| April 30, 2007
(Houston, TX) Leading offshore classification society ABS is proud to be the society of record for the Marco Polo tension leg platform (TLP) which is being honored this year by the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in the category of Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations and Institutions.
ABS played a significant role in helping Anadarko breach a new frontier. The Marco Polo set a world’s record for the deepest TLP (4,300 feet of water, Green Canyon Block 608, Gulf of Mexico). ABS facilitated classification and regulatory issues for this third-party project, a rare configuration for owning and operating a facility, while coordinating submissions and approvals from multiple contractors involved in the global development of Marco Polo.
ABS Project Manager Luiz Feijo says “This project is a good example that highlights the important role that an experienced and responsive of classification society can play in helping operators complete complex projects on-time and in compliance with the applicable technical and regulatory standards.”
Extensive interface between ABS engineers and surveyors and the following contractors took place to move the project forward: MODEC, hull design; Samsung Heavy Industries, hull fabrication; Alliance Engineering, production topsides design;
Delta Fabrication, living quarters design and fabrication; Kiewit Offshore Services, topsides fabrication, piles and tendons fabrication and assembly of all components prior to load out; and Heerema, piles, tendons and platform installation.
Before awarding Marco Polo the class notation XA1 Floating Production Installation, ABS coordinated design reviews of the safety and fire protection systems, piping systems, electrical systems and overall structural integrity. ABS surveyed the fabrication of the hull at Samsung Heavy Industries in Koje Island, South Korea, and the topsides, tendons and foundation piles at the Kiewit Offshore Services’ yard in Ingleside, Texas.
ABS also worked as the Certified Verification Agency (CVA) for the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) and surveyed and approved the TLP on behalf of the United States Coast Guard (USCG). Heerema’s heavy-lift barge, Hermod, installed the hull and topsides in January 2004 in a single lift. Supporting this effort, ABS surveyed the installation and surveyed the commissioning.
Founded in 1862, ABS is a leading international classification society devoted to promoting the security of life, property and the marine environment through the development and verification of standards for the design, construction and operational maintenance of marine-related facilities.
Editor’s Note: (Background) Classification societies are organizations that establish and apply technical standards in relation to the design, construction and survey of marine related facilities, including ships and offshore structures. These standards are issued by the classification society as published Rules. A vessel (or offshore unit) that has been designed and built to the appropriate Rules of a society may apply for a Certificate of Classification from that society. Over its service life, the vessel (or unit) is then subject to a cycle of annual, intermediate, special and, when necessary, damage surveys by the class society to verify that the structure, machinery and equipment is maintained in accordance with the society’s Rules.
Classification societies such as ABS also act as Recognized Organizations on behalf of relevant government agencies (such as the U.S. Coast Guard and Minerals Management Service in the U.S., and their counterparts in other nations,) authorized to conduct applicable reviews and inspections and to issue certificates on behalf of the agency.
Visit the offshore/energy section of the ABS website to learn more about application of class society Rules to offshore structures. Go to: http://www.eagle.org/prodserv/offshore.html
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