HOUSTON, August 14, 2024 – Bardex®, a global leader in solutions for marine-based heavy lifting, transfer, and restraint has completed its phase of floating production system (FPS) for the Shenandoah project: delivering its award-winning Off Vessel Tensioning (OVT) BarLatch™ mooring system. When installed, the FPS will be located in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico at over 1800 m water depth.
This is the second FPS project in which Bardex partnered with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to supply its patented OVT BarLatch system. The first was the King’s Quay FPS, also moored in the Gulf of Mexico, which marked the inaugural implementation of Bardex’s OVT method. According to an engineer who was involved in both projects, Bardex was selected for the King’s Quay project specifically for its OVT system, along with a proven record of adapting quickly to changing requirements and managing interfaces effectively.
In May of this year, the OVT BarLatch system earned Bardex the Woelfel Best Mechanical Engineering Achievement award, conferred by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Bardex designed the OVT method to work with its patented BarLatch Fairlead Stopper technology. Development of the product resulted from working with a client who wanted to address the longstanding industry concern with in-plane and out-of-plane bending fatigue and chain wear at the conventional 7-pocket underwater fairlead. Additionally, the client wanted to eliminate deck tensioning equipment. The BarLatch Fairlead Stopper solution for off-vessel tensioning of mooring lines uses an Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) or similar vessel to apply the tension resulting in multiple benefits.
The OVT method:
• Makes platforms storm-safe significantly faster
• Frees up deck space and reduces topside weight anywhere from 600 to 1,000 metric tons by eliminating the equipment needed for chain tensioning and handling
• Frees up space and reduces weight, allowing for the addition of revenue-producing processing equipment or the use of vessels with smaller hulls, which reduces upfront vessel expenditure
The OVT and BarLatch system can be used in any region of the world and is approved by major certifying bodies, including the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Bureau Veritas (BV), and Det Norske Veritas (DNV). Bardex’s OVT method is also applicable to the offshore wind industry.
For more information about Bardex’s Off Vessel Tensioning, visit https://www.bardex.com/applications/mooring-tensioning/off-vessel-tensioning-oil-gas/.