Semisubmersibles and FPSO

platforms
Presented by
Jasna PH
Roll no-11
Dept of Ship Technology
 OVERVIEW

 Semisubmersible platforms
• Introduction
• Evolution
• Stability
• Motions
• Draft
• Column stabilised semi subs
• Components of semisubmersible
• Station keeping
• Installation
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Deep draft semisubmersible

2
 OVERVIEW

 FPSO
• Introduction

• FPSO hull

• Mooring

• FPSO design issues

• FPSO building blocks

• Deck structure

• Turret mooring system

• Offloading

• Installation
• Advantages and disadvantages

3
 Semisubmersible platforms

First
semisubmersible

Figure 1: Blue Water Rig No.1

(source www.offshore-mag.com)  
 INTRODUCTION

 A semi-submersible is a specialized marine vessel with legs/pontoons

for buoyancy to float, and weight to keep the structure upright [3]
 Used in a number of specific offshore roles as
• offshore drilling rigs
• heavy lift cranes
• oil production platforms
• safety vessels.

 They are designed with good stability and sea keeping characteristics
[3]

5
 INTRODUCTION (cont)
Source : Sharma et. al, 2010

Fig 2: Saipem Scarabeo 7 semi-submersible Fig 3: Lolair on Elbe river

drilling rig

Fig 4: The Brazilians Petrobas P-51 Fig 5:Seipnir Semi-submersible crane vessel

semi-submersible oil platform 6
 EVOLUTION

 First semisubmersible platform- Bluewater rig no-1

 There are currently six defined generations.

TABLE 1 : Generations of SSP (Sadheghi, 2019)

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 EVOLUTION (Cont)

8
Fig 6: Sectional arrangements (Chakrabarti, 2005)
 STABILITY

 Stable equilibrium (GM>0) [5]

 Design and continuous monitored ballasting system, which results in a positive GM.

 Too high GM

• large righting moments

• result in increased accelerations in pitch and roll

• uncomfortable for the crew

Fig 7: Stability terms. Initial versus inclined position

10
( Gallala ,2013)
 MOTION CHARACTERISTICS FOR SEMI-
SUBMERSIBLES

 Six degree of freedom system

 The rotational motions are roll, pitch and yaw. The translational motions
are heave, sway and surge.
 Motions characteristics are dominated by heave, pitch and roll

 Other motions are kept low because of mooring systems and/or dynamic
positioning [5]

Fig 8: Six degrees of freedom(Gallala,2013)

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 MOTION CHARACTERISTICS FOR SEMI-
SUBMERSIBLES

 If damping is neglected the Eigen Period in heave is given by [5]

 large displacement and relatively small waterplane area - provides the

semi-submersible periods in heave - favorable motion characteristics.
 25 to 30 sec

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 MOTION CHARACTERISTICS FOR SEMI-
SUBMERSIBLES

 If damping effects are neglected the Eigen periods in roll

and pitch is given by [5]

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 MOTION CHARACTERISTICS FOR SEMI-
SUBMERSIBLES

 Pitch

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 MOTION CHARACTERISTICS FOR SEMI-
SUBMERSIBLES

 Too high GM values –

• Low periods in pitch and roll

• Which will lie inside the area where most of the wave energy is focused.

• Resonance behavior increases.

 30- 60 sec

 The high periods - large moment of inertia along with low GM

values [5]

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 MOTION CHARACTERISTICS FOR SEMI-
SUBMERSIBLES

 From the hydro dynamics the dynamical pressure under a wave is given by equation

 Pressure decreases exponential with the water depth.

 This leads to small variation in dynamical pressure on the pontoons for high drafts,

which give favorable motion characteristics [5]

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 DRAFT

 Transit mode-pontoon above water surface [1]

• Water plane area is high
• Minimum resistance to motion

• Short term mooring analysis

 Operating draft would be 80-90 ft with 25 ft stillwater airgap.

• Low water plane area

• For drilling. the maximum drafts would be in the 70-80 ft range, with a relatively
small air gap.
• Long term mooring analysis

 Survival drafts - severe storm condition - in the 50-60 ft range would be used
and a more generous air gap

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 COLUMN-STABILIZED SEMI-SUBS
• More popular design

• Two horizontal hulls are connected via cylindrical or rectangular

columns to the deck above the water
• Smaller diagonal columns are used to support the structure

• Submergence - by partially filling the horizontal hulls with water until

the rig has submerged to the desired depth.
• Mooring lines and dynamic positioning help to keep the semi-sub on
location

Fig 9: Conventional semisubmersible(Gallala,2013)

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 COMPONENTS OF A SEMISUBMERSIBLE PLATFORM

• DECK

o Provides the working surface for most functions

o Located high above the sea level

o Structural function –

 transfer the weight of the deck and

its loading to the columns (and bracing).

o Provide a structural connection between all the columns

Fig 10:Twin pontoon semi submersible
o Single deck – close spaced columns or space frame (www.slideshare.net)

o Hull type integrally connected deck – more interior space,

low cost, superior strength and lighter [5]

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 COMPONENTS OF A SEMISUBMERSIBLE
PLATFORM(CONT)
• COLUMNS/ PONTOONS
o Arranged and connected –to provide considerable global strength
o Pontoons give steady and flotation from its ballasted and waterproofing
properties
o Pontoons are placed under the water surface and wave motion
o They are usually rectangular or trapezoidal.
o The inside of the hull is divided into some ballast tanks.
o Rectangular ballast tanks are symmetrical and accessible to control the
draining and flooding of water.
o Trapezoidal ballast tanks –
 non uniform loads of the upper platform;

 lower resistance to mobility

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 COMPONENTS OF A SEMISUBMERSIBLE
PLATFORM(CONT)

o Columns are usually cylindrical steel structures

o The ballast tank and storeroom are inside the cylindrical steel.

o The columns mainly connect the lower hull and the working
platform to transfer the load of the platform to the lower hull.
o Critical point of stability is when a semi is submerging 
 transitions from being afloat on the pontoons to being afloat on the
columns.
 This operation is restricted to mild conditions and requires only that
there be “positive GM”.

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 COMPONENTS OF A SEMISUBMERSIBLE
PLATFORM(CONT)

Twin pontoon Closed array pontoon

●
● Not very good for mobility
●
● Preferred due to mobility
●
● Superior strength
●
● 6-and 8-columns preferred
●
● Braceless system

Fig 11: (Chakrabarti ,2005)

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 COMPONENTS OF A SEMISUBMERSIBLE
PLATFORM(CONT)

• BRACINGS
o Arrangement and shape of bracings are very significant
o Resist and support the deck weight, supply the lateral resistance
o Bracing systems are problematic
 expensive to build.
 vulnerable to fatigue. and
 costly maintenance item

o A well designed and well connected deck structure can eliminate the need
for most bracing
o A closed array pontoon can also eliminate the need for bracing
o A twin pontoon structure will require horizontal transverses.

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 STATION KEEPING

 Principal options are spread mooring and dynamic positioning [3]

 Chosen depending on shape of unit and sea conditions

 Mooring requires multiple anchors spread in a symmetrical pattern

 Anchored with six to 12 anchor chains

 Massive anchors due to their heavyweights maintain and hold the stability

 Factors

• Onboard mooring equipment,

• Arrangement - space requirements, and weight,

• Foundations

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Fig 12: Mooring system for a semi-submersible platform(www.core.ac.uk)
 STATION KEEPING
 Dynamic positioning [3]

• Uses different motors or propulsion units to counteract motions of water

• Guided by telemetry signals from beacons, satellite information and the angular

movements of a cable.

• Factors

o significant power requirements,

o substantial fuel storage capacity

o arrangement of a number of thruster units.

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Fig 13:semisubmersible rig(www.offshore-mag.com)
 INSTALLATION

 SSPs plate form are commonly constructed onshore [2]

 Load out by sliding, into the water or onto a big and overweight lift craft

 Drilling semis normally carry their mooring legs and anchors on board.

 The mooring system consists of a chain, wire or a combination of both

 When the vessel arrives on location, its anchors are handed over to anchor-handling (A/H)

vessels.

 The A/H vessel then moves towards the designated anchor installation position

 While the mooring line is paid out from the semi’s on the winches.

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 INSTALLATION

 The anchor is lowered to the seabed at the designated location.

 Preloading the anchors and tensioning of the mooring lines is carried out

 With the introduction of the taut leg polyester mooring systems for semis, the mooring

system can be pre-laid ahead of the semi arriving on site.

 The semi is then “hooked-up’’ to the mooring legs one by one, using temporary or

permanent winches or chain jacks installed on board.

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ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Advantages Disadvantages

Good motion response High initial and operating costs

Large deck area Pipelines or other means required

Allow large number of flexible risers Building schedules are longer

Transportation from location to location Limited deck load

Can be reused and converted to other Structural fatigue

support vessels

Expensive to move large distance

Difficult to handle mooring system and

riser in rough seas

Wet tree applications

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 DEEP DRAFT SEMISUBMERSIBLE
 Deep sea – rougher conditions [5]

 Centre of gravity below centre of buoyancy

 Increased the length of the submerged part

of the hull to keep the weight centre further below

the water plane

 Inclusion of the heave plates -

Fig 14:Thunder Hawk deep draft semisubmersible
(www.sbmoffshore.com)
reduce heave response of the structure, making it suitable for ultra-deep well operation.

 Various design concepts of semisubmersible platforms are currently under screening

 PC-Semi hull formation is the most realistic and generally accepted concept
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 DEEP DRAFT SEMISUBMERSIBLE

 Paired column semisubmersible [5]

• One additional column per corner

• Dry tree installation

• Top deck well-heads

- safety and cost effectiveness

• Reduced vertical motion

• Higher stability

Fig 15: Paired column semisubmersible

(www.offshore-mag.com)
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 FPSO platforms

First FPSO

Fig 16:Abo FPSO (www.offshore-mag.com)

 INTRODUCTION

 FPSO is commonly a converted oil tanker but can also be a purposely built vessel [1]

 F = Floating – it looks like a ship

 P = Production - Produces and processes a reservoir fluid

 S = Storage – Vessel’s cargo tanks store product crude

 O = offtake – Crude is offloaded to shuttle tanker

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 FPSO HULL

 Converted FPSO [1]

• 70% of FPSO

• Ship shaped

• Aframax tanker

• Less expensive
Fig 17:Liza FPSO (www.offshore-mag.com)
• Faster schedule

34
 FPSO HULL
 Newly built [1]
• Different vessel shapes
o Cylindrical hull – early 2000s
 Better handle of ship motions

 Less stress at the center of the ship

 Lacks a turret

 Designed to provide improved motions,

Fig 18:Dana sevan marine cylindrical FPSO
higher stability and higher deck load capacity (www.offshore-mag.com)

 Unlimited number of risers

• More flexibility in selecting key design criteria

• Often selected in robust met-ocean environments

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 FPSO HULL

 Typically existing FPSO can be characterised simply as a tanker with dimension ranging as [1]

• Length-600 to 1100ft

• Breadth-100 to 200ft

• Depth-60 to 100ft

 As water depths increase, the sensitivity of the FPSO mooring and riser systems to wave frequency

motions increases rapidly.

 FPSO hull form can be optimized to counter this by varying primarily the length, width, depth, draft

and mass distribution

 Length to breadth ratio of about 6:1 - which gives a good compromise between the enclosed volume

and the resistance to forward motion

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 FPSO HULL DESIGN

 There are four principal requirements that drive the size of a

typical FPSO

• Provision for

o oil storage capacity

o topsides space

o displacement and ballast capacity

o space for the production turret and the amount of hull storage capacity lost

as a consequence

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 MOORING

 An FPSO is essentially a ship permanently moored on the open ocean [6]

 Mooring with a turret mooring system – allows weathervaning to prevailing met-ocean

conditions

 Spread mooring – fixed

 Dynamic positioning - rare

 Permanent or disconnectable

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 TURRET MOORING SYSTEM

 Turret mooring allows weathervaning – minimises stresses [6]

 The farther forward the turret is located away from the mid-ship, the easier it becomes for the

vessel to weathervane

 Serves three purposes:

• Anchors vessel at geo-stationary position

• Allows vessel to weathervane

• Provides conduit for fluid transfer - Subsea reservoir infrastructure to topside processing plant

 Turret Design

• Three types of turret mooring systems - External - Internal

• Each type can be sub-divided into: - Disconnect type - Permanent connect type

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 TURRET MOORING SYSTEMS

 External turret mooring systems

• Turret is mounted externally to the hull of the vessel either at the bow or at the stem.

• Cantilever beam extending from the main deck of the vessel.

• Bearing arrangement is located above water and both the mooring lines and the risers are

also attached above water.

• Advantages of this turret are its simplicity and minimum requirement for integration into

the hull of the vessel; hence its low cost

• Limitation - provide sufficient cantilever extension - avoid interference between the mooring

lines and the bow or stern of the vessel.

• This in turn limits its application to shallow water depths and relatively mild environments

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 TURRET MOORING SYSTEMS

 External turret mooring systems

Fig 19:External turret mooring system (www.2b1stconsulting.com)

 There are disconnectable mooring systems present

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 TURRET MOORING SYSTEMS

 Internal turret mooring systems

• The turret is mounted internally inside the hull of the vessel, normally in the
forward half

• It consists of a large cylindrical structure rotating inside a cylindrical moonpool

in the hull.

• The mooring lines and the risers are attached to the base of the turret, below
water.

• Advantages –
o protected from direct wave loads and the risk of collision.

o capacity for handling a large number of risers

o ability to withstand severe environments.

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 TURRET MOORING SYSTEMS

 Internal turret mooring systems

• Disconnectable moorings present

Fig 20:Internal turret mooring system(www.2b1stconsulting.com)

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 FLUID TRANSFER

 Predominant fluid transfer system is the fluid swivel [6]

 Swivel systems allow the transfer of:

• Production fluids from the sub-sea equipment to the vessel

• Export fluids from the vessel to the sub-sea infrastructure

• Electrical signals for control and monitoring

• Electrical power for driving sub-sea/down hole equipment e.g. ESPs

Fig 21:Swivel stack system

 Allows 360 degree rotation
(www.onesubsea.slb.com)

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 PROCESSING AND PRODUCTION

 Main topside processing system component involve

• Crude oil , gas, and water separation

• Water injection equipment

• Gas compression

• Chemical injection

• Control systems for subsea production equipment

• And associated piping

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 STORAGE

 FPSO’s installed to date have storage capacities ranging up to 2.3 million

barrels [7]

 The storage volume provided in an FPSO is a factor of

• available ship size

• availability and size of offtake vessels

• weather and operational condition

• and cargo destination

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 ACCOMMODATION

• Accommodation in Aft Location [1]

o Normal solution for ship conversions

o Allows for optimal positioning of turret

– better weathervaning
Fig 22:Aft accommodation (www.slideshare.net)

o Fire / smoke / flame flows toward accomodation

o Higher motions- Discomfort for crew members

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 ACCOMMODATION

 Accommodation in in bow location

• Most applicable for new build FPSOs

• Accommodation displaces bow turret

Fig 23:Bow accommodation (www.slideshare.net)

into cargo tanks, reducing capacity

• Fire / smoke / flame away from accommodation

• Reduce motions , high crew comfort

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 OFFLOADING
• Liquid hydrocarbons from FPSO are offloaded into shuttle tankers [6]
o 1. Approach

o 2. Connection

o 3. Loading
o 4. Disconnection

o 5. Departure

Fig 24: FPSO and DP shuttle tanker in tandem offloading operation (Chakrapani, 2015)
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 INSTALLATION

 Whether FPSOs are converted tankers or purpose-built vessels, they are unlikely to

have any propulsion [2]

 Towed to site using at least one tug and, more likely two or three tugs.

 Mooring system of the FPSO is installed prior to the arrival of the FPSO and laid on

the seabed or

 In the case of polyester mooring lines, suspended at mid-depth using buoyancy cans

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 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Advantages Disadvantages

●
Utilizes existing ships
●
Faster development
●
Reduced upfront costs
●
No drilling
●
Early cash flow ●
Subsea wells only
●
Re-usable ●
Weather dependency
●
Relocated
●
Lower abandonment costs

51
 CONCLUSIONS

 Semi-submersible platforms - high stability

• due to large separation of columns

• their buoyant cross-sectional area

 Compared to ship-shaped floaters, semisubmersibles offer much lower motion

response in harsh wave environments

 Continuous development of hull system – dry tree compatibility and wind turbine

foundation

 Dry-trees installations - PC-Semis

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 CONCLUSIONS

 Success of FPSO - process and store oil

 Various advantages of lower manufacturing costs, ease of travel and relocation and lower costs

of abandoning the platform - FPSO as an alternative

 Development of turret and swivel systems which allow n x 360 degrees rotation – allows to use in

met-ocean environments

 Double hull & cylindrical hull designs and separable turret system has attracted investments

across the industry

 However, much higher capital and longer project schedules compared to its converted alternative

may restrict the deployment of these vessels.

53
 REFERENCES

1. Chakrabarti, S, 2005, Handbook of Offshore Engineering (2-volume set), 1st edn, Elsevier Science.
2. Grewick C B,2007, Construction of marine and offshore structures, 3 rd edition, CRC press.
3. Sadeghi, K & Musa, M.K, 2019, “Semisubmersible Platforms: Design And Fabrication: An
Overview”, Academic Research International , vol.10, no.1, pp.28-38.
4. Gallala, J. R, 2013, ‘Hull Dimensions of a Semi-Submersible Rig’, Master thesis, Norwegian
University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
5. Amundsen, A, 2015,’ Semi design – estimation of hull dimensions’, Master thesis, University of
Stavanger, Norway.
6. Odijie, A.C., Wang, F. and Ye, J., 2017,” A review of floating semisubmersible hull systems:
Column stabilized unit”, Ocean Engineering, vol.144, pp.191-202.
7. Chakarapani, R.K, 2015, ‘Design of Optimal storage capacity for FPSO’, Master thesis, University
of Stavanger, Norway.
8. R. Sharma, R, Kim, T, Sha, O.P, Misra, S.C, (2010),” Issues in offshore platform research - Part 1:
Semi-submersibles” Inter J Nav Archit Oc Engng, vol. 2, pp.155-170.
9. Devold, H, (2013), Oil and Gas Production Handbook. 1st ed, Oslo: ABB Oil and Gas.
10. Lim, E. F. H., and Ronalds, B. F. (2000). ‘Evolution of the Production Semi-submersible’, SPE
Annual Technical Conference, Dallas, Texas.
11. Baghernezhad, N, Edalat, P, Etemaddar, M,(2017),” Hull Performance Assessment and
Comparison of Ship-Shaped and Cylindrical FPSOs With Regards To: Stability, Sea-Keeping,
Mooring and Riser Loads In Shallow Water”, International Journal Of Maritime Technology
,Vol.8 ,pp. 1-13 . 54
Thank you