Offshore staff
LERWICK, UK– Lerwick Harbour has received the 10,000-metric ton (11,023-ton) subsea oil storage tank for Premier’s Solan oil field development west of Shetland.
Cosco Heavy Lift’s transport vesselXiang Yun Kou delivered the tank to the port on the Shetland Islands on July 26, having transported it from the Drydocks World construction yard in Dubai.
Heerema’s semisubmersible crane vesselThialfalso spent 1.5 days in the port mobilizing before heading out to Solan, 90 mi (145 km) out into the Atlantic Ocean, to install the tank.
On July 31,Xiang Yun Kou moved to the Brei Wick area of the harbor to ballast down overnight in an operation that required 30 m (98.4 ft) of water to partially submerge the vessel. The float-off early the next day involved numerous tugs.
Once afloat, the tank was returned to Holmsgarth quay for transfer to the ocean-going tugs to take it offshore in the first weather window.Xiang Yun Kou deballasted and departed port on Aug. 1 for Suez.
The ocean-going tugs left port on Aug. 3 with the 300,000-bbl storage capacity tank for a two-day tow to Solan where it has since been successfully installed in 130 m (426 ft) of water.
08/11/2014
