent system).The system can be operated, with one hawser and/or chain stopper. Due to the 100
percent capability of each system, the ability to continue operations should one hawser system become
inoperable can be high. At the Export Tanker, each hawser will individually connect to separate chain
stoppers on the foredeck of the tanker.

The system will have each hawser connected to independent quick-release chain stopper attachments on
the deck of the F(P)SO (2 quick-release chain stoppers and 2 fairleads for the chafe chains). The
hawsers will be independent of each other in a configuration that will provide a system with 100 percent
redundancy in all components.

Each quick-release chain stopper will have tension monitoring capability. The quick-release chain
stoppers will be designed to be released individually by local activation and individually or together by
remote activation.

Each hawser assembly will incorporate a weak link that will be located inboard of the F(P)SO side.The
safe working load for all mooring components shall be derived from the OCIMF document,
"Recommendations for Equipment Employed in the Mooring of Ships at Single Point Moorings." Safety
factors for hawsers and chains shall be in accordance with the Manufacturer's specifications. Safe
working loads for shackles shall be one-third of the ultimate breaking load. Safe working load should be
based on the expected forces to be experienced by the tandem mooring system in the worst case
metocean operating conditions for offloading operations.

It is recommended that computer based simulations be performed to verify limits for tandem mooring
operations, determine optimum hawser length, tugboat requirements, and determine the maximum loads
in the mooring hawsers and connections. This analysis should include the following phases of tandem
operations:

 Approach
 Connection
 Station-keeping
 Disconnection
 Emergency
Hydrodynamic analysis incorporating two body motions can be used to estimate or verify maximum
hawser loads and tanker motions when connected and tug assist requirements. Fast time Table Top
and/or real-time Full Mission Bridge simulations can be used in developing approach and departure
procedures, tug operating plans, and the training of mooring masters. Simulation scenarios should
include maximum metocean criteria (wind, swell, current, seas) expected to be encountered during
tandem operations. The simulation scope should include realistic hawser connections and tugboat
assistance, including sea-keeping, bollard pull expectations, and maneuverability. Damage scenarios,
including tug engine and line failure, should be included.

The following criteria should be considered during the design and Manufacture of the tandem mooring
system:

 Size of tankers operating at the facility

 Metocean conditions at which operations are designed to take place
 Storm conditions that may be encountered
 Maneuvering area, obstructions, grounding areas
 Size of the F(P)SO
 Thrusters/heading control on F(P)SO, if applicable
 Tugboat assist expectations
 Limitations of the cargo transfer system
 Position requirements for the cargo transfer system
 Workboat assistance
 Expected static and dynamic loading
 Pre-tension assumptions for station-keeping normal operations

A floating hawser arrangement shall be provided based upon the maximum-size Export Tankers, the
static and dynamic loads expected, and the results of the Dynamic Analysis. Hawser shall be supplied
with a polyurethane coating with imbedded flotation.

Based on experience, a minimum 70-meter length hawser is to be provided, but a longer length hawser
can be used to minimize hawser peak loads, to account for the relative motions between the F(P)SO and
the Export Tanker, and to maintain a greater distance between the two vessels. Final hawser length
determination will be based upon results of the Tandem Mooring Dynamic Analysis.Important
considerations in hawser length determination are the length of cargo hose needed and ensuring that
there is no unacceptable pressure drop and flow rate reduction in the Floating Hose System.

Hawsers can be left in the water between offloads or brought back aboard the F(P)SO on a reel or on the
deck. Hawsers left in the water are subject to potential mechanical damage and potential increased
fatigue due to continuous motion and fiber interaction and subsequent friction damage. Hawsers brought
aboard the F(P)SO can be inspected more readily and protected from mechanical damage and fatigue
from sea and swell cycling.

For tandem mooring operations with non-dedicated tankers, hawsers are generally deployed and
retrieved with a workboat, line handling vessel, tug, or PSV. A special designed line-handling vessel
often is the ideal platform to transfer hawsers to the offloading tanker due to their excellent
maneuverability and the design features (such as jet drives to prevent propeller damage to the hawser)
that make hawser operations safer and more efficient.

Chafe chains should be provided as defined in OCIMF Documents.Flotation for the Export Tanker chafe
chain will be through floats (not a buoy).A flotation buoy will be attached to the F(P)SO end chafe chains
(outboard of the F(P)SO side) to keep the chain assembly afloat in case of release.

Each hawser shall include an engineered weak link that is set to break at a predetermined tension level
(typically 270 tons or 90 percent of the MBL of the Export Tanker's bow stopper with 300 tonne
capacity). The weak link shall be fitted on the F(P)SO end in the chafe chain between the fairlead and
the quick-release chain stopper. In all cases the weak link will be sized to ensure no other components in
the tandem mooring system (including the Export Tanker bow stopper) will fail prior to the weak link
failure.

The minimum design strength of the hawser shall be greater than that of the mooring chain and
connectors in the system.
The hawser shall never be the weakest component in the system.

Depending on the design of the tandem hawser system chosen, a single or double fairlead shall be
located in the F(P)SO deck bulwarks, sized to allow the largest component of the tandem mooring hawser
(usually the triplate, weak link, or joining shackle) to pass through.

Quick-release chain stopper connection(s) shall be installed on the deck inboard of and in line with the
fairlead. The quick-release chain stopper(s) shall allow the chain to be released locally while under load
in an emergency situation. This release shall be activated either from a local station near the hawser
connection, remotely from the CCR, or manually at the quick-release chain stopper location.

A strong point will be installed in the vicinity of the F(P)SO quick-release chain stopper(s) to provide the
capability to test and calibrate the load monitoring system, test the quick-release chain stoppers under
tension, and test system alarms. A hydraulic jack, or other suitable equipment and devices to connect
between the quick-release chain stopper(s) and test point, will be provided to carry out these tests. The
strong point will have the same SWL as the F(P)SO quick-release chain stopper(s).

A load monitoring system (tension measurement) shall be provided in the F(P)SO quick-release chain
stopper. The load monitoring system shall measure instantaneous loads. Load monitoring information
can be stand-alone/portable computer-based and/or linked directly into the F(P)SO DCS. The following
functions shall be provided and the information recorded for the hawser string:

 Sample loads at regular, user-settable intervals.

 Calculated average loads and recorded and tabulated significant loads.
 A recording chart included in CCR of tension readouts for each hawser for entire time a tanker is
moored.
 Allowed user pre-set limits on either instantaneous, average, or significant loads, and provide an
audible alarm on tripping one or more pre-set limits. At least one low tension and several high
tension settings must be available.

Studies and actual experience with spread-moored tandem operations using a 200 meter hawser show
there do not appear to be benefits of using a 2 hawser system for this operation. The extra hawser length
has proven to help mitigate dynamic peak loads in the hawser that are sometimes experienced in tandem
operations with a shorter hawser. Longer hawsers for turret moored operations are generally not
preferred because they can result in fish-tailing and increased risk of jack-knifing and can result in
dynamic loading of the hawser system.

In spread-moored tandem operations 3 tugboats are used to keep the Export Tanker in position and
minimize fish-tailing and excessive surge and sway events.
FPSO-FSO TURRET SYSTEM DESIGN

This Section specifies the overall design philosophy that shall be applied to the structural design of
internal and external turret systems for permanently moored FPSO, FSO, FLNG vessels, and FSRUs.

The turret and mooring system shall be designed to maintain station and to allow the vessel to
weathervane at all times in all environments up to the most extreme environmental.The intent of the turret
mooring system design is to allow personnel to remain onboard through any storm that traverses the
site. Unimpeded weathervaning is critical to minimizing motions and the environmental loads that the
vessel imposes on the mooring system. Excessive vessel motions and/or mooring overload possibly
leading to failure, with loss of station, can become threats to the safety of personnel onboard.

Turret structural design shall, as a minimum, meet the same ULS design criteria (10–2 per year
probability of exceedence event) as the hull in which it is to be installed. The structural design shall be
performed in working stress design format and shall use the same ULS design safety factors as the hull.

The turret shall be designed to maintain its structural integrity in response to loads and motions imposed
on it, up to and including load cases that have a 10–4 per year probability of exceedance. The turret shall
be sufficiently stiff so that any deformation that occurs will not prevent rotation as required to allow the
vessel to weathervane.To ensure robustness of the turret mooring design, and thus allow personnel to
shelter in place, industry standards, most host country regulations, and Company practice require that the
design be shown to maintain its integrity in up to an abnormal environmental event with less than 10–4
per year probability of occurrence.

The turret structure shall be designed so that any failure of a mooring line under load will not damage the
main turret structure, the attachment point and supporting structure, and the turret's ability to continue
rotating.The turret shall be designed with sufficient fatigue resistance to preclude the need for any repairs
during its design service life.For external turret systems, sufficient clearance shall be maintained between
the mooring system and the hull.

The turret shall be designed for continuous on-station operation for the design service life without
recourse to dry-docking, and with minimal repair and maintenance; the design should maximize
inspectability and maintainability.

1) Hydrodynamic analyses and development of hull loads and motions, including the following:

 How wind and current areas and coefficients are to be determined

 Roll and yaw damping formulations and basis for coefficient selection
 Objectives of any planned wave basin model tests

2) Vessel heading and global response analysis, including the following:

 List of load cases for screening analysis and a description of how governing load cases will be
determined
 How low frequency yaw motions will be determined and details about how they will be used in the
analysis
 For a tropical cyclone area, a proposed procedure for how the near passage of the eye of the
storm is to be simulated and how transient vessel heading response will be predicted

3) Mooring analysis, including the following:

 Fatigue analysis and line dynamics

 How frequency and/or time domain analyses will be used to generate the global mooring loads on
the turret
4) Turret structural analysis, including the following:

 How hydrodynamic loads are applied, including green water and slamming
 Transfer of mooring loads to the structure, including the method for estimating the combined
action of mean, low frequency, and wave frequency loads
 Load combinations to be applied to the turret to derive design load cases for global and local
structure
 An assessment of the importance of turret structural dynamic response, and, if important, a
method for including dynamic structural response effects in design

Hydrodynamic Analysis and Development of Hull Loads

 Roll damping shall be developed using a method that appropriately accounts for nonlinear
dependence on roll amplitude, and that has been validated against model test and field data.
 Wind tunnel tests shall be performed to develop or verify wind force coefficients.
 Current force coefficients for the hull shall be based on wind tunnel or towing tank tests. If
appropriate, current force coefficients may be estimated based on available data for similar
hulls. In some cases (e.g., for barge-shaped hull geometries), standard wind tunnel testing may
not produce current force coefficients that are sufficiently accurate.
 Wave basin tests shall be used to verify analysis predictions and system behavior, but shall not
be used to develop turret design loads. Model tests should be planned and carried out in
accordance with .
 Margins for uncertainty and potential growth in wind and current areas shall be maintained at
appropriate levels and updated in a timely manner as the design progresses.

Vessel Heading Analysis and Global Response

One of the most important aspects of designing the turret and mooring system of a weathervaning vessel
is to reduce the potential range of headings that the vessel can take in response to the metocean
conditions it encounters. The goal is a limited set of design load cases that can be thoroughly
investigated. There is always a range of uncertainty in the relative angles of wind, wave, current, and
swell that can impact the vessel in various events. The following requirements apply for the screening
analysis:

 Both mean heading and the maximum range of low frequency yaw motion shall be determined for
each governing design sea state combination. The effect on yaw motion of the variation in wind
speed as modeled by an appropriate wind spectrum shall be included.
 simplified mooring model may be used for screening studies of global response to determine
governing load cases.
 If used, time domain analyses shall be run long enough to eliminate starting transient effects, and
to capture a sufficient number of yaw cycles, to ensure a stable estimate for maximum dynamic
yaw motion.
 In a tropical cyclone area, simulations of the passage of the eye of the storm over and close to
the site should be carried out if suitable time histories of wind and wave conditions at the site
during storm passage are specified in the project metocean design criteria. The effect of
transient heading variations on response and loading shall be assessed. The objective of the
simulations is to verify that the chosen set of governing load cases will bound the relative
headings and motions that can be experienced during discrete storm passages.The intent is to
ensure that personnel onboard will not be exposed to some unexpected extreme vessel motions
due to a temporary unfavorable heading of the vessel relative to the waves during the passage of
a storm.
Turret Structural Load Analysis

During its service life, the turret will be subjected to a variety of operating loads in both normal and
extreme environmental conditions as well as to possible accidental loads. The turret structure shall be
designed to withstand all expected combinations of the following:

 Inertial loads due to vessel motions

 Mooring loads, including damaged cases
 Riser and umbilical loads
 Imposed moon pool deformations caused by hull bending
 Turret bearing reactions
 Wave and buoyancy loads acting on the submerged portion of the turret
 Wind loads acting on exposed turret structure
 Green water and slamming loads
 Local loads due to equipment and piping systems
 Torsion loads due to bearing friction and swivel friction (bearings and seals)
 Accidental loads (vessel collision, dropped objects, fire, and blast loads)

The turret structure shall be checked for transit/towing conditions. The following criteria shall be
considered:

 Motions and accelerations

 Green water
 Wave slam

A global finite element analysis shall be performed to develop bearing loads and to demonstrate that
structural stresses and deformations are within allowable limits. The following requirements apply:

 Bearings shall be modeled using gap or contact elements at the roller or sliding element interface.
 The model shall include a sufficient extent of surrounding hull structure to accurately simulate its
stiffness—approximately half a tank width fore and aft and full hull breadth.
 Hull/turret interface structure shall be modeled in detail to demonstrate that global and local
deflections are within the range specified by Bearing Supplier.
 The source of the assumed friction factor for any sliding bearing element shall be documented.
 Structural natural periods for the turret/bearing/hull structure shall be calculated to investigate any
structural dynamics effects.

Turret Bearing System

 The turret bearing system shall be capable of transferring all loads from the turret structure on to
the vessel.
 The turret bearing system shall permit full weathervaning of the platform with no restrictions
regarding weather condition or vessel operation.
 The bearings for the system shall provide axial support for all vertical loads imposed in the turret
by the mooring, riser system, and umbilicals. The bearing system is also required to support the
radial loads imposed by the turret due to vessel longitudinal and transverse acceleration, and
bending moments imposed by the mooring system.
 The turret bearing support structure shall be designed to limit deflections to within allowable
values, specified by Bearing Manufacturer, under all load cases.
 The bearing assembly and its mounting shall be designed to allow inspection of the bearings
while the platform is in full operation mode.
 Fatigue damage to bearings and local support structure shall be determined as part of the turret
fatigue analysis.
FPSO-FSO WET TOWING INTACT & DAMAGE STABILITY CALCULATION

The purpose of this article is to provide insight for evaluating the intact and damage stability calculations
for the FSO during the wet tow condition, inclusive of longitudinal strength calculations.

To perform this task, the following scope shall be performed:

 Prepare the model of the FPSO-FSO

 Identify the lightweight data and set up the wet towing condition and Outline assumptions,
calculations and results

RULES AND REGULATION FOR INTACT AND DAMAGE STABILITY OF FPSO-FSO

Following codes and standards shall be followed while calculating intact and damage stability calculation
of FPSO-FSO

 IMO Code on Intact Stability for all Types of Ships Covered by IMO Instruments
 MARPOL International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
 IMO Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units
 RMRS Rules for the Classification, Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units
and Fixed Offshore Platforms, Rules for the Classification

FPSO-FSO STABILITY MODEL PREPARATION

Hull Model

A hull model of the FPSO-FSO, including tanks and superstructure shall be created. Buoyant hull and
windage area shall be defined clearly.

Loading Condition

A loading condition to represent the towing shall be defined.

 For the tow, it is better to remove products from the cargo tanks however any residual cargo shall
be estimated correctly
 If flow lines and gas lines are to be carried onboard, correct weight and CG shall be defined, If
deck area is not adequate to carry these items during towing, these shall be removed from
calculations.
 Weight change register maintained onboard the FSO shall be checked thoroughly. Upon
discussion with the crew and comparison with the existing layout drawings weight changes shall
be tracked. Lightship data shall be updated as per latest weight changes record.
 Tank loading shall be defined to assume even trim or trim by aft towing.
 Residual ballast water (normally ranges from 3% to 5%) shall be considered in each ballast tank.
The inclusion of approximately of fresh water and fuel oil were to account for the vessel being
manned during the tow. Slop tanks weight to represent fluids flushed from the MOPU, flow lines
shall be determined.
 The water ballast shall be adjusted to obtained even trim or design trim during towing.

Weight Distribution
The lightship weight distribution was calculated using the Prohaska method, which assumes a trapezoidal
distribution on top of a uniform distribution as shown below.

Longitudinal Strength Criteria

The allowable still water bending moment and shear force values are shall be taken from design midship,
which will be defined in existing midship design or tanker’s existing stability booklets.
For the towing condition, the still water bending moments and shear forces are calculated by software
and compared to the above allowable values.
INTACT AND DAMAGE STABILITY CRITERIA OF FPSO-FSO
Intact Stability Criteria

FSO intact stability is assessed against IMO A749 (18) Chapter 3 and RMRS Rules. When similar criteria
were listed within the two standards, the most onerous condition was considered. A summary of the
recommended general criteria is;

 Area under the GZ curve from 0 to 30 degrees shall be greater than 0.055 meter-radians;
 Area under the GZ curve from 0 to 40 degrees or the angle of flooding shall be greater than 0.09
meter-radians;
 Area under the GZ curve from 30 to 40 degrees or the angle of flooding shall be greater than 0.03
meter-radians;
 Righting lever GZ shall be greater than 0.20 meters at a heel angle equal to or greater than 30
degrees;
 Maximum righting arm should occur at a heel angle greater than 25 degrees;
 Corrected initial metacentric height shall be greater than 0.6 meters;
 Area under the righting moment curve to second intercept shall be greater that 1.4; and
 Corrected metacentric height shall be greater than 0.15m.

The intact stability of the FSO is checked for compliance with IMO Severe Wind and Rolling Criterion, as
per IMO Res. A.749(18)

Damage Stability Criteria

Damage stability is assessed against the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore
Drilling Unites (MODU Code) and RMRS Rules for Classification, Construction and Equipment of Floating
Offshore Oil and Gas Production Units. They require that the vessel have sufficient buoyancy and stability
when side tank damage extends 7.2 meters horizontally, 1.5 meters transversely and without limit
vertically between effective watertight bulkhead and bottom damage extends while withstanding heel due
to 50 knot winds.
The following criterion are assessed for the tank damage cases

 Minimum freeboard of 1.342m;

 Angle from equilibrium to flooding after tank damage and wind heeling shall be greater than 0.0
degrees.
 The ratios of areas from equilibrium to maximum righting arm or flooding shall be greater than 1.0
inclusive of wind heeling;
 Angle at equilibrium shall be less than 7.0 degrees after the final stages of flooding;
 Maximum righting arm shall be greater than 0.3 meters; and
 Metacentric height at equilibrium shall be greater than 0.3 meters.


PRECAUTION AGAINST CAPSIZING

Compliance with the stability criteria does not ensure immunity against capsize, and under no
circumstances absolves the Master from his responsibilities for the safety of the vessel. The Master
should therefore exercise prudence and good seamanship at all times, having regard for the season of
the year, weather forecasts and the navigational zone. When disconnected from the moorings the Master
should take appropriate action as to the speed and course warranted by the prevailing conditions and
circumstances.

All doorways, hatches and openings in the structure through which water can enter the hull, deckhouses
are to be maintained in good condition and closed in adverse weather conditions.

Weathertight doors shall be kept closed except when necessarily opened for the working of the vessel
and shall always be ready for immediate closure. Furthermore such doors are to be clearly marked to
indicate that these fittings are to be kept closed except for access. Any closing devices provided for vent
pipes to liquid tanks are to be secured in bad weather.

In the event of an accident which results in any compartment or compartments flooding, the operator
should pay attention to trim and heel of the vessel. All compartments should then be monitored to check if
continuous or progressive flooding occurs. Where possible, weathertight openings (e.g. air pipe,
ventilation pipe etc.) which may cause continuous flooding are to be closed.
DRILLSHIP LIGHTSHIP WEIGHT CALCULATION
This article describes the procedure to calculate lightship weight of any drillship at the end of the basic
design stage. During the development of the design the lightweight will need to be updated regularly as
revised and vendor data becomes available.

INFORMATION REQUIRED

 General Arrangement Drawing

 Steel Material Take-off:
 Piping and appendages list with MTO
 Vendor Equipment details

The total light ship weight shall be divided in the following weight groups:

 Steel
 Marine systems
 Power Generation, DP and Electrical systems
 Outfitting
 Major Rig equipment
 Mud systems
 Shipboard Subsea equipment
 Marine riser system
 Pipe handling
 Well Check / test equipment
 Derrick & substructure piping

In general best estimate is made based on

available typical equipment data or data from previous comparable projects. Also
"estimate" may well include calculations or MTO's however based on preliminary designs.

LIGHT SHIP WEIGHT MARGIN

Two margins are added to the weight estimations; design allowance and contingency. The
design allowance can be set Approx 6 to 8% when no material take off data or equipment data is
available. After receiving material take off this allowance can be reduced at 2.5 to
3%. When equipment data is well specified the allowance is set to zero. This allowance is set for
design changes and unknown items at basic design stage. When design progresses this margin may be
reduced further.

The contingency can be set at 6% for steel MTO's to cope with welding, structural and a general
allowance. The contingency for the other items can be set at 4% to cope with minor items not
accounted for in the weight breakdown, such as small connection details, pipe supports etc ..
When well defined equipment data is used the contingency is omitted in some places.

LIGHT SHIP WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION

Longitudinal members shall be distributed uniformly in their region. Transverse bulkheads and frames can
be distributed in narrow band along frames. The individual weight items are spread over the number of
frames where the item is located. Some items are distributed as point loads with very less area for
support.Like derrick and many mud equipments with legs are distributed as point
load. This lightweight distribution is used to calculate the still water bending moments and shear
forces in the loading conditions.

STEEL

The steel weight data of the vessel hull shall be based on the material take off list at basic design stage.
Which includes all basic structures drawings excluding secondary foundation and details. As the vessel
design progresses, detailed weights from 3d hull simulation or weight control report will provide more
accuracy.

MARINE SYSTEMS

Material take off list of marine systems shall be prepared from basic drawings of following systems

 Fresh water system

 Sewage system
 Fuel oil system
 Brine system
 Lube oil system
 Fire fighting system

POWER GENERATION, DP AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS

This weight group contains all power generation, electrical and instrumentation
components complete with cabling and cable racks. The components consist of electrical motors,
switchboards etc. The data presented for this weight group shall be based
on estimations and typical (manufacturer) data for thrusters, E-motors, frequency converters and
transformers.

OUTFITIING

This weight group contains the outfitting of the accommodation, life saving appliances, thrusters
,anchoring and mooring equipments, painting etc. Most of the data presented for this weight group
shall be based on estimations.Later detail calculation shall be included.

MAJOR RIG EQUIPMENT

This weight group contains the derrick, drawworks and main items on or near the rig floor as main
components. Drilling vendor provided weight info on the derrick, but this item is still marked as estimate
as this appears more appropriate.

MUD SYSTEM

This weight group contains the mud pumps and mud preparation / cleaning systems
and systems associated with this. The weight data shall be based on vendor data for equipment
and estimations form previous projects for the systems.

SHIPBOARD SUBSEA EQUIPMENT

This weight group contains the systems associated with the BOP incl. handling as well as the riser
tensioners and associated equipment and the ROV's. The weight of the riser tensioners shall be based
on drilling equipment vendor data for required pull and number of tensioners.
MARINE RISER SYSTEM

This weight group shall be associated with mainly the riser handling systems. At basic design stage
these weights are estimated and later on based on vendor equipment data can be revised.

PIPE HANDLING

This weight group deals with the drillpipe casing and tubular handling and racking systems. The
weights are estimates.

WELLCHECK / TEST EQUIPMENT

This weight group is a minor group and contains the fixed items associated with well checking and
logging.

DERRICK & SUBSTRUCTURE PIPING

This weight group contains the piping running from the vessel to rig floor and derrick. Weights for this
group are estimated based on previous projects.
DRILLSHIP MAXVCG AND STABILITY CALCULATION
This article describes the intact and damage stability characteristics of a drill ship and the compliance
with the requirements as set out by IMO and IMO MODU Code. This will present a set of maximum VCG
values for various drafts. The Max VCG values are calculated for the vessel with the canisters in a low
position
The Max VCG values shall be based on the wind heeling moments as calculated by block method or
wind tunnel tests. A 10% contingency shall be added to the wind heeling moments to create some margin
for possible future changes of the wind contour of the vessel.

REQUIRED INFORMATION

Following information are required for stability assessment

 General Arrangement
 Watertight Subdivision Plan
 Lines plan
 Loading Conditions
 Hydrostatic Particulars
 Wind tunnel investigation on the wind and current load on drillship

PERMEABILITY

 Storerooms 0.95
 Machinery spaces 0.85
 Accommodation spaces 0.95
 Tanks and voids 0.95

DOWN FLOODING POINTS

Weather tight downflooding points such as hatch,door,vent pipes etc shall be considered for damage
stability analysis. Unprotected downflooding points which can not be closed during flooding shall be
considered for intact stability analysis. Funnel,ventilators etc are unprotected downflooding points.

STABILITY REQUIREMENTS

The loading conditions are divided in three types of loading conditions,

 Sailing conditions
 Drilling conditions
 Standby conditions

Different intact stability requirements according to IMO MODU Code and DNV OS are applicable in all
modes of operation.

The following intact stability criteria are applied for sailing and standby conditions:

 IMO resolution A.749

 IMO resolution A.562; Severe weather criterion (wind pressure 0.504 t/m^2)
 IMO MODU code (wind speed 100 knots)
The following intact stability criteria are applied for drilling (operational) conditions:

 IMO resolution A.749

 IMO resolution A.562; Severe weather criterion (wind pressure 0.504 t/m^2)
 IMO MODU code (wind speed 70 knots)

Damage stability is calculated in accordance with MODU-code with a wind speed of 50 knots applied for
the damage calculations.

IMO A.749 STATIC INTACT STABILITY

 Area under the righting arm curve from 0 to 30 degrees > 0.055 mrad
 Area under the righting arm curve from 30 to 40 degrees or down flooding point, whichever
comes first > 0.090 mrad
 Righting arm at 30 degrees > 0.200 m
 Maximum righting arm should occur at an angle of not less than 25 degrees
 Minimum initial metacentric height > 0.150 m
IMO A.562 SEVERE WEATHER CRITERION

Area b’ equal or greater than ‘area a’ The figure below shows this criterion.
The wind heeling levers lw1 and lw2 are constant values at all angles of inclination and should be
calculated as follows:

lw1 and = P * A * Z [m]

∆
lw2 = 1.5 * lw1 [m]
where:
P = 0.0514 [t/m2]
A= projected lateral area of the portion of the ship and deck cargo above the waterline [m2]
Z= vertical distance from the centre of A to the centre of the underwater lateral area or
approximately to a point at one half the draught [m]
∆ = displacement [t]

The angles in the above figure are defined as follows:

θ0 = Angle of heel under action of steady wind

θ1 = Angle of roll to windward due to wave action
θ2 = Angle of downflooding (θf) or 50° or θc whichever is less, where:
θf = Angle of heel at which openings in the hull, superstructures or deckhouses which cannot be closed
weathertight immerse
θc = Angle of second intercept between wind heeling lever lw2 and GZ curves

The angle of roll (θ1) should be calculated as follows:

θ1 = 109k * X 1 * X 2 *r * s [deg]

where:

r = 0.73 ± 0.6OD/d with

OG = the distance between the centre of gravity and the waterline [m] (+ if the centre of gravity is
above the waterline, - if it is below)
d = is the mean moulded draught of the ship [m]

with
T = 2 * C * B [s]
sqrt(GM )
where C = 0.373 + 0.023 (B/d) – 0.043 (L/100)

L = waterline length of the ship [m]

B = moulded breadth of the ship [m]
D = mean moulded draught of the ship [m] CB = block coefficient
Ak= total overall area of bilge keels, or area of the lateral projection of the bar keel or sum of these
areas [m2]
GM = metacentric height corrected for free surface effect [m]

IMO MODU-CODE INTACT STABILITY CRITERIA

In addition to the criteria above, MODU Code has additional requirements to the intact stability. The
stability of a unit in each mode of operation should meet the following criteria as laid down in section 3.2
and 3.3 of IMO MODU Code:
  In general a wind velocity of 36 m/s (70 knots) for offshore service should be used for normal
operating conditions and a minimum wind velocity of 51.5 m/s (100 knots) should be used for severe
storm conditions
 Where a unit is to be limited in operation to sheltered locations (protected inland water such as
lakes, bays, swamps, rivers etc.) consideration should be given to a reduced wind velocity of not
less than 25.8 m/s (50 knots) for normal operating conditions.
 The area under the righting moment curve to the second intercept or downflooding angle,
whichever is less, should not be less than 40% in excess of the area under the wind heeling moment
curve to the same limiting angle.
 The righting moment curve should be positive over the entire range of angles from upright to the
second intercept.

IMO MODU-CODE DAMAGE STABILITY CRITERIA

Assumed extent of damage:

 Horizontal penetration: 1.5 m

 Vertical extent: from the base line upwards without limit
 If damage of lesser extent results in a more severe condition, such damage shall be assumed in
the calculations.
 The distance between effective watertight bulkheads or the nearest stepped portions which
are positioned within the assumed extend of horizontal penetration should be not less than 3.0 m;
where there is a lesser distance, one ore more of the adjacent bulkheads should be disregarded.
 All piping, ventilation systems, trunks etc. within the extend of damage should be
assumed to be damaged. Positive means of closure should be provided at watertight
boundaries to preclude the progressive flooding of other spaces which are intended to be intact.

the unit should comply with the following criteria:

 The unit should have enough freeboard and be subdivided by means of watertight decks and
bulkheads to provide sufficient buoyancy and stability to withstand in general the flooding of any
compartment in any operating or transit condition consistent with the damage assumptions.
 The unit should have enough reserve stability in a damaged condition to withstand the wind heeling
moment based on a wind velocity of 25.8 m/s (50 knots) superimposed from any direction. In this
condition the final waterline, after flooding, should be below the lower edge of any downflooding
opening.

WIND HEELING MOMENTS

The wind heeling moments at several drafts shall be obtained by wind tunnel tests or other appropriate
calculation methods; this is in accordance with IMO MODU Code . Wind tunnel Tests shall be performed
for operational range of drafts at regular interval.Wind heeling moments at intermediate draft shall
be inter/extrapolated.

The wind heeling moments shall be calculated in accordance with;

 IMO RES. A562 Severe Wind and Rolling for intact stability
  MODU CODE 100 knot wind speed for intact stability
 MODU CODE 70 knot wind speed for itact stability
 MODU CODE 50 knot wind speed for damage stability

IMO A562 Severe Wind and Rolling

The IMO A562 criterion uses an overall wind pressure of 504 N/m^2
Formula Wind heeling moment = P*A*Z*G*1/9810 [ton*m]

Where
P = Wind pressure [N/m^2]
A = projected lateral area of the structural member exposed to the wind [m^2] Y = centre of lateral
resistance [m]
Z = vertical distance from centre of A to Y [m]
G = Gust factor = 1.5 [-]

For operating conditions the MODU-code considers a wind speed of 36 m/s (70 knots) and for severe
storm conditions the MODU-code considers a wind speed of 51.5 m/s (100 knots).

The wind tunnel tests provides dimensionless coefficients for wind force and wind heeling moments.
Dividing the calculated wind heeling moment by the wind force, results in a lever. This lever is adapted,
since the wind heeling moment in the wind tunnel is calculated with regard to the waterline of the vessel.
In reality the thrusters will compensate the wind force as long as this force is lower than the maximum
bollard thrust of the thrusters. The total wind lever is therefore a summation of the calculated lever from
the wind tunnel tests and the lever of the thrusters to the waterline.

At high wind speeds the bollard thrust of the thrusters are lower than the wind force. The surplus of wind
force is compensated by the lateral resistance of the vessel. This lateral force has a lever with regard
to the waterline of 50% of the draft. At high wind speeds the total wind heeling moment is composed of
the thrust heeling moment and a lateral heeling moment which has a reduced lever.

A 10% contingency margin shall be added to these wind heeling moments for possible future
changes in equipment or contour of the vessel. This results in the wind heeling moments which were
used for the Max-VCG calculations.
The applicable wind heeling moments for the loading conditions are obtained by interpolation of these
calculated wind heeling moments.

MAX ALLOWABLE VCG CURVE

The maximum allowable VCG curve is a combination of the limitations resulting from the intact
condition maximum VCG curve and the damage condition maximum VCG curve.

A maximum allowable intact VCG curve shall be prepared by complying with the IMO A749, A562 and
IMO MODU. The intact stability curves shall be determined for even keel and -0.5 degrees and 0.5
degrees trim angels. The curves shall be determined for operationl draft range with a draft step of 1.0 m.
According to IMO MODU Code damage stability requirements, damage occurs
between transverse watertight bulkheads with a 1.5m horizontal penetration. The minimal
longitudinal extension of the damage is 3m. When the watertight bulkheads are spaced more than 3m
apart, only one watertight zone is damaged in each case.

A maximum allowable damage VCG curve has been prepared complying with the IMO MODU Code 50
knots wind velocity and DNV OS damage stability requirements.

The damage stability curve is determined for even keel and +/- 0.5 degrees trim angles. The curves are
determined for a draft range of 7.0 to 12.0 m with a draft step of 1.0 m. The maximum allowable summer
loadline draft is 12.0 m.

Results of damage stability

The final waterline after flooding shall be below the lower edge of any downflooding opening. The height
of the downflooding opening which is the nearest to the waterline is taken as the margin in analysis,
which is minimized to optimize the Max VCG curves.

INPUT KG VALUES FOR MAX KG IN DAMAGE CASES

The initial input VCG for damage stability calculations are the limiting VCG as derived from the intact
stability. The MODU 100 results in the lowest allowable VCG. Not all loading conditions have to apply to
the MODU 100 code (only survival loadings) , but all loading conditions do to have apply to the MODU 70
(Operational conditions) code. Therefore the Max VCG-values found from the MODU 70 code are used
as input for the Max-VCG calculations for the damaged condition. With some damaged zones and at
some drafts, the vessel does not compy with the MODU 50 code. In these cases the VCG was lowered.
MOPU TOWING STABILITY ANALYSIS
MOPU TRANSIT STABILITY ANALYSIS
The aim of this article is to establish the intact and damaged stability properties of the Mobile Offshore
Production Unit (MOPU).

The study shall be divided into two stages:

 Identifying the minimum achievable transit draught for intact and damaged stability analyses and
code checking

For towing operation,towing rules stipulates some minimum trim by aft. Like noble dention recommends a
minimum trim of 0.5% of Ls. So transit stability shall include trim of vessel.
MOPU’s intact and damaged stability in the transit condition are accessed with the legs fully retracted (the
spudcans are located in the legwell).

The purpose of this study shall be to verify and provide additional information on the intact and damage
stability of the unit during the towing operation from site to dry dock using lightship and Centre of Gravity
(CoG).

Detailed stability analysis will provide

 A detailed load case (containing lightship weight and ballast information)

 A corresponding draught (to be subsequently used in the motions analysis)
 A limiting VCG for each load case, according to class requirements

METHODOLOGY OF MOPU INTACT & DAMAGE STABILITY CALCULATION

Establish the maximum draught achievable by the MOPU

 Ensuring that the unit complies with the intact and damage stability criteria,together with
estimating the maximum allowable KG

A minimum displacement and draught were obtained for the minimum amount of ballast needed to
achieve even keel and zero heel.The final draught and weight distribution shall be used to perform full
intact and damage stability analyses.
MOPU INTACT & DAMAGE STABILITY CRITERIA

Class recommends a wind speed of 36m/s (70knots) for normal operating and transit conditions, while for
severe storm conditions, a wind speed of 51.5m/s (100knots) and 25.8m/s (50knots) should be applied for
intact and damaged cases respectively.

 For self-elevating units, the area under the righting moment curve at or before the angle of the
second intercept of the righting and the heeling moment curves or the downflooding angle,
whichever is less, is to reach a value of not less than 40% in excess of the area under the heeling
moment curve to the same limiting angle.
 The righting moment curve is to be positive over the entire range of angles from upright to the
second intercept angle.
The criteria for damage stability

 The final waterline, after assuming damage with a heeling moment equivalent to a 25.8m/s (50kn)
wind superimposed from any direction, is not to exceed the levels to which watertight integrity.
 Self-elevating units are to have sufficient residual stability to satisfy the following criterion, after
assuming the single compartment flooding and with the assumption of no wind:

Range of Stability (RoS) ≥ 7° + 1.5 θs

where θs is the static angle of inclination after damage, in degrees. The range of stability is determined
without reference to the angle of downflooding.
MOPU MODELLING & TRIM FOR STABILITY

The hydrostatic model incorporates the spud cans and steel work from the legs into the main hulls.
Furthermore, to account for the loss of buoyancy, the leg wells can be modeled as equivalent cylinders.

The total weight of the unit, excluding ballast (floating lightweight), as per the Weight Control Report shall
be taken.
The weight and CoG values for ‘Variable Load’ and ‘Water in Spud Cans’ shall be taken from latest
Weight Control Report.

The targeted towing vessel condition for the stability analysis shall be by required trim by the stern,If this
condition is not achievable by lightship,water ballast shall be used for required trim.
USE OF WATERTIGHT/WEATHERTIGHT INTEGRITY IN STABILITY

Non-watertight openings can be either weathertight or non-weathertight. The positions of both

weathertight and non-weathertight openings have a significant impact on the unit’s stability capabilities in
damaged conditions. Therefore, all
these openings should be considered giving due regard to stability and extent of watertight integrity.Non-
watertight openings represent downflooding points, i.e. locations that if submerged due to large heel or
trim will let the sea water enter the vessel in an uncontrolled manner. For non-watertight openings, a
positive freeboard after damage in wind is therefore required.
For the MOPU, the weathertight downflooding points on the main deck are the air vents of the ballast
tanks with a standard height of 760mm above deck.

If tank vents are located towards the portside and starboard outboard extremities of the transverse barge,
will have potential to become immersed when the vessel heels to the equilibrium angle after damage, in
wind.
STABILITY ANALYSIS RESULTS

The stability analyses results for the intact and damaged conditions (single compartment damage) for
various drafts shall be prepared.Applicable guidelines for towing operations recommend an initial angle of
trim. An assessment of the MOPU stability in the case of an initial trim angle shall be performed

In intact conditions, the vessel must comply with the area ratio requirements (AR>1.4). The area ratio
calculations have been done for the range of heeling angles between the first and second intercepts, as
shown below:
The damage stability shall be performed for same draft range.

STABILITY CONDITION TO ACHIEVE TRIM

The Noble Denton guidelines for Marine Transportations recommend an initial minimum trim of 0.5deg by
the stern for towed vessels. To achieve the actual weight and ballast distribution of the MOPU, if required
additional water ballast shall be loaded on the vessel, draft of the vessel will increase compared to
loading condition without ballast. Sometimes due to this increased draft, the weathertight downflooding
points (ballast tanks air vents) on the main deck immerse when the equilibrium angle after damage in
wind velocity 25.8m/s is achieved. This will lead to failure of class requirement. In this scenario, the air
vents on the main deck shall be made watertight for the entire duration of the voyage.
DAMAGE CONTROL INFORMATION FOR SHIP
Objective of the Damage Control

The three basic objectives of the damage control are:

 PREVENTION,
 MINIMIZATION,
 RESTORATION.

Prevention means to take all practical preliminary measures, such as maintaining watertight integrity,
providing reserve buoyancy and stability before damage occurs.Minimization is to minimize and localize
damage by taking measures to control flooding, preserve stability and buoyancy.
Restoration is to accomplish as quickly as possible, emergency repair or restoration after occurrence of
damage. Restoration requires regaining a safe margin of stability and buoyancy. The primary duty of the
damage control organization is to control damage.Damage control objectives are attained by taking
necessary action to do the following:

 Preserve Stability
 Preserve watertight integrity (buoyancy).
 Control list and trim
 Maintain effective segregation of the vital systems
 Prevent, isolate, combat, extinguish and remove the effects of fire.
 Detect, confine, and remove the effects of nuclear, biological, and/or
 chemical attack.
 Assist in the care of injured personnel.
 Make rapid repairs to structures and equipments.

Investigation of Damage

Four Principles of investigation should be considered in investigation of damage:

 An investigation must be through.

 It must be conducted with caution.
 Results must be reported clearly and quickly.
 Investigations must be repeated.

Ships have been lost and others have suffered unnecessary damage because investigating personnel
have neglected one or more of these four principles.

Investigation for Flooding

As a general rule, complete flooding of a compartment or flooding to sea level indicates that a
compartment is open to that sea. Flooding to a lesser height may indicate that the puncture is relatively
small or that progressive flooding is occurring.
Although progressive flooding can be verified by subsequent soundings, the general rule does not always
hold true.
In more than one case, an unisolated saltwater line leading through a secured compartment has been
ruptured and has caused the space to become completely flooded without direct access to the sea.
Such a condition is even more dangerous than a penetrate of a hull because, in time, the pressure within
the compartment will be gradually high more and more and cause previously undamaged bulkheads to
collapse.

Flooding Control

One of the most important damage control measures is to control flooding. Damage by fixed systems or
portable pumps is ineffective in handling flooding caused by damage until the rate of flooding has been
controlled. The entire pumping capacity of drainage system is sufficient to care for flooding only when the
leaks are small. All pumping facilities cannot be used on any single flooded compartment. Therefore, it is
essential that it need to isolate compartments flooded by underwater damage by
watertight subdivisions before dewatering efforts can be successful.

Basically, two methods can be used in the control of flooding:

 restrict or entirely stop the flow of water entering the hull and
 confine and remove water that has entered or still entering the ship.

Preparatory Measures to Restart Flooding Before Damage

It has been wisely said that 90 percent of the work of damage control- the important part is accomplished
before damage and only about 10 percent after the ship has been hit. Most preparatory work consists of
measures taken to toughen the ship to resist flooding. An important first step is for all personnel
concerned with damage control to learn what features have been designed into their ship to enable it to
resist flooding.

The most significant of these features is the extent and type of vessel subdivision. The subdivision or the
vessel will determine the extent and type of flooding that can occur and type of corrective measures
needed after damage. Certain material preparations are vital in toughening the ship to resist flooding.

They include:

 maintaining watertight integrity of the ship's subdivision

 properly setting material conditions of closure
 properly classifying closures and fittings, and
 providing adequate and well-distributed operable damage control equipment.

Type of flooding

There are two major types of flooding:

 SOLID
 PARTIAL.

SOLID:

If the ship has received severe underwater damage, compartments will be badly ruptured and completely
flooded. Little or nothing can be done to correct this damage.Isolate the compartments to permit
concentration on compartments that can be repaired to prevent progressive flooding.
(Solid flooding refers to a compartment that is completely filled from deck to overhead.)
To be able to flood solidly, a compartment must be vented. Venting can take place through an air escape,
an open scuttle or a ventilation fitting, or fragment holes in the overhead. Solid flooding has no other
effect than to add weight at the center of gravity of the ship.
PARTIAL:

Compartments that are only partially flooded because their outboard bulkheads contain small
holes,cracks, loose rivets, broken seams, or splinter holes, allow progressive flooding to take place. If
nothing is done about these holes,the ship will lose buoyancy and list or trim stability. Partial flooding
refers to a condition in which an intact compartment is not completely flooded.An “intact compartment”
means that the deck on which the water rests and the bulkheads that surround it remain watertight.
If the boundaries remain intact, water will neither run into nor out of the flooded compartment as the ship
rolls.The final result of partial flooding is usually a decided loss in overall stability.

Establishing Flooding Boundaries

Flooding boundaries are the bulkheads and decks restricting the partially flooded area from the flooding
boundary.If partially flooded compartments become completely flooded, the flooding boundaries may not
hold. There may be hidden cracks or leaky stuffing tubes or the bulkheads may not be able to withstand
the pressure put on them.In other words, just because a flooding boundary seams safe one minute is no
sign that it will besafe the next.Therefore,repair party personnel should keep on reinspecting and should
make sure the boundaries holds (even so for as to add shoring if bulkhead or overhead strength is in
question.)

Estimate of Damaged Ship's Situation

The most significant factor for ship stability after damage situation is the ability to keep the ship afloat.

Ability to keep the ship afloat

The following factors have an important bearing upon the ship's ability to stay afloat.

 Whether or not flooding is progressing

 Effectiveness of immediate corrective measures
 Transverse stability
 Reserve Buoyancy
 Longitudinal Stability
 Structural Strength

Determination of whether flooding is progressing

The first step to be taken is to determine whether or not flooding is progressing.This can be done by a
careful survey, including observations to determine the rate of increase of list, trim, and bodily sinkage.

Effectiveness of immediate corrective measures

Other steps including the plugging and patching of holes, and removal of damage water with
the available capacity of undamaged pumping and drainage equipment.

Transverse Stability After Damage

A substantial underwater explosion usually results in the entrance of a great mass of water with extensive
free surface, the combined result of which is a reduction of stability. The seriousness of stability loss can
be gauged by the extent of the free surface, and by the behavior of the ship with respect to list and
tenderness. List, or capsizing in the ultimate case, is due to negative GM, or unsymmetrical flooding, or a
combination or both. Whatever the case, list is undesirable. List acts to reduce stability, as well as to
make it more difficult to fight the ship. Except in the case of battleships and large aircraft carrier, other
ships may develop very small, or even negative GM. Negative GM is rare if liquid ballasting instructions
are followed, but the
possibilities must not be overlooked after damage.

The following facts should be given particular attention:

 GM usually is positive if flooding is limited to one main compartment.

 If the flooding is unsymmetrical, it is safe to assume that GM is positive when the list is not out of
acceptable limit.
 If the flooding is known to be symmetrical and there is an appreciable list, the situation will be
definitely identified as one of the negative GM. If the list is small, the ship will loll (roll with a slow,
“undecided” motion) from side to side under the influence of a small disturbing force such as
waves, weight movements or rudder forces. If the list is large, the following tendency may be
obscured by lack of sufficient disturbing force; and the ship will not even feel logy. ( A logy ship
has an extremely long or immediate period of roll.)
 If the flooding is unsymmetrical and if there is extensive free surface, negative GM should be
suspected when the list is out of acceptable limit. The ship may not be logy or extremely tender if
the list is large.
 In order to visualize the dynamic stability, still remaining after offcenter flooding has caused the
ship to list.
 Dynamical Stability. In the figure,there is a static stability curve for the intact ship, the angle of
maximum righting arm being 44°.Superimposed on this is the inclining moment curve due to
moving a weight off-center. In this example, the angle of permanent list, is 22°, equal to one-half
the angle at which the maximum righting arm occurs on the intact stability curve. The shaded
area represents the residual dynamic stability is much less than half the original total dynamic
stability. In addition, if the list had been due to off-center flooding, the combined effects of added
weight, free surface, and free communication would normally have resulted in a smaller stability
curve than the original intact one. The residual dynamic stability due to flooding, therefore, would
be even less than that resulting from moving a weight off center to produce an equal permanent
list.

Reserve Buoyancy After Damage

If the ship side above the waterline is holed, some flooding may take place as the ship rolls. Reserve
Buoyancy as well as other stability characteristics will suffer. A heavy under water explosion will result in
the entrance of a great mass of water. Flooding will be limited by subdivision, dependent upon the type
and complexity of the ship. Tn any case the relative amount of freeboard remaining after damage will be a
good indication of the residual reserve buoyancy.

Longitudinal Stability After Damage

The freeboard remaining at the ends of the ship may be used as a measure of the residual longitudinal
stability. Trim is not apt to be fatal unless the sea is washing over the weather deck. In fact, ships have
steamed long distances with sterns submerged.

Structural Strength

Flooding in the middle length increases sagging stresses, while flooding at the ends increase hogging
stresses. If the ship does not break in two immediately, a prompt, careful examination should be made of
the principal strength members (main deck, stringer plate, shear strake, bilge strake, and keel.) Shoring of
decks and bulkheads may be beneficial if stanchions have been disrupted.

Damage control flow chart

Actions to be Taken in Case of Damage

Following actions are to be taken immediately after damage in order to ensure the watertight integrity of
the vessel and to assess the damage:

1. Closing of watertight doors and hatches

All watertight hatches are to be closed immediately. In general the status of the closed hatches can be
checked on the status panel on the bridge. Additionally a visual check by a designated person shall be
performed. In case it is deemed absolutely necessary to open a watertight door or hatch in the damaged
condition in order to proceed with further actions, it should be carefully judged whether this hatch/door is
crucial to prevent progressive flooding. After use, the hatch is to be closed immediately.

2. Closing of weather tight openings

All weather tight openings are to be closed immediately, further more the closing appliances for
ventilation openings are to be secured.

3. Closing of valves

All valves in the piping system are to be closed immediately as far as the connected pipes are not used
for the pumping operations.

4. Check the extent of damage

If possible a visual check of the extent of damage and the affected compartments shall be carried out.

5. Sounding of flooded compartments

After having found out which compartments are damaged, the amount of water ingress shall be
determined by sounding measurements. In case a compartment is connected to the remote sounding
system, the amount of water ingress can be determined directly.

6. Draught readings

Draught readings at the forward, mid and aft draft marks shall be performed, the heel angle and trim shall
be calculated based on the draught readings.

7. Calculation of water ingress

By periodical checking of the soundings of the damaged compartments and comparison with the draft
readings, a calculation of the water ingress and flooding rate shall be made.

8. Use of pumps

Bilge and ballast pumps are available for pumping out water from the damaged compartments. Two
scenarios – a) the amount of water ingress (flooding rate) exceeds the available pump capacity, the
compartment must be isolated by closing all water tight accesses including valves

in the piping system and b) the pump capacity exceeds the flooding rate, the pumping shall be continued.
It is important that the pumps shall be kept in a permanent stand-by mode and ready for use, at any time.

9. Use of loading computer

For determining the possible scenarios of liquid transfer operations, the loading computer shall be used.
Loading computer shall be used for estimating stability and strength after damage. For loading computer
which are intended to calculate intact conditions only, the amount of water ingress can be considered as
additional load in the respective compartments for the actual loading condition. It is to be noted that such
an idealization gives approximate results only. In case the loading computer is capable of damage
stability calculation, the actual extent of damage shall be considered.

10. Liquid transfer operations

Before any filling or discharging of water ballast carried out, a thorough check and precalculation of the
resulting floating position is to be carried out and the limit values for stability and strength are to be
checked. The crew must be aware that filling or discharging of water ballast tanks can have negative
influences on the stability due to the effect of free surfaces for
partially filled tanks. In order to minimize the heel and trim of the vessel, it may be advisable that water
should be pumped in the tanks opposite to the damage location. If possible, the filling of slack tanks
should be preferred to improve stability of the vessel.

11. Determination of ground condition, in case of grounding

Check the ground condition and extent of damage by a diver. This check shall be performed only with the
necessary safety measures when the ship is in a stable position and no movement of the ground is
anticipated.

12. Information to the owner, coast guard

The local coast guard and the ship owner shall be informed about the present situation. A possible
outflow of oil should be stated immediately.
PIPELINE AND RISER DESIGN BASIS
DESIGN APPROACH

GENERAL

The pipeline will be designed considering the pipeline section is an offshore section with varying water
depths along the pipeline route.

Routing

Pipeline routing will be finalized taking into account drilling rigs, supply boat operations/ dropped object
have a look at, present and future centers, seabed situation, fishing regions, present coral reefs,
environmentally sensitive regions and areas stricken by different restrictions.

pipeline routes shall be optimized to reduce production and set up cost. the following standards are to be
followed;

 avoid unwanted seabed capabilities and obstructions

 avoid present structures, pipelines and structures, and so forth
 minimise pipeline crossings
 optimised (minimum) pipeline course length
 keep away from anchorage regions
 avoid rig foot prints
 provision of drilling barge approach
 recollect platform processes of destiny pipelines
 minimise topside piping necessities
 don't forget pipeline installation methods
 minimal radius
  preferred proper range for pipeline routing near existing platforms: 100m to
 distance among parallel pipelines should now not be less than 10m
 most fulfilling routing to hold the present anchorage regions and surroundings, minimum
encouraged pipeline route curvature, laying tolerance and marine and production problems
 provide adequate area provision for pipeline enlargement offset
 keep away from underwater set up and particles
 avoid anchorage regions, environmentally touchy and coral reef area. in the event that they can
not be avoided, minimise the effect and damage.
 at pipeline/riser interface the deviation will be sufficiently small to permit set up of the riser
clamps with out introducing bending stresses inside the riser. in which the pipeline is mounted
adjacent/parallel to an existing pipeline a minimal separation of 15m will be maintained, except at
the platform approach.

Pipeline Wall Thickness Selection

Methodology for the selection of wall thickness will consider the following design conditions:

 Hoop stress due to internal pressure

 Collapse due to external pressure
 Propagation buckling

Additionally the selected wall thickness should meet the requirements such as,

 Withstand installation stresses

 Withstand operational stresses
 Ensure on-bottom stability
 Ease the welding requirements
 The resulting pipeline internal diameter shall be suitable for passage of pig

Wave Theory Selection

Wave conditions, which are to be considered for design purposes, may be described either by
deterministic design wave methods (applicable wave theories) or by stochastic methods applying wave
spectra. For the design of pipeline, applicable wave theories shall be used and be described by regular,
periodic wave cycles, characterized by wavelength (period), wave height, wave direction and possible
shape and spreading parameters. The applicability of wave theories can be described as follows:

 Linear wave theory, by which the wave profile is described as a sine function, can be applied to
moderate and deep water;
 Stokes 5th wave theory, for high waves, can be applied to moderate and deeper water. For on-
bottom application, Stokes 5th wave theory yields similar result as Linear wave theory;
 Solitary wave theory is applicable for very shallow water depth;
 Cnoidal is applicable to the intervening region between Linear/Stoke 5th and Solitary wave
theories where their limits of applicability fail to overlap;
 Stream function waves, which are based on numerical methods, can be applied over a broad
range of water depths. However, this will require a lot of computing time.
 Applicable wave theory shall be selected based on the nature of the intended application, on-
bottom application.