Eery story told during Offshore

There is several stories that may cause each and everyone of us having a goose bump. From a glimpse of a woman flying down from newly installed Flare boom, to disturbance during sleep at accommodation area.

Story 1.

Happen in 2001 during the installation of ANDR-A Platform at 240 nautical mile offshore. After the installation of ANDR-A Platform, comes the phase of Flare Boom installation. After all preparation done and completed, Barge Foreman instructed the Derrick Crane Operator to start with the lifting of the Flare Boom, which is located at Cargo Barge next to Kuroshio-1 Barge. No unusual thing happen during the lifting and swinging from the Cargo Barge to ANDR-A Platform. The operation continues..

Once the Flare boom, touch down on the ANDR-A Platform, several Riggers went to remove all attached slings when suddenly a loud scream heard from top of the flare boom, and at the same time a glimpse of a woman, flying down from top of the flare boom, towards the bottom. Saw the situation, all Riggers run all over the platform with definite scare looks on their face. For the glimpse, it gone without a trace once reached bottom...

To be continue...

Out of Topic but still within Offshore biz...

Girls in Offshore

A very seldom occasion. A blessing to offshore men. A miracle to the vessel. Hahaha.. yes, that's the word being used whenever there is a girl or girls coming to offshore. Girls are considered as rare species in offshore and it is really a blessing for us Offshore Men when there is girls visiting us, and this time, my vessel (Kuroshio-1) is blessed with 4 girls visiting us. As you can see in the below picture, 7 young engineer posing at Portside Muster Station, after been request by me, to be added in this blog, specially for all viewer to see.

What do we do when there is girls came offshore? We do everything as normal, except most of us, start to be more gentle, more clean (hehehehe) and also more polite than usual, and I meant everyone will act strange (except myself of course-hehehehe)

Anyway, today they all will be returning to Songkhla, since their visit to offshore (3 days visit) is ended today. Thanks to all of them, for giving us smile and hope for more to come, to at least give the offshore men, a chance to see live girls once in a while.... (I will add more picture when the upload completed and several other colleague pass it to me)

This a video for the offshore transportation, from Vessel to Crew Boat... and this one is special, because it has those 4 girls riding the Personal Basket. Check it out!!

Another picture of an Engineer Girl went to Offshore... Her name is Emelie but we call her Jen... She's just married last year... to those who interested, sorry ya... hehehehehe

Work in Offshore

A lots of work in offshore done on the vessels. Several of them required help from another vessels while other just need 1 vessel to complete. List of work that I normally involved are:

1. Pipeline Laying

a) Linepipe transfer

b) Linepipe buffering

c) Linepipe welding from Station 1 - 4

d) Linepipe Radiation Test (Using X-Ray or Gamma Ray)

e) Line pipe blasting (If primer coating applied)

f)  Welded Linepipe buffering

g) Linepipe Coating (Primer coating, HD Coating and etc)

h) Linepipe Shrink sleeve application.

i)  Pipeline laying onto seabed.

2. Platform Installation

a) Jacket Seafastening removal

b) Jacket Lifting (using crane)

c) Jacket Launching (Drop it into the sea and let it afloat and then guided near to the Stern of the barge.

d) Jacket upending.

e) Jacket levelling

f) Jacket set-up onto Sea-bed

g) Main Pile installation (This was done using ILT (Internal Lifting Tool) that was inserted inside the Main Pile.) minimum 4 pcs of main pile insert inside 1 jacket leg.

h) Crown Shim Welding

i)  Transition Pieces Welding (if the Deck pole doesn't fit with Jacket Leg, this is require to be install.

j) Installation of Deck

k) Touch-up work (Welding, Painting, placing Staircase, toilet on Sea-deck and etc)

l)  Punch list inspection.

After that, the hook-up team will take over, and the Installation team job is completed.

To Start A job, we do....

We have talked about Vessels, short brief on what we didn't get during offshore and now it's time to start Offshore work. Once Barge reach location, the first thing is to set up anchor. Varies from each vessels (I meant for the Anchored Vessels such as Kuroshio-1, Kuroshio-2, DLB 264, DB-30, and etc.) some vessels has 8 point Anchors and some has only 4, and of course with differents length of Anchor wire. With help from minimum 2 Anchor Handling Tugs. (AHT's), the Anchor are guided to its drop point which was patterned and approved by Clients Marine Representative or any other third parties.
Normally for the anchor handling operation, it is controlled by Barge Foreman with assistance from Surveyor (who had installed the GPS equipment onboard of each AHT's.) Survey can see from their computer monitor on every move and location of AHT's. They can know the exact location of all existing pipeline and guided all AHT's so that no anchor will be drop onto the existing pipelines. Beside Survey Team, the Control Tower Team is also another important part in ensuring that the Anchor Handling Operation are running smooth. Why's that? It is because they are the only Team in every vessels to control the Anchor Wire.After all anchors placed at designated location, the vessel been position according to plan and one more time, Survey team will advised Tower Operator the exact location that the vessel need to be. Just for info, the Tower Operator is the only team that could move the vessel, since they are the one who control all anchor onboard. The vessel is moved by Anchor line and not by any propeller, since this is non propelled vessels.

Offshore life

How is life at Offshore?

Well.. almost similar like those who stay at onshore, except that we do not have

1. Movie theater

2. Girls

3. Night life

4. Wife

5. Kids

6. Girlfriend

7. Propect Girlfriend (hehehehe)

and so on...

We live like king, where everything is ready for us, from laundry up to room cleaning, but still there is some emptiness around us. Anyway with Satellite TV, partially completed gymnasium, full access to internet and email and satellite phone, we could managed to reduce it a bit.

What We Do In Offshore?

Depends on which vessel you are at, or whether you stay on platform or satellite (remote) platform, it is always differs from each other.

1. Derrick Lay Barge Vessel - My current Vessel.

As mention, the name says it all, Lay Barge means laying pipeline which covering underwater

(seabed) pipeline laying operation. It could laid up to 40" in diameter of pipeline and could as far from shore to the 500m deep water.(This is an old vessel-built in 1974). Also have "J" lay type barge, where it lay in almost vertical method, this vessel could lay more than 1000m of pipeline, and mostly a Dynamic Positioning Vessel (DP). But now I just want to explain about normal lay barge.

Beside laying pipeline, this barge is also installing Oil Rig, or some says Platform. From the very begining of an installation phase, which is Jacket installation, followed by Main Pile Installation, and then maybe conductor piles installation (new type of jacket, they have pre-installed the conductor piles), also not forgetting the transition piece and crown shim and lastly the platform on top of it. Oops.. forgot to mention about boat landing.

Platform also have several type, which is Well Head Platform, Production Platform, Living Quarter Platform, Compressor Platform and etc. In which the size of the platforms are differs from each other. Anyway for this type of vessel, its could lift up to 2500 ST. Normally, the heaviest platform ever lifted is Sisi Nubi Platform Weighing 2415 ST, and no problem at all.

This vessel also act as a Diving Support Vessel, ROV vessel, and etc. In which it was handling all this equipment including their support personnel to install various type of gadget for platform, including Riser, Riser Guard, Boat Landing and etc. They also involved in assisting during installation of Jackets, Stinger inspection, pipeline profile check, as built survey and many more. Most of DLB vessels have these facilities and it is essential for them to be onboard.

2. Dynamic Positioning Vessels

Among the best vessel ever been for offshore business is Sarku 3000, with 'J' lay type pipeline laying method whereby could laying pipeline at deep sea without any problem. By the way the meaning of Dynamic Positioning Vessel is that these vessel does not requires any anchor to make sure it doesn't move. Its using the most advance technology such as taut wire and also GPS system that making sure its stay at setting position at all times. I have board several DP Vessels and found it very comfortable to work and also stay. Such as Allied Commander (DSV), Setouchi Surveyor (RSV), and also another one that I forgot about it. Huhuhuhu

3. Spud Anchor Vessels

Another method of making sure that the vessels does not run away from position is by placing Spud. It looks like a long pole that place at all 4 corners of the vessels. And it also have several usage beside acting as anchor. Last one I saw was used as an underwater trenches maker for pipeline buried at Sakhalin Island. I board only 1 vessel with this type of anchoring - The Daiichi Yutaka-Go, the best Japanese Vessel, complete with sauna at its shower room.. Wow...

I think that should be enough for me to talk about Vessels. Maybe some other time, I shall talk about it more.