Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway – Statoil has awarded Aker Solutions a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract for a spar platform in the Norwegian Sea.
The spar, with a total hull length of 193 m (633 ft) and a draught of 170 m (558 ft), will be the largest in the world, Aker says, and the first with condensate storage capacity. It will serve on the Aasta Hansteen (ex-Luva) field in 1,300 m (4,265 ft) water depth, 300 km (186 mi) offshore Norway in the Vøring area.
Aker will base the design on its “Belly-Spar” concept, the “belly” referring to the increased diameter on part of the circular-shaped hull where the condensate storage tanks are located.
Henning Østvig, head of Front-End & Technology at Aker Solutions, added: “The Aasta Hansteen spar will be the first production platform on the Norwegian continental shelf with steel catenary risers [SCRs].”
These SCRs will comprise self-supporting steel pipes in a bow shape between the platform and the seabed. The shape should help the risers compensate for the motions on the floating facility.
The Spar will be connected to the seabed via polyester mooring lines, another first for Norway, Aker claims.
The FEED should be completed this summer.
3/14/2012
