Design of Fuel Barge and Establishment of Risk Based Inspection Regime

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The first practical application of a floating platform was a pivotal event in the development of human civilisation. It leads to two-thirds of the earth becoming navigable and the resources of the ocean exploitable. Exploration and Harvesting / production have continued through the ages and is presently being pursued in search of hydrocarbons and other mineral resources (Sanders & Grassle, 1980: 265).

The prime potential locations of petroleum reserves will have had a plentiful supply of organically rich sedimentary material, often deposited in confined basins with restricted circulation. However, the phenomena of continental drift, major climatic changes over the millennia and the migration of hydrocarbon fluids lead to the discovery of petroleum deposits under areas that are now very different. Most offshore hydrocarbon deposits are expected to be located under the continental shelf and on the slope from the shelf down to the deep ocean floor.

The bulk of today's offshore hydrocarbon reserves originate from developments on the continental shelf in relatively shallow water. However as the size of discoveries in the mature basins diminishes, there is an increasing shift towards exploration in deeper water (Sanders, 1978: 717). Typically the edge of the continental shelf is at about 200 metres water depth and the slope extends to 2500 -3000 in. Therefore future exploration of the continental margins, down to about 3,000 m may be expected but there will be little justification for prospecting for oil in the deep oceans.

The development of the offshore industry commenced with the use of fixed structures. As development accelerated with the discovery of oil and gas in deeper waters, the use of floating structures became commonplace. Once preliminary geophysical investigations indicate the potential for hydrocarbons related several major activities (Reddy & Eglinton, 2002: 4754). That may overlap, are required to recover these hydrocarbons from below the seabed, namely: exploration drilling, well testing, pre-production drilling, early production, production storage, and work-over.

Pre-production drilling, of the large number of wells required to produce the oil, and the 'completion' (installation of tubing, filters, valves etc.) will be undertaken from a semi-submersible or monohull vessel before the main production platform is installed. This allows oil production to start soon after the production platform arrives on the field.

Aim of the Study

The study aims to the design and construction of fuel barge that would be used to store ...