BS reviewed and approved the Suction Embedded Plate Anchor (SEPLA) mooring system for a floating production unit (FPU) in the Gulf of Mexico.

SEPLA is a proprietary technology by InterMoor that uses a suction follower to embed a plate anchor into the soil. Once SEPLA is embedded to the design penetration, the suction follower is retracted and can be re-used to install additional plate anchors indefinitely. SEPLA has to be rotated to the desired orientation to achieve the necessary holding capacity.

This is the world’s first installed permanent SEPLA mooring system. According to the ABS Offshore Engineering Department, Global Performance Group, the system consists of a 12-point taut leg arrangement moored with polyester rope fixed to the seabed via the SEPLAs.

The mooring system components include (from semi to seabed) about 700 ft of 3.25-in. wire on 8 legs, or 3-in. chain on 4 legs, approximately 4,340 ft of 6.5-in. torque-matched polyester rope, 600 ft of 3-in. chain, subsea connectors, 200 ft of 3-in. chain, and the SEPLA anchors.

The individual components of the mooring system passed ABS design review, including break tests. Each of the mooring legs was proof loaded in the field to at least 80% of the maximum intact 100-year hurricane load.

ABS reviewed and approved the mooring system including SEPLA anchors for class and on behalf of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) for ATP Oil & Gas’s deepwater development of the Gomez field in the Gulf of Mexico which uses a semisubmersible production facility.