EPCI contract for mooring and installation of WHO DAT in Gulf of Mexico

Delmar Systems was awarded the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contract for the mooring and installation of the OPTI-EX floating production facility WHO DAT.

The FPU was installed in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico for LLOG Deepwater Development Company, LLC.

Delmar Systems was selected from a host of competitive bidders for the project.

The award included project engineering for anchor/mooring system specification, design, fabrication oversight, installation engineering, operation procedures, installation services, equipment procurement, and equipment marshalling for the facility’s installation.

Delmar Systems assisted LLOG and the facility designer/builder EXMAR in certification verification authority (CVA) review and regulatory approval for the mooring system. And was the project leader on all mooring related aspects of the OPTI-EX project from the initial mooring equipment RFQs being issued through the final connection of the mooring lines to the facility.

The span of the entire project, from engineering to completion, was completed in only ten months.

For the engineering/design aspects of the project, Delmar Systems worked closely with LLOG, EXMAR, ABS, BOEMRE, USCG, and Whitehill Manufacturing to get mooring system approval.

For the mooring analysis, Delmar Systems used in-house software to accurately analyze the true nonlinear stiffness and permanent elongation of polyester moorings directly in the global mooring analysis. This mooring analysis was used for CVA submittal in the mooring system approval process.

From the installation side, Delmar Systems preset the entire mooring system, including the polyester rope, on the seafloor using LLOG’s existing contracted anchor handling vessel (AHV), ahead of the facility tow out. The use of an existing contracted AHV provided maximum efficiency and cost savings for LLOG.

When the facility was towed out to its location, all 12 preset mooring lines were connected to the facility in seven days, and pre-tensioning was completed five days later.

Additionally, after the final mooring lines were pre-tensioned, the facility’s surface position was within feet of the specified location, verifying the polyester rope load-elongation test procedures and length management provided to the project by Delmar Systems.

With Delmar Systems’ proven experience, the project was safely completed under budget and under the allocated time estimates.