May 20 - ALE has claimed another world record with the load-out of a 47,830-tonne topside for the Arkutun Dagi oilfield off the east coast of Russia.
The weight of the structure was a combination of the 42,695-tonne topside positioned on a 5,135-tonne load-out support frame, which ALE says is the heaviest unit to be loaded out in the world.
The scope of ALE's work included the stand jack pulling, high-capacity modular ballast system and precision 3D barge monitoring, as well as the supply of the full engineering scope and supervision of the overall load-out.
Due to the weight of the cargo, the working tolerances of the barge were much smaller than during a conventional load-out, explained ALE.
"The precision barge level monitoring system was developed in-house and gives you the comfort factor when you are out there working in the project, knowing the accuracy and reliability of the system allows ALE to push the boundaries and make such projects possible," said Russ Jones, general manager of ALE Offshore Services.
The load-out was the final stage of the project that saw ALE break another record, when it jacked the topside, then weighing 42,780 tonnes due to additional steelwork, up to a height of 24 m.
