Engineering ‘Lunch & Learn’ Series

Installation of Floating Facilities and

Mooring Legs
– Project Examples

By: Ng Eng Bin

Principal Consultant
Submarine Pipelines Consulting Engineers
Agenda:

Project examples for:

1. Mooring chain off-loading from transportation vessel
2. Mooring chain loading to MSV for chain installation
3. Pile preparation and load-out
4. Typical suction pile installation
5. Example of FPSO installation encompassing
✓ Anchor piles
✓ Mooring chains
✓ Mid-water arch
✓ Flexible riser
Typical Off-loading of Mooring Chains
from Transportation Vessel
Typical chain transportation vessel – top cover closed during transit
Rigging chains for off-loading
Off-loading of chain at wharf using wharf cranes
Chains are first off-loaded
onto quayside, then
transferred by trailers to
storage yard
Transferring of off-loaded chains at quayside to
storage yard
Off-loading of 2nd shipment of chains using crane barge
Loading of mooring chains onto MSV
and chain-locker
Loading of chains from storage yard onto trailer to
transport to installation vessel
Loading chains directly from quayside to
installation vessel
Landing chain on the deck of installation vessel
Sorting out chain on the deck prior to loading into chain locker
Unwinding chain & loading into the chain locker
Unwinding & marking chain & loading into the chain locker
 Chains being loaded into chain locker in reverse order of lay
Note: Chains are marked to provide visual that chain in straight after installation
Piles preparation & loading
Trial fitting of mooring shackles & dimensional checks prior to load-out
Loading out of piles on material barge
Typical pile guide frame (PGF) used for subsea piling
 Suction Piles

Suction caissons are used often in deep water applications (up

to 2000m) when conventional driven piling is difficult.
In recent years, suction caissons have also seen usage for
offshore wind turbines in shallower waters.
Advantage over driven piles:
• Quicker to install
• Easier to remove during decommissioning
Suction pile is effectively a caisson embedded in the marine sediment. This
embedment is typically achieved through creating a negative pressure inside the
caisson. The foundation can also be rapidly removed by reversing the installation
process, applying an over air pressure inside the caisson skirt. The suction caisson
technology functions very well in a seabed with soft clays or other low strength
sediments. The suction caissons are in many cases easier to install than piles, which
must be driven (hammered) into the ground with a pile driver.
Suction piles become better alternative to driven piles in deepwater because of
technical challenges and cost associated with deep water applications. In addition,
such caissons provide a greater resistance to lateral loads than driven piles because of
the large diameter typically used.
 Installation sequence of suction caissons (a) Touchdown phase (b) Penetration due
to self weight/ballast (c) Water pumped out to create suction penetration

Some contractors regard suction caissons as better alternative to driven piles for deep water
because of technical challenges and costs associated with installation of driven piles:
• Heavy lift vessels can be avoided, simplifying and shortening the installation
procedure.
• Another advantage is that there is more control over the installation process.
• Suction caissons also provide greater resistance than vertical driven piles and drag
anchors because of the larger diameters typically used (Colliat et al., 1995).
Suction piles are typically transported vertically on
the installation vessel to facilitate installation
(vertical lift and deployment)
If suction piles are transported offshore via a separate transportation barge, the
piles could be arranged horizontally, in which case, they will be lifted up horizontally
and up-righted in the water or after it is placed on seabed
Project Example – Installation of FSO in
Gulf of Thailand
(by EMAS AMC)

FSO

Pipeline
(Existing)

PLEM 9
(Existing)
10” Riser

MWA + GB

3 x 3 FSO Mooring System

FSO Mooring System Installation sequence
• Install Mooring Legs
FSO Anchor Piles • Install MWA w/ Gravity Base
• Hook up Mooring Legs to FSO
• Install Flexible Riser

Mooring Chain
Installation Sequence

Stage I : Mooring Installation (3 x 3)

Pipeline
(Existing)

PLEM 9
(Existing)

3 x 3 FSO Mooring System

Installation Sequence

Stage 2 : Mid-Water Arch + Gravity Base Installation

Pipeline
(Existing)

PLEM 9
(Existing)

MWA + GB

3 x 3 FSO Mooring System

 Installation Sequence

Stage 3: Hook-up of mooring chains to FSO & chain tensioning

FSO

Pipeline
(Existing)

PLEM 9
(Existing)

MWA + GB

3 x 3 FSO Mooring System

Installation Sequence

Stage 4: Riser installation

FSO

Pipeline
(Existing)

PLEM 9
(Existing)
10” Riser

MWA + GB

3 x 3 FSO Mooring System

Mooring anchor pile installation
Installation Sequence
Pile & chain Overview
installation sequence

▪ Overboard and position pile guide frame (PGF)

▪ Overboard the anchor pile w/ chain connected and stab into the PGF
• Upend and stack the Pile Hammer onto the Pile Follower.
• Lift the Pile Hammer & Follower and stack onto the Anchor Pile
▪ Drive pile to target depth.
▪ Recover the Piling Hammer and Pile Follower to deck
▪ Lay chain
▪ Pre-tension chains
▪ Lay down the Chain c/w Subsea Buoys.
• Relocate piling template to next location.
• Repeat the steps above for the remaining FSO anchor piles and mooring
chains.
FSO Mooring System
FSO Anchor Piles
Diameter : 60” OD x 25/30/40/50mm WT
Length : 32m
Weight in air : ~ 39Te
Weight in seawater : ~ 34Te
Chain attachment : 11m from Pile Top
Driven depth : Flushed with Seabed
Quantity :9

Pile Follower
Diameter : 36/60” OD x 38/50mm WT
Length : 22.5m
Weight in air : ~ 34Te
Weight in seawater : ~ 30Te
Quantity :1
Pile Barge Layout
 Piling Template
PILING GUIDE FRAME USBL Transponder at
(3 Locations)
Footprint : 16.6 x 17.7m
Height : 12.3m
Weight in air : 43 Te
Weight in seawater : 38 Te

Piling guide frame installation:

• Install 2 or 3 survey beacons on the Piling
Template transponder buckets
• Lift and overboard the Piling Template within
target circle
• Use ROV to orientate the piling template or use
orientation clump weight if the current is strong
Upending and off boarding the pile
guide frame, and manoeuvring it into
position
PileUpending
Overboarding
and off boarding the pile via pile lifting tool, and
manoeuvring the pile to the Hang Off Frame
Piling Hammer and Internal Lifting Tool
60” Internal Lifting Tool
Footprint : 2.3m x 3.3m
Height : 2.9m
Weight in air : 13Te
Weight in seawater : 12Te

Pile Hammer (S-280)

Sleeve : 56” with insert plate for 36” follower
Footprint : 12.6m x 3.2m
Height : 2.9m
Weight in air : 55Te
Weight in seawater : 48Te
Off boarding the pile hammer cum pile assembly and stabbing
it into the pile guide frame in preparation for pile driving
Underwater piling with underwater hammer
Piled guide base and mid-water arch
installation
Installation Sequence:

o MWA Lifting, Lowering

o Pile Installation
o Pile-Pin Installation
 Mid Water Arch System
Mid Water Arch:
Dimension : 13m x 10.8m x 5.5m
Weight in Air : 98te (include Tether)
Buoyancy : 126te

Piled Gravity Base:

Dimension : 25m x 5m x 2.6m
Weight in Air : 186te (include Tether)
Weight in Seawater : 123te
PGB + MWA Installation
The PGB + MWA Installation is typically carried out in the following
sequence:
• Setup vessel at the PGB Location
• Assemble PGB and MWA
• Connect MWA lifting spreader beam to crane wire
• Lift and overboard the PGB + MWA
• Orientate the PGB + MWA to the correct heading using
Orientation Clump Weight connected to the PGB
• Lower the assembly until PGB is resting on seabed
• ROV inspects penetration and inclination of the PGB
• ROV disconnects the Orientation Clump Weight & recover to
surface
• ROV disconnects / cut the lift rigging underneath the Spreader
Beam
• Recover the spreader beam to surface
STEP: 4
Pile Upending &Lifting
▪ 36” Dia x38.923m L ▪ Pile Wt =35MT
PGB + MWA Installation

Piling of the PGB is typically carried out as follow:

• Lift and upright the PGB pile.
• Stab the PGB pile to the Pile Sleeve on the PGB
• Repeat the same step for another PGB Pile
• Lift and upright the Piling Hammer
• Stab the Piling Hammer to the PGB Pile (no pile
follower is needed)
• Complete Piling the PGB Pile
• Relocate the Piling Hammer to remaining PGB pile
• Complete Piling the PGB Pile
• Install the lock pins

Cut hole by diver

Insert 2 pins on each pile
FSO Hook-up
FSO Hook Up

The FSO Hook Up is typically carried out in the following sequence:

• ROV carries out as-found survey of the chain (if required).
• Position the FSO in the correct heading and position using control
heading tugs.
• Construction vessel (CV) deploys A&R Wire c/w ROV hook to the
location of chain end.
• ROV connects ROV hook to recovery grommet on the chain
• CV recovers and secures the FSO mooring chain to deck.
• Paint the target chain link on the deck
• FSO lowers down the Pull-in messenger wire
• ROV connects A&R wire c/w ROV hook to the master link on the
FSO messenger wire
• CV recovers FSO Pull-in wire and messenger wire to deck.
FSO Hook Up
FSO Hook Up
FSO Hook Up
FSO Hook Up
 FSO Hook Up
FSO Hook Up (Cont’d)
• CV connects FSO Pull-in wire to the chain & remove messenger
wire
• With assistance of crane and A&R wire, CV overboards the chain
• ROV hand-shake the chain to FSO pull-in wire
• ROV disconnects/cut the sacrificial grommet on the A&R wire
• CV recovers A&R wire
• FSO pulls the chain into the FSO chain table.
• FSO secures the chain on the chain stopper.
FSO Chain Tensioning
The FSO Chain Tensioning will be carried out in the following sequence:
• Connect the FSO pull-in wire to the Mooring Chain.
• Activate the winch to pull the Mooring Chain to the 1st design tensioning
load as specified by manufacturer/designer.
• If the max stroke is reached, cut the excess chain until the 1st design
tensioning load is achieved.
• Once the target load is achieved, disconnect the FSO pull-in wire.
• Re-route the FSO pull-in wire to pull the Mooring Chain in the adjacent
cluster.
• Redo the steps above to tension all Mooring Chains (first round).
• Repeat the steps above for 2nd or 3rd Round as specified by
manufacturer/designer to achieve final chain tensioning.

The mooring system to be verified by:

• Load cell on the pull-in winch or
• Measuring the chain angle using inclinometer
FSO Pull-in System

General layout for chain

installation at turret &
chain tensioning

5m
Top Chain Laydown
Riser installation
Riser System
Riser System:
1 off 10” Riser in Lazy-S Configuration
Lay System – Main Equipment
Under Roller Base
Max Load : 300te
Maximum Line Pull : 10te
Speed : 1000m/hr
Dimension : 8m x 7m x 1.6m
Weight : 35te

Tensioner
Line Pull : 40te (four track)
Speed : 1200m/hour
Footprint : 6m x 3.5m x 3.5m
Weight in air : 23Te

Lay Chute
MBR : 4m
SWL : TBC

Lay Down Winch

Safe Working Load : 50te
Length of wire : 200m
Riser Lay System – Port Stern

Under Roller Base

Ramp Tensioner Lay Chute

Riser Installation
The Riser Installation is typically carried out in the following sequence:
• Attach control heading tug to the FSO stern to control the heading of the FSO.
• Setup construction vessel (CV) within the FSO turret.
• Connect winch wire to the riser pull head.
• Open up tensioner tracks.
• Pay out the riser from the reel.
• Use the crane and winch to place the riser over the tensioner.
• Continue paying out the product until the pull head reach the lay chute.
• FSO team lowers down riser pull-in wire.
• ROV connect the winch wire to the riser messenger wire (from construction vessel).
• CV recovers the riser messenger wire + pull-in wire to deck.
• CV removes the messenger wire and connects the riser pull-in wire to the riser pull head.
• FSO team pulls in the riser using FSO pull-in winch as the riser is being laid (paid out) from the
construction vessel
• Riser is hung off at the turret of the FSO
• CV continues to lay the riser until the MWA arch clamp reach the lay chute.
Riser Installation

• Install the MWA clamp on the riser.

• Lay the riser and land the MWA clamp on the slot of the MWA.
• Continue lay the riser toward the second end.
• Using the winch and crane, pay out the riser second end from the reel.
• Connect the riser laydown head to winch and crane.
• Open up tensioner tracks.
• Overboard the riser using the laydown winch and crane.
• Laydown the riser end near the PLEM using laydown winch.
• ROV to disconnect / cut the sacrificial grommet on the laydown winch wire.
• Recover lay down winch to deck.
Riser Installation - Initiation
Riser Installation
Riser Installation
Riser Installation
Riser Installation - Laydown
Sorry, information pertaining to pile, chain & floating facility installation is
NOT found in my book: “Subsea Rigid Pipelines – Methods of Installation”

You have to wait till I publish my 2nd book entitled: “Flexible Subsea Flowlines
& Other Flexibles (umbilicals, cables & moorings) – Methods of Installation”
QUESTIONS ????