CARRYING out safe and efficient mooring operations has become increasingly challenging as rig anchoring operations are carried out more and more in deeper water and where there is significant existing oil&gas production infrastructure.
Clearly, when seafloor hazards are within a MODU’s (mobile offshore drilling unit) anchor spread, it is critical to monitor the rig’s mooring lines relative to these hazards while final positioning and anchoring operations are carried out.
It is for this reason that, more than five years ago, mooring specialist Delmar Systems, Inc. of Broussard, Louisiana, decided to team with Fugro unit Fugro Chance Inc. to take the risk out of such operations by partnering to develop and offer a mooring position software called Starfix.Moor to assist the rig-mover make operations safer.
The service started out in the US Gulf of Mexico. Indeed, the first run was a successful trial with Diamond Offshore’s semi-submersible, Ocean Victory, during a deepwater rig move in the US Gulf, since when a healthy market for Starfix.Moor has developed.
Now it is being offered in the North Sea, which is, in effect, Fugro’s home territory and where the company has a major presence in Aberdeen.
For its part, Delmar opened a pathfinder presence in Aberdeen at the end of 2009. This is currently a technical office, but Delmar anticipates offering additional operational, technical and equipment services in the near future.
Prior to Starfix.Moor, both companies already had a considerable track record in the Gulf of Mexico rig-move market. Delmar, for example, now has more than 40 years of rig-mooring experience under its belt, offering a fully integrated service which covers everything from mooring analysis, rig-move procedures, tow masters and supply of mooring equipment, including specialised handling/ installation gear in addition to patented anchor foundations and connectors.
It was that experience, including of co-operating during such operations, that, in the first instance, brought the two companies together to create the tool.
Dave Coutts, business development manager at Delmar in Aberdeen, explains: “Starfix.Moor is a 3D visualisation package that shows what exactly is happening during a rig move.
“It came about because our clients were having issues in the Gulf of Mexico at the time with seabed infrastructure. When they were mooring up rigs, there were occasions where there was fouling of mooring systems with seafloor infrastructure.
“Now, clients get to ‘fly-through’ … to see what’s happening as anchor-handling vessels lay the anchors. You can see what’s happening with mooring line catenaries and can adjust so that there is no risk of contact with hazards such as seabed infrastructure.”
Starfix.Moor is up and running in the North Sea from a technical perspective, although not in terms of mooring systems quite yet. That element is a few months off.
“We’re offering the service to operators and drilling contractors; also well management companies as they are playing an increasingly important role because of the number of smaller independents now active in the North Sea, especially the UK sector,” says Coutts.
“Because we’re dealing with a growing number of smaller operators, particularly where congested fields are involved. Delmar and Fugro are working closely on presenting the service to such companies and well-management contractors.”
This includes demonstrating Starfix.Moor, which Coutts says has also developed into a valuable project-planning tool so that seabed hazards such as existing infrastructure can be taken better account of during the modelling phase, prior to in-field operations starting.
“It’s all very well, say, a mooring leg passing 50m from an obstacle, but until you visualise, you cannot accurately work out catenary shape,” says Coutts.
“With Starfix.Moor, you can set a traffic-light sequence where red indicates a clear impact risk; amber where the situation is verging on being too close, and green where there are no apparent issues.”
This way, rig-mooring operations can be conducted more efficiently and safely. There is a cost-savings benefit, too.
Starfix.Moor is being offered pan-North Sea, with the emphasis on the UK and Norwegian sectors. The service drew significant attention at a marine and moorings control conference staged by Delmar in conjunction with Fugro late-March in Aberdeen.
“The North Sea is the second area of the world to be offered Starfix.Moor,” adds Coutts.
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