Long ride for worlds biggest buoy

The dimensions of this buoy outrange many conventional vessels. Although weighing 1,100 tons and standing 27m high, it is also a very sensitive piece of equipment with well defined safe transport restrictions. So when this delicate monster had to be placed in the Gulf of Mexico, it needed both engineering skills and a high degree of preparation on board the transport ship. Elaborate preparation for the move started ashore in Asia with the loading of the gigantic buoy onto the

Beluga

. The buoy was situated on a pier in very shallow waters, so bathometric problems had to be addressed while keeping safety as the uppermost concern.

The loading required absolute precision, but there were unexpected obstacles. Recent modifications had changed the centre of gravity of the buoy and given it an asymmetrical load. Despite this, a floating crane successfully managed to lift the cargo and position it on the multipurpose heavy-lift project carrier, which had been fitted with a specially designed grillage fixed to its weather deck.

One of the main tasks was guaranteeing the structural integrity of the vessel. The weight and size of the buoy and grillage together put tremendous loads on the ship’s structure. In some areas this exceeded 200 tons per sq/m. Because the dimensions of the cargo restricted sight from the bridge of the vessel, the transport engineers needed to implement several compensating measures, including changes in the deck structure and the application of additional devices to allow a safe journey.

It is not only the ‘hardware’ of vessels like MV Beluga Formation which must meet such challenges. Most important are the people who know how to use it. Engineer Yahaya Sanusi said, ‘The transport of such cargo requires enormous pre-planning and calculations. Our success underlines that we know what we are doing and can take on such challenges.’

After loading, the biggest buoy in the world travelled approximately 10,000 nautical miles from Indonesia through the Pacific Ocean and the Panama Canal to an offshore location in the Gulf of Mexico, where it was safely deployed.

Reidar Evensen of client Altus Oil & Gas Services praised the excellent efforts and support from the Beluga team in Singapore and Germany, and added the project was successful despite frequently changing requirements and complications that grew over time along with the broadening scope of the work.