July 25 - ALE has completed the load-out of the first jack-up rig for the CAT-J project at the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea.
The jack-up rig, which tipped the scales at more than 30,000 tonnes, was constructed on supports 20 m from the quayside.
ALE used its new self-propelled skidding system - which included 76 skid shoes, each equipped with a 650-tonne capacity jack - to load the rig from the quay onto a floating drydock.
A three-point hydraulic suspension was created in order to control and check the stability of the system during the load-out, explained ALE. The company also installed its own ballasting system on the floating drydock.
ALE noted that its new skidding system is completely computerised, meaning that all factors - such as wind speed, hydraulic pressure and stroke sensors - can be monitored from a control room.
The CAT-J project involves the construction and delivery of bespoke rigs - designed to boost oil recovery with a less expensive, more efficient and safer production process - for use in surface and subsea wells in the shallow waters of the Norwegian continental shelf.
