Like most maritime issues, anchor analysis concerns hydrodynamic analysis plus soil conditions and application at the surface. What vessel will be moored? How much stress will the anchor(s) be subject due to waves, currents, winds and tonnage? What system will be best suited to the extreme conditions at the site? Single anchor leg mooring (SALM) or catenary anchor leg mooring (CALM)? The natural conditions set the rules, it’s up to us to design a complimentary system which can survive and serve your tankers and other vessels.
The seabed soil conditions will determine the feasible anchor characteristics. From there, many factors challenge the designer.
The leg can be chain or reinforced wire rope depending upon the flexibility requirements to deal with turbulent currents, depths, intensity of storms and wave action. The mooring must hold whatever vessel for which it’s designed. Added to the vessel itself, especially loaded with fluids. Off-loading in turbulent waters is treacherous enough without unstable platforms interfering with secure operations. Under-engineering is tragic. OrcaFlex software helps analyze the data to provide a definition of conditions which point to the proper solutions. Yes, solutions. Then the engineer consultants, like Stewart Technology Associates select the best alternative for your operation and vessel choice.
Oil companies need to load and unload tankers offshore and in deep water. Proper mooring, which begins with proper anchoring, serves to ensure safety and prevent environmental catastrophes. The economics of energy exploration and oil supply dictate larger and larger vessels. These vessels increase the stress on moorings, legs and anchors. Yesterday’s facilities and designs are inadequate for the modern supertanker. So oil companies can help themselves in two ways: analyze existing facilities for safe mooring and analyze new locations to specify their needs for tankers.
Stewart Technology Associates (STA) enjoy an international reputation for performing expert marine analysis. For almost thirty years, STA has consulted with drillers and oil companies worldwide: gathering and checking data, analyzing data, and suggesting improvements to the functionality and safety of the structures. STA also designs environmental risk management into the structure design. Their loyal clients appreciate staying ahead of the curve by, not just solving the challenge at hand, but looking into the future and resolving next generation issues before they arrive. Once the parties agree to recommendations, STA helps implement the new plan immediately. The oil companies appreciate minimum downtime and quality mooring.
For nearly three decades, The international tanker community has relied on Stewart Technology Associates to perform anchoring analysis with safety and efficacy as their rewards. The STA analysis using OrcaFlex software best assures accurate results and state-of-the-art solutions. Minor errors in calculations in data or design create major functional issues in the field. STA meticulously checks data and rechecks any questionable results. Oil companies utilize this dogged approach to avoid errors thus reducing the odds of any mishaps. If pile anchors under-perform, STA finds the deficiency and creates a solution to correct the problem. STA has such a diverse group of experts designing and brainstorming, your safety and production will be maximized.
Clients of STA count on our expertise to analyze their entire system’s needs including anchoring. STA uses a holistic view of systems in order to maximize the number of options available. This approach gives us a broader perspective than others in the industry. For example, our service includes reviewing spill containment and oil spill response, because contingency plans, although you don’t want to deploy, are better than having no response or a poor response. Using STA and OrcaFlex software provide the best chance for the best solution to your anchor issues.
Published by Stewart Technology Associates
Safety issues and environmental impact head the list of concerns regarding moored vessels. Proper analysis can help an oil company avoid a host of problems as well as suggest the best ways to improve safety and function of anchor technology. Oil spills, property damage, capsizing, and loss of life can be prevented with an accurate study and the right recommendations. Mooring age, vessel size, weather, and sea conditions all have an impact on mooring stability. A company may need to modify existing mooring structures, or at the very least have contingency plans in place in the event a mishap occurs.
Experience and current technology is needed to address these issues before they become problematic. Prevention is and will always be the best way to deal with potential problems. Stewart Technology Associates has the know-how to find out what those problems are and help a company implement the necessary fix.
A good series of anchors is as integral to a ship as its engine. Your collection should include stockless, kedge, and BBI-Delta type anchors. In addition, you should have hundreds of feet of all-chain rode ready to be deployed with your anchors of choice. But how do you choose which anchor and what length of rode when the time comes to anchoring?
While some sailors are adept at selecting the right ground tackle according to the necessary and complex calculations that combine seabed type, ship length, weather outlook, etc.; using a proper anchor analysis is the only way to ensure your ship is anchored safely. The following are two of the most common (and most hazardous) problems that can be avoided with a proper anchor analysis:
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Stewart Technology Associates
Two of the biggest concerns for every offshore oil company are ensuring safe operation and low environmental impact. Both of these concerns become especially heightened with moored vessels that, when not properly anchored or otherwise tethered can lead to huge problems like oil spills, capsizing, property damage, and seafloor damage. In extreme weather and unsafe operating conditions, poorly moored vessels may even lead to unacceptable loss of life.
A proper anchor analysis is simply one of the best ways to avoid such catastrophes. Such an analysis will account for a vessel's size, the weather conditions, sea conditions, and age of mooring or ground tackle to assess a mooring's stability. Technology created by Steward Technology Associates inputs such information and runs scenarios determining the best estimated amount of stress that the anchors will be subject to due to the current waves, tidal currents, seabed soil conditions, winds, and tonnage. The anchor analysis will then determine the most ideal anchoring system for the present time, whether it's a single anchor leg mooring, catenary anchor leg mooring, or something else entirely.
Only once the ideal anchoring conditions and equipment have been selected, can an oil tanker safely and securely deploy their anchor and begin the loading and offloading of equipment and oil with confidence. Such proper mooring ensures that even in turbulent waters and intense winds, anchors will hold.
Published by Stewart Technology Associates
Anchors are a critical component for any marine vessel, including oil rigs, tankers, fishing vessels, container ships and military vessels, and every ship has different characteristics that must be considered for a safe and effective anchor to designed and deployed properly. There are multiple forces acting on a ship’s anchor at any given time, including the weight of the vessel, the weight of the cargo, the action of the waves, tidal forces, winds and inclement weather. A professional anchor analysis can be used to model these force on a given anchor design in real-world conditions, allowing you to identify weak points in the design and improve it to reduce structural failures. Here are a few of the tangible benefits of having a professional anchor analysis performed on your design:
In many cases, a professional anchor analysis will be the most cost-effective and reliable option.