March 19 - Breda based heavy lift shipping specialist Dockwise has safely transported the Chevron-operated extended tension leg platform (ETLP) hull from Silli-do Island, South Korea, to Corpus Christi, USA.
The 35,000-ton (31,751.5-tonne) ETLP will be deployed in the Big Foot oil field - one of the largest and deepest oil discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Dockwise vessel Mighty Servant 1 (MS1) was used on the mammoth project. The deck of MS1 was enlarged with four outriggers and opened to re-enforce the internal hull to support the huge load. "A great deal of engineering was required to ensure a safe and successful transport across the open ocean," commented Bas Mabélus, project manager at Dockwise.
The mega-sized hull was shipped from the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering yard, South Korea, around the Cape of Good Hope, and discharged in the Gulf of Mexico - a 16,100 nautical mile (29,836 km) journey taking 60 days to navigate.
