Building and installing offshore oil platforms (Kiewitt Heavy Lifting Device))

(For what it is worth, this is my 2000th posting in this blog. Google's search function for authors broke April 3, 2018, which has greatly reduced one of my motivations for writing the blog --- a memory aid. Fortunately, I have used labels so that I can still find some of them.)

Normally, I would just add the first photo below to tandem lifts. But John provided enough photos in the posting's comments that it is worth its own posting. These photos provide some insight into the expense of drilling offshore ore wells.

See also Turning an Oil Rig Jacket.

The initial photos and comments are from a John Katok posting. Francis Letecia Reyna Pawelek also contributed to that posting.

a
Two 4600 Ringers in tandem lifting 12 bouyancy tanks into place during the fabrication of the Exxon LENA guyed tower project at Brown & Root's Harbor Island yard in 1982. Each tank was 20 ft diameter x 200 feet long and weighed 225 tons and all were place in position from the one location over a 300 feet distance from tower elev. -160 to elev. -460.

b
Its of the sailout of the tower from our fabrication yard, seen in the background, and out the Corpus Christi Channel on June 10, 1983. It was loaded out onto the BAR 376 launch barge 160'wide x 560' long x 36 deep. The 1,100 feet long tower rested on 6 skidways while being fabricated onshore but then transitioned to 4 skidways ( we offloaded the skids at the top and bottom using a wedged timber system) when loading it on the barge as the 30,000 ton structure was pulled on over the 30-hour operation. The top of the tower cantilevered over the bow 200 feet, and over the stern 300 feet.The tow took 2 days from CC to offshore Louisianna.

c
Here's the launch, largest side launch in history, took 8.3 seconds, tower was traveling at 55 fps or 35 mph when it hit the water, and raising the starboard side of the barge out of the water. The launch was initiated using 24 exploding bolts ( frangable nuts) to seperate 12 each 20"diameter holdback pipes, the same nuts/bolts as were used on the space shuttle during launch to hold the shuttle rocket on the pad during initial thrust up. I shot the only video of the launch ( those early years when video cameras just started coming out commerically). It was awesome!

d
Here's the tower during installation using the derrick barge Oceanbuilder, after completing the fab side, I went offshore for the entire installation campaign, it had a 2000 ton crane. The bouyancy tanks helped keep it uprighted at 85 degrees after launch and up to when the barge could then get hold and set it into final position, and drive the 8 piles and 58 conductor pipes. Tim, did you happen to ever work on the Oceanbuilder?

e
The Atlas was the other barge offshore when LENA was installed, it installed the 20 guy lines and anchor piles. The lines were wire rope 5-3/8" diameter x 3,200 feet long, and had a 200 ton clump weight ( like a flat wide bicycle chain design) on each. We installed the first thrusters ever on a flat bottom derrick barge, and it worked fairly well up until we got in a 10 foot sea state, 30 mph wind and/or a 6 knot current. ATLAS had a 2,000 ton crane too, maybe that capacity was over the stern.

John Katok One night we were setting one of the 8 main piles ( 54" diameter x 2-1/4" wt, x 1000 foot long, about 625 tons, with a Varco elevator, and that elevator sheared across its 11" x 11" cross section and sent that main boom into the sky, and rocking back and forth like nothing I had ever seen, thought we were going to get showered with boom, it was one of those defining moments. Luckily the boom checked out okay and we continued on. Varco had to do some explaining though.

Calvin Hutchins How much $$$$$ in that picture?

John Katok The project or the cranes? The project in 1983 cost about $700mm so that would be about $3.5 billion in todays dollars. If you meant the cost of the cranes, I don't really know, we had 24 down at that yard at the peak but the peak lasted several years, we mostly had 4100s, maybe eight 4600s, two 6000s and spare booms.Maybe $150mm. We only rented a few.

Harry Hedge That's a lot of rigs in one spot,

John Katok We split the tower into six box sections. The two that made up the very top ( left side) each weighed 2,400 tons. I wish i could post the photos of the 14 cranes, spaced only a few feet apart in some cases, making those 2,400 ton lifts. A box lift is more complex since when you reach the tip over point its likely to accelerate away, so we had 3 catch cranes on the receiving side plus two hold back winches. The crane operators and supervision were awesome and landed those boxes right in their cradles every time.

Francis Letecia Reyna Pawelek Did you all ever see the quarter mile long BULLWINKLE offshore rig built in ingleside? Kiewitt and another company was involved in that job 
I got some nice pictures I’ll have to post too I think.

John Katok Yes, 1,350’ water depth, 55,000 tons, and loaded out onto the 851 launch barge circa 1988-89. Laying on its side the base was over 420’ tall.

Francis Letecia Reyna Pawelek I still got some pictures left and a couple sections of the parts and had som big cranes made by pip who lived nearby too

f
Here’s a couple guys of gulf marines yard

g

Then I found what I presume to be platform construction photos in some other "crane" postings and moved them here.


A lot more than just two cranes on this lift. I believe the section they lifted was built to the right of the bottom section. Look at the tracks for the cranes. They not only lifted that section in unison, they are moving it over the bottom section in unison! The dirt in these erection yards gets real hard. Note that they don't need any mats.

Larry Arthur Hoerres posted

This is serious pic you don't see this everyday this was several years ago its got the most cranes on one pic in all the world

Willie Cromwell 4000's and 4100's

Joe Leonard And just think - not one computer. An actual human had to string a tape and look at a load chart. And nobody on a cell phone. Must be magic.

David Beard Yes Joe, the generation coming up now couldn't handle this.

Larry posted again
Mike Keilen I get the pick and travel, but why all the jibs? Where and when was this?
Ed Flores Don't know about this one but the ones I did were in McDermott's yard in Amelia Louisiana. All yard cranes were equipped with jibs no point in removing them. All picks were at 60% of chart.

Shawn Douglas commented on a posting

Shawn Douglas commented on a posting

Jim Browne commented on the above posting

Ben Stalvey posted
Those who worked at the large oil fabrication jacket yards. Who's yard and Manitowocs would these have belonged to????????
Ben StalveyGroup Admin A few 4600 series 4 ringers in this shot
Ben StalveyGroup Admin A 6000 can also be seen in this shot with white jib
Steve Khail I shot this photo for Manitowoc. It's a Brown & Root fab yard near Port Aransas, TX.

Ross Rodger posted
The first roll up in Hi-Fab Nigg. Early 70's. 4100's and 4600 S3
Ben StalveyGroup Admin America no doubt
Ross Rodger Scotland, Brown and Roots Highlands Fabricators.

posted

posted

Charles Daville posted, cropped

0:24 video

Crane US posted

Thomas Hoppe: The HLD by Kiewitt.

Heavy Lifting Device.