Low noise doors in demand for Gulf of Mexico semis

High demand for rig refurbishment is benefiting Momec, the specialist supplier of doors and windows for offshore and marine use. In July it completed the delivery of 137 door leaves, hinges and locks for Pemex’s Chemule accommodation rig, which is being refurbished by Houston-based QCI. As the project is being managed by a Mexican company, all documentation was supplied in Spanish.

Momec has also received some initial orders in connection with refurbishment programs on a number of Safe accommodation rigs operating in the Gulf of Mexico, includingSafe Jasminia,Safe JupiterandSafe Regency. As the original supplier to some of the Safe rigs, includingJasminiaandJupiterwhen they were built in the 1980s, it has regularly supplied replacement doors over the years.

The company, part of a group that includes wet unit specialist Premec and bulkhead supplier Isolamin, offers a range of doors to meet different fire rating specifications, some with sound reduction properties. “As well as the safety angle, there is a growing emphasis on comfort,” says sales manager Joakim Lantz. “Doors should keep out excessive noise, operate quietly, and be easy to open and close.”

Momec was the first to develop a door with 44dB sound reduction - the MV2255 DB. The door is 53mm thick, weighs 55kg and has a B-30 fire rating. The first delivery went to Statoil in Norway, which has always been a frontrunner in promoting and implementing new requirements, Lantz says.

Doors with a high sound reduction ratio are now specified commonly for offshore rigs and platforms. Two of the company’s most recent deliveries of such doors were to BP’s Thunder Horse and Atlantis floating production platforms, involving 152 and 140 doors respectively.

An interesting challenge for designers is finding ways of reducing the doors’ weight while maintaining their fire integrity and sound reduction properties. Lantz sees possibilities in the use of aluminum instead of established materials such as steel.