Monthly Archives: July 2017

Gibdock added new plating to the bridge and main deck of Normand Reach

Gibdock recently completed hull cleaning and bridge strengthening work on Solstads Normand Reach, prior to the vessel transiting to Australia

by Martyn Wingrove

Offshore support vessels transitioning from one market to another need modifications and hull cleaning as a minimum. Different regional conditions can generate requirements for repair work. Whether it is vessels leaving the North Sea for new ventures, or ships transferring from Asia to the Middle East or West Africa, there are requirements for modifications and refurbishment.

One recent example was a Solstad Offshore vessel, which was transferred from the North Sea to Australia. On its way, 121m Normand Reach visited Gibraltar-based shipyard Gibdock for specific project work. The Solstad construction support vessel was contracted to commence a term charter on the Ichthys gas field development project in the Timor Sea.

This meant Normand Reach needed to meet the strict hull cleanliness standards of Australias National Biofouling Management Guidelines for commercial vessels. This meant the 2014-built, subsea construction support vessel required a special wash and brush job before it arrived to commence operations in Western Australia. It also needed specific bridge strengthening work. This included fabrication work including new plating installed to reinforce the vessels bridge and main deck protection against the threat of piracy.

During an 11-day period, Gibdock provided Normand Reach hull-washing, grit blasting and an antifouling coating before it continued on its route to Australia, via the Suez Canal.

Solstads technical manager Conrad Melhus said the shipyards location and the companys positive experience on previous jobs were reasons for choosing Gibraltar for repairs. He said a significant amount of hull cleaning and paintwork were needed before entering service in Australia.

The hull cleaning work had to meet strict Australian anti-invasive species guidelines. This included: hull-cleaning work; rudder hinge; sea chest bilge; bow thruster; and associated grates.

Gibdock ship manager Filip Tsankov explained the intricacies involved in meeting these demands: The internal surfaces of sea chests, for example need to be painted with antifouling coatings that are suitable for the flow conditions of seawater through the chest.

He added: These standards demand deep cleaning and close attention to detail. Gibdock has performed hull cleaning work in line with Australian expectations on several occasions, he added.

Gibdocks managing director Richard Beards said he sees the project as evidence that there has been an uptick in the offshore vessel repair market. The yard was working on two other offshore support vessels during May.

In Norway, Westcon Yard Flor has been working on DOFs 2012-built subsea support vessel Skandi Darwin. The work involved installation of new steel modules, electrical equipment, pipework and ventilation. Westcon also installed new offices and cabins to refurbish the accommodation block.

The shipyard also built a new hanger for remotely operated vehicles, installed new offshore cranes and lifeboats. The new pipework is for the fuel and lubrication systems and for an updated firefighting unit. There was also new pipework for the freshwater and seawater systems.

Local businesses were required to supply the additional equipment and Skandi Darwin was due to be completed before the end of June this year. As of 21 June, the vessel was still under repair at the shipyard.

In the Netherlands, Damen Shipyards Group has agreed to acquire Keppel Verolme shipyard in Rotterdam from Keppel Offshore & Marine to strengthen its repair and conversion capabilities.

The Verolme yard in the Botlek area of the Port of Rotterdam has 60 years of experience in conversion and repair of large offshore construction and support vessels, drilling rigs and oil production ships.

More:

Movement between markets creates repair work on offshore vessels - OSJ Magazine

Hands off our fish was one of the Brexiteers strongest rallying cries during their referendum campaign to quit the European Union. They sailed a flotilla of fishing vessels up the Thames to make their point in a noisy protest, and the sight of foreign boats casting their nets in British waters while the British domestic fleet was cut back angered many.

Now leading Brexiteer and Environment Minister Michael Gove says Britain is to tear up a fishing deal with five nations agreed 10 years before Britain even joined the EU.

Fishing in the immediate area around our waters, 6 to 12 miles, yes, we will be saying that were taking back control, and we will in due course said Gove.

So no French, no Spanish boats at all? interrupted TV show host Andrew Marr.

We will have control, insisted Gove. We can decide the terms of access, and that means that we can extend control of our waters up to 200 miles, or the median line between Britain and France, or Britain and Ireland.

The 1964 agreement will take two years to deactivate starting with the official announcement on Monday, which will lead to no foreign ships being allowed to do close offshore fishing around Britain. British ships will also lose their reciprocal access.

Read more from the original source:

Britain to go back on 1964 offshore fishing deal with five nations - euronews

Flexible Modest changes were required to adapt the 3.0M122 for marine use (pic: Ulrich Mertens)

Senvion's contract to supply ten marine-adpated 3.0M122 turbines for a low-wind offshore project in the Apulia region of southern Italy represents the first, albeit modestly sized, wind farm in the Mediterranean. The 30MW nearshore project will be built in front of Taranto harbour in water depths of 4-18 metres, with commissioning expected in autumn 2018.

The 3.0M122 model, introduced in 2013, was selected for its suitability in meeting stringent building permit requirements, said Senvion vice-president offshore Cornelius Drucker. These included a hub height of 100 metres and a maximum installed capacity of 30MW.

"Senvion has been an integrated onshore and offshore business since the company was founded in 2001," Drucker pointed out. "We installed our 5MW offshore prototype in 2004, and built an extensive track record with that turbine and its 6.15MW and 6.2MW successors."

Going back to 3MW machines for a new project rather reverses the trend in the offshore sector, where turbines have grown rapidly from the pioneering kilowatt-class units to today's 7-8MW machines. And Senvion, then Repower, was right at the forefront in the development of multi-megawatt turbines.

When I asked a senior spokesperson during the installation of the 5MW prototype in 2004 about the strategy behind the leap from its 1.5MW MD 70/77 series, he said: "The 5MW development was indeed a big step, despite an 80-strong R&D team. But we deliberately decided to sidestep the 3MW-plus class. We had a good track record onshore, and excellent contacts with European offshore developers.

"But trying to compete with 3-3.6MW offshore machines would not have made sense for us. Why buy such units from a medium-sized company if a comparable product is already offered by much larger international competitors? When entering the offshore market, we clearly want to have the competitive edge in terms of turbine size and energy yield."

Mechanically, the 5MW and 6.15MW-plus models share a non-integrated high-speed drivetrain concept with a hollow cast iron main shaft supported by two large bearings. The three-stage gearbox is attached to the main shaft together with a six pole doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG).

A benefit of this main shaft support arrangement is that it allows gearbox exchange without having to dismantle the rotor. A specific electrical system feature of the turbines is that the full power electronics, including the MV-transformer, are all located inside the nacelle.

By contrast, the 3.0M122 features a non-integrated high-speed geared drivetrain with three-point gearbox support (one rotor-bearing) and a six-pole DFIG.

The disadvantage of the three-point support arrangement is that in the event of a gearbox exchange, the complete rotor must be removed before hoisting out the gearbox or the complete gearbox-main shaft-rotor bearing assembly.

However, most modern turbines, including the 3.0M122, feature a main shaft clamping solution that allows gearbox exchange functionality comparable with four-point solutions. Full power electronics, including the MV-transformer, are all located inside the tower base.

Each of these two power-electronic system locations, plus a variant with only the AC/DC rectifier located in the nacelle, has its own supporters and opponents.

The 3.0M122's mechanical and electrical systems were evaluated for marine adaptation requirements. "However, changes - apart from a switch from jacket to monopile foundations were limited mainly to some corrosion protection measures similar to those applied in the larger offshore Senvion turbines," said Drucker.

Inside view High-speed 3.XM geared drivetrain with three-point gearbox support

"We could turn things around faster by bringing in specific offshore-related aspects quickly because our onshore and offshore engineering and production process are not treated separately."

Senvion's 2MW 2.XM and 3MW 3.XM onshore turbine series and the 6.15MW-plus offshore product portfolio are characterised by flexible main component and sub-assembly production, says Drucker (see below).

The same teams are working on all new blades, for example, which include the latest RE68.5 blade for the 3.6M140 turbine, and the RE74 blade developed for the 6.2M152 flagship.

During our conversation at the recent London offshore conference, Drucker also lifted the curtain a little more on the company's plans for a 10MW-plus offshore turbine.

"Anybody can announce a large turbine, but what clearly distinguishes us, especially from start-ups with wild claims, is that we have over 15 years of technology development and offshore track record experience already behind us."

He added that the new turbine on the drawing board will certainly again be a geared upwind concept with three blades. Its rotor diameter will most likely be about 30% bigger than the 152-metre rotor fitted to the 6.2M152.

For Senvion, the key development focus is offering the right-size turbine with high reliability and capable of meeting the latest market demands regarding the lowest possible levelised cost of energy.

Equally important, said Drucker, is that the turbine must fit well into the new European offshore auction systems. "That requires dialogue with all stakeholders, where the customer should clearly come first," he said. "Secondly, a prototype must be installed well in time for being ready to match only partly known offshore project demands for 2024-25."

While many details still remain unknown about this ambitious product development, Drucker's quote on the envisaged rotor increment indicates a few likely parameters, including a rotor diameter of around 195-200 metres.

By including Senvion's product market focus at European high-wind IEC class I sites, and assuming a modest specific power rating of 375W/m2, this could correspond to power ratings in the 11-12MW range.

Finally, geared drivetrain preferences for the latest and largest offshore turbine models are clearly focused at medium speed. What further speaks for this drivetrain option is technology development with available gearbox input torque levels now approaching 10MNm, plus the closely interlinked application track record and supply-chain progress benefits.

The alternative option for Senvion is to choose a much higher-rated high-speed geared drivetrain, a possibility that cannot be excluded, but which is far less likely based on the above considerations.

Repower, now Senvion, was founded in 2001 with a product portfolio including a pitch-controlled variable-speed onshore turbine: the 1.5MW MD series.

The MD70 (pictured, below) was launched in 1998, initially developed by German engineering consultancy Pro + Pro as a licence product. The MD70/77 models feature a high-speed geared drivetrain with three-point gearbox support and DFIG.

Variable-speed operation and the use of a DFIG was at that time still rather new to the wind industry, which was dominated by fixed-speed and semi-variable-speed Danish-made turbines.

Repower introduced the 2MW MM successor in 2002, based upon the same MD-series technology and design principles.

The first 3.3MW 3.XM prototype with a 104-metre rotor diameter was installed in December 2008. Mechanically and electrically largely based on the MD and MM series, it evolved in 2010 with two variants - the 3.4M104 and 3.2M114. These sister models built upon similar technology principles with one exception.

The question is whether DFIGs will be capable of meeting ongoing future turbine grid-integration demands. Senvion decided on a gradual switch from DFIG with partial power converter to induction generations (IG) with full converter in the 3.XM platform.

The Next Electrical System (NES) was incorporated in a 3.4M114 NES prototype in 2015, followed by a 3.2M122 NES prototype last year. The 3.6M140 onshore flagship is the first turbine of a new product platform and NES will be a standard fit.

The pitch-controlled variable-speed 5MW offshore turbine, with what was then a record rotor diameter of 126 metres, evolved in 2009 into the 6.2M126 model. The latest evolutionary 6.2M152 model features an enlarged 152-metre rotor. Both the 6.2M126 and 6.2M152 come with a power mode option.

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Windtech: Senvion stretches up and down offshore - Windpower Monthly (subscription)

ANCHORAGE (KTUU) - President Donald Trump and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke have opened up a comment period for a new 5-year National Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

The comment period will last for 45 days starting on July 3.

The development of a new plan for offshore drilling comes on the back of President Trumps Executive Order that rescinded President Obamas ban on Arctic drilling.

Developing a new National Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program that respects environmental and economic sensitivities but still allows us to responsibly develop our resources is critical to reaching President Trumps goal of American energy dominance, said Secretary Zinke.

The current National OCS program schedules 11 potential lease sales with 10 in the Gulf of Mexico and one in Cook Inlet.

Under the last administration, 94% of the OCS was off-limits to responsible development, despite interest from state and local governments and industry leaders, said Acting Assistant Secretary of the Interior Kate MacGregor.

Secretary Zinke said, Offering more areas for energy exploration and responsible development was a cornerstone of the Presidents campaign and this action is the first step in making good on that promise for offshore oil and gas.

More here:

New oil and gas plan could see more Alaskan offshore drilling - KTUU - KTUU.com