Hull aperture blanks successfully delivered for FPSO in Singapore
SeaTec recently delivered a set of hull aperture blanks – also known as sea chest covers – to a global oil and gas company for a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, in Singapore.
SeaTec was appointed to produce the blanks on the advice of the vessel owner, who recognised the importance of the ability to blank off sea inlets and overboard discharges underwater to avoid delays and unscheduled dockings. Furthermore, the vessel owner included SeaTec blanks as standard equipment for all new buildings in their fleet, a testament to SeaTec’s quality of equipment and proficiency for this specialist marine service.
In the absence of the vessel’s as-built drawings, engineers from SeaTec visited the FPSO to carry out detailed measurements of the hull form, with particular focus on the openings. Upon delivery, the blanks were trial fitted in a dry dock to ensure an accurate fit.
Speaking about the blank production, Francesca Ghigliazza, Subsea Asia design lead for SeaTec who specialises in hull aperture blanks, noted that flexibility in the design of the blanks means that they can be created for almost any vessel: “SeaTec blanks are customised to suit each individual hull aperture and can be supplied to ships in service, converted vessels and new builds. Having a set of blanks may avoid unscheduled dockings and extra costs in case internal repairs or maintenance job are needed.” The high quality of SeaTec’s blanks also mean they are very reliable and durable: “We have supplied thousands of blanks over the years without one recorded failure. Our blanks are designed to high safety standards and are rigid enough to withstand the differential water pressure whilst remaining almost neutrally buoyant. This means they are easily manoeuvrable by divers during the underwater installation.”
SeaTec’s scope of supply included a full set of customised blanks for sea chest openings and overboard discharges plus an accompanying steel locker for storage and maintenance. “The design and fabrication phase followed our standard procedure,” explains Francesca. “Equipment was fabricated, assembled and dispatched from our factories in South Korea.” The project was successfully delivered on time, within budget, to the full satisfaction of all parties involved.
For more information on SeaTec’s hull aperture blanks, contact Francesca Ghigliazza.