HFG VL – Nexen Jacket Load

In order to develop Golden Eagle field in the North Sea, Nexen (UK) deploys W-jacket and PUQ jacket to execute the development project. Heerema Fabrication yard Vlissingen is contracted for the fabrication of both jackets and Mammoet is responsible for the load out by using 216 lines of SPMT’s for each jacket. Due to design change, the current strength of the grillage is not sufficient for the load out operation, thereafter reinforcements are required. A combined FE model of grillage and SPMT’s is developed to examine both global and local structural behavior with regard to strength and stability. The solution must be simple, straight forward and optimized for fabrication time and cost.