Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK --The FPSO Sevan Hummingbird has survived battering by a severe storm in the UK North Sea.
The cylindrical-shaped floater, the first of its kind to be deployed in this sector, has been on station at Venture Production's Chestnut field undergoing commissioning activities.
Over the past few days, it had to withstand wave heights of 8 – 8.5 m (26.24 – 27.88 ft) with maximum wave heights of up to 15 – 16 m (49.21 – 52.49 ft). Average wind speeds were above 45 knots, at times gusting close to 70 knots.
However, normal operations continued uninterrupted, according to contractor Sevan Marine, and the platform's motions were in line with, or better than, the results of model tests and theoretical analysis. They also accord with experience gained from the FPSOSevan Piranema, which has been operating off Brazil since last October.
Since 2001, the company has performed more than 200 series of tests in ocean laboratories, using a scale model of the Sevan unit. The recent events confirm the technology's suitably for harsh environments, said CEO Erik Tveteraas.
01/07/2008
