Mars TLP safely arrived on the Mighty Servant 2

Project Summary

In 1995, the 14,500 t Mars TLP hull was transported from Taranto, Italy, to the Aker Gulf Marine yard in Corpus Christi, Texas, by the semi-submersible heavy-lift ship Mighty Servant 2. For the transportation of the hull, initially two possible configurations were studied:

1. TLP hull loaded straight onto the ship;

2. TLP hull loaded diagonally onto the ship (which was ultimately selected).

For the structural and fatigue analysis of the TLP hull, detailed ship motion responses were provided for a number of sea states and the full range of wave directions from head seas to stern seas.

Scope of Work

The project scope included:

• Modeling of the TLP hull for the hydrodynamic analysis;

• Merging of the TLP hull onto the heavy-lift ship in 2 configurations:

  • square stowage, with centerline TLP hull in line with centerline ship and all 4 columns overhanging;

  • diagonal stowage, with 2 columns on ship centerline and 2 columns overhanging;

• Calculation of the motion/acceleration responses for a range of sea states/wave headings.

Acknowledgement

Photograph courtesy of Dockwise Shipping BV.