Member Info for adoubleuk

Laser, LKwatch, Gillnetter,

Thanks a million. Watching buoy progress (construction, delivery to UK) has been interesting, this is now the real thing (tow-out and field installation). The project is advancing nicely.

Wellwell,

"AK he said “main engine”not all generators. There’s redundancy albeit not much."

In fact, if we want to split hairs, the AM doesn't have a 'main engine'. She has two 6MW diesel-driven generators (which is what she'll use when travelling) and two 10 MW gas turbine generators (for when producing); The two propulsion thrusters (because she possesses six thrusters in all) are 4 MW apiece, so she could run on just one even if a generator went down. Which is of course highly unlikely.

Thought you'd like to know.

Dave,

"they have a good few weeks en route to sort out the teething problems and there will be lots, from anemometers wired in the wrong way around to small bore tubing connected to wrong kind of fittings.
These issues will become apparent even 2 years after leaving dock so dont expect a new FPSO when she leaves as it will be far from it."

But the sort of issues you mention are exactly the type of thing you'd expect if she WAS brand new! Just like drilling rigs. Working with a brand new one is usually a nightmare.

Davewin,

"Unless she experiences a breakdown of the Main engine en route, then itll come back to the UK under its own power."

And that is utterly worst-case, of course, because all other sorts of systems will be down as well. The thrusters are electrically-driven. As are lots of other things. Somehow I think Drydock World and Bluewater won't sail her if they think there's a measurable risk of a full power-failure.

SiPP,

"I think for the book to be valid the bookie needs to accept the bet. That hasn't happened yet "

Quite. Also in an earlier post I myself asked who would be keeping the book, because I thought the odds were a bit mean. Were I just to make a personal wager on it I'd prefer them to be 25-1 or something like that. Which I still believe to be realistic.

And by the way, it wouldn't be for charity. I leave that for Reverandy's sweepstakes.

Wellwell,

" Are you now an expert in all things maritime as well?"

No, I am not. You know that. I would not consider myself to be a 'maritime expert', despite much of my life having been spent at sea. Not just working the drill-floor, but having been involved in towing, so thus understanding things like buoyancy, stability, sea-states, and that sort of thing. Plus I possess a little bit of common sense and I'm not just cloth between the ears. And I do receive my free copy of 'Offshore Engineer' every month so can keep track of things.

Reverting to the FPSO subject which Extrader brought up, mammoth FPSO's such as he describes are fine for deepwater offshore places like Guyana, where they encounter low-frequency sea states, and because of water depth have enormous 'give' in their mooring systems. Rona is not that. In ttat shallow water, when the medre hits the ventilateur, the seas become relatively high-frequency, high amplitude compared to 'open ocean'. One doesn't have to have worked there to know that. A 'little' FPSO like ours will be able to handle that, a giant couldn't. Remember, BP managed to break their first FPSO on Q204, and that was deepwater.

"Hang on" (I hear you say)," the shuttle tankers are big, and they don't just break up out there." Which is true, but (a) they're not moored to the seabed, and (b) they don't go out there in the worst of the weather.

One can just be empirical about it. There are some real monster FPSO's in use all the way down the W.African deepwater Atlantic shelf. In fact they're about the only workable solutions for production there. There aren't any N.Sea. (Which is shallow.) There must be a reason for that. Horses for courses.

extrader,

Nice try, but moor something like that over the Rona Ridge and it would probably have broken apart before the end of the first winter.

JayKay,

"Dunno, what odds are on offer?"

Now I dunno. Who's keeping the book? But I reckon 10-1 that she sails self-propelled would be mean.

This topic got me onto searching for the sailing speed of the Aoka Mizu, something I haven't seen in the documentation so far as I recall. So onto Google.

I found this.

https://www.shipsnostalgia.com/showthread.php?t=22809

There's mention of her doing 8 knots. Also that she went via Suez during the Singapore - Rotterdam voyage.

The link is worth opening, as it's a little bit of the vessel's history. It's two pages of a maritime chatboard. Worth reading, because it's also a prime example of how a BB can crumble into acrimony and pettymindedness! And I thought this place could be catty at times...

I also found this during my googling:

https://www.wake-media.co.uk/news/2017/sept/rog-ship-repair-completes-complex-moonpool-project-for-fpso-bluewater/

Another (more recent) little bit of history. But at least we now properly know why the turret protection plate was installed for. And it was exactly what it said on the tin: protecting the turret!

Laser,

"I reckon if we had a tow it would be faster"

I don't see how you figure a tow would be faster, so won't argue that point.

"If we meet any problems with new thrusters etc on route we can keep moving."

Isn't that what sea trials are for?

Anyway, there was only one thruster replaced. If that should break down, I have no doubt that the vessel can continue to make headway on one, either to get to a port for repairs, or for a tug to arrive to give tow-assist.

It's extremely unusual that you and I should disagree, but I do on this one. For two reasons.

1 For some reason I don't understand, you're bringing up low-probability worst case scenarios. OK, maybe not worst-case: that would be the ship sinking! I'm sure nobody would argue that even the worst can happen, but it's the same thing every time you take your car out of the garage. So why dwell on it? It's unhealthy for the mind!

2 This ship (I use that word instead of FPSO because we're discussing marine stuff here) is designed to cross oceans and then stand up to ten years WOS. So it's a tough bit of kit. And that includes the propulsion department. Which will no doubt have had its fair share of money spent to make sure it's good for such duty.

Talking about money, I'll put some on the AM sailing from Dubai under her own power. Any takers?

WT,

"Or could she sail back to the Uk unaided?"

I feel the only reason she was towed to Dubai in the first place was because one of the thrusters was U/S. We know that it's been replaced, and we can assume everything onboard has been refurbished to 'as new' condition so far as is possible. So why tow? Towing is hazardous.

Laser,

Tks.

Wrt Grampian Sovereign, I'm going to try to watch her coming in on the return to Aberdeen, just in case there's anything interesting on her decks! I'm thinking particularly of an ESP cable-reel and spooler. If she has that onboard it means 'job done', or close to it.

A new name to add: Grampian Sovereign. A supply boat, left ABR on Friday, now heading in towards the rig. Interesting, because she's probably a 'spot hire' (I'll have to trawl deeper to check). Doing something 'extra' not being handled by the Skandi Feistein, but at the same time not an urgent 'hotshot' as she seems to have taken her time getting to the field.

Normand installer still doing her thing. Over the FPSO location right now, I think, but Wessexmario can correct me if I'm wrong on that because I'm using an old coordinates chart of the area.

Somehow I don't see Ineos having any interest in partnering-up with Hurricane, and anyway RT has clearly stated time and time again that FFD will involve a Major, which Ratcliffe's company isn't. At least, not in the upstream sector. Buying the Forties pipeline was quite logical, as it can be considered an infrastructure 'tentacle' for Grangemouth, and Ineos had a vested interest in gaining control of it. Ineos' interest (currently frustrated by politics and ill-informed tree-hugger propoganda) in drilling and fraccing onshore Scotland is also eminently logical, in that longterm it would provide them with control over an independent energy-source to power their plant.

But why get mixed-up with Hurricane in particular? It's not as though their other feedstock supplies are going to dry up overnight.

Wellwell,

"I’m assuming by cutting and pasting my message then following it up with your comment that’s what you think I was implying or did you just feel it was worth stating the obvious?"

It's like motor-racing. 'Leave the door open' and someone will dive through and overtake. That's what you did, and you gave me a perfect opportunity to wind you up on a Monday morning!

Sorry.

(PS. Not saying I won't do it again, though...)

Wellwell,

" The last couple of spikes resulted from increased volume attributable to a buyer. Whilst I bang on about risk blah blah blah it doesn’t necessarily mean someone/II won’t take some."

I don't think any buyer of the volumes it takes to move the SP significantly bases their decisions on messages posted here, be they about risk or anything else.

JayKay, You're just not thinking big enough. Opinions about Corbyn are just smalltime political stuff. Think about it. with Ricfle in Number 10 we wouldn't be looking at just one new runway at Heathrow. Instead, five of the things, minimum. And HST? Back to the drawing-board with that. 400 mph at least. If it can't manage that, then scrap the idea. Plus I think Mutti Merkel would resign from international politics instantly, to avoid any summit meetings...

Shedful,

" I have a shell collection , just in case !"

So does Trump. In various sizes, calibers, and explosive yields.

JayKay,

We were writing at the same time! Was it six bankruptcies? I only thought it was four. Though it makes no difference really.

I think Trump is a bit like our friend Richard Bernstein in some ways (though RB has never been bankrupt to my knowledge). Has tried to be 'activist' with an oil company (a sector he doesn't know) and has obviously had his fingers burnt. But is nevertheless still making a profit from the deal. Trump likewise is dealing with a sector about which he obviously knows little (by definition) and understands even less (national leadership and all its international ramifications). We'll have to see if he manages to muddle through. President he may be, a statesman he is not.

Ricfle for PM! (And Bog help the opposition.)

Shedful,

"As a businessman who has become a president he has got more than a few professional politicians a bit worried"

Good; But maybe bad as well. Trump's a businessman who's filed for bankruptcy four times, and who says he 'loves debt'. If by his actions his latest 'corporation' (the US) goes completely bust, (as it already should be in Adam Smith terms), who's going to bail it out?

"In a democracy, the people get the leaders they deserve." (Adlai Stevenson)