Biggest ever pontoon faces tidal challenge
A remote Australian LNG development which is challenged by an 8m tidal range has asked Damen Shipyards to create a tailor-made pontoon, the largest Damen has built so far.
The Hydro Deck, a 140m long by 40m wide Module Offloading Facility Transition Pontoon capable of transporting modules up to 7,000 tonnes, is going to support AG&P ALE Ventures’ new LNG project in Darwin, where it will be permanently stationed. As the seagoing vessels carrying the LNG modules from Asia have offloading issues due to the significant water level variation, the pontoon will be used to step these elements from ship to land.
The Hydro Deck has the ability to rise and fall to compensate for the area’s 8m tidal difference using 37,000 cubic metre water ballasting tanks. AG&P ALE’s self-propelled modular transporters will be used to transfer the large LNG facility construction pieces on and off the pontoon.
Jeroen van Woerkum, Damen’s Benelux sales manager said: “Although this is a very remote and challenging location, we have engineered a viable and efficient solution.”
Construction work is taking place now at one of Damen’s specialist pontoon partner yards, Yahua of Nantong in China. Engineering has started and Damen Shipyards is expected to deliver the unit in December 2013.
Although this is the biggest pontoon so far, around 10 other fairly large size Damen pontoons are currently under construction, including a Damen Stan Pontoon 9127 (91m by 27m), a newly designed Damen Crane Barge 6324 (with a Liebherr CBG350 crane for transhipment work), a Stan Pontoon 8624, a Crane Pontoon measuring 80m by 25m (sold to BAM International) and two Stan Pontoons 5224s which have wooden decks and are fitted for the use of a crawler crane (Liebherr LR 1400 or equivalent). Alongside these there are a number of smaller units being built. 15 Damen pontoons have just been transported from China to the port of Rotterdam where several will be placed in stock to enable fast delivery to potential clients.
