TECHNICAL POLICY BOARD CONCRETE OFFSHORE GRAVITY STRUCTURES GUIDELINES FOR APPROVAL OF CONSTRUCTION, TOWAGE AND INSTALLATION

0015/ND

Once downloaded this document becomes UNCONTROLLED. Please check the website below for the current version.

31 Mar 10 16 Dec 08 5 Oct 87 DATE

2 1 0 REVISION

RLJ RLJ RLJ PREPARED BY

Technical Policy Board Technical Policy Board Technical Policy Board AUTHORISED BY

www.gl-nobledenton.com

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

PREFACE
This document has been drawn with care to address what are likely to be the main concerns based on the experience of the GL Noble Denton organisation. This should not, however, be taken to mean that this document deals comprehensively with all of the concerns which will need to be addressed or even, where a particular matter is addressed, that this document sets out the definitive view of the organisation for all situations. In using this document, it should be treated as giving guidelines for sound and prudent practice on which our advice should be based, but guidelines should be reviewed in each particular case by the responsible person in each project to ensure that the particular circumstances of that project are addressed in a way which is adequate and appropriate to ensure that the overall advice given is sound and comprehensive. Whilst great care and reasonable precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document to ensure that the content is correct and error free, no responsibility or liability can be accepted by GL Noble Denton for any damage or loss incurred resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

2010 Noble Denton Group Limited. who will allow:

the document to be freely reproduced, the smallest extract to be a complete page including headers and footers but smaller extracts may be reproduced in technical reports and papers, provided their origin is clearly referenced.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 2

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

CONTENTS
SECTION 1 2 PAGE NO. 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 14 14 14 14 15 15 15 16 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 18 18 18 19 19 19 19 Page 3 INTRODUCTION DESIGN STORMS 2.1 PURPOSE 2.2 DESIGN STORM FOR CONSTRUCTION AFLOAT 2.3 DESIGN STORM FOR TOWAGE ROUTE 2.4 DESIGN STORM FOR SHORT DURATION OPERATIONS 2.5 DESIGN WIND, WAVE AND CURRENT STRUCTURAL STRENGTH 3.1 LOADCASES 3.2 REINFORCED CONCRETE 3.3 STRUCTURAL STEEL 3.4 COMPRESSED AIR MOTION RESPONSES 4.1 PURPOSE 4.2 MOTION RESPONSE COMPUTER PROGRAMS 4.3 HUMAN LIMIT STABILITY AND FREEBOARD 5.1 INTACT STABILITY FOR BASE SECTION TOW-OUT AND TOWAGE TO CONSTRUCTION SITE 5.2 DAMAGE STABILITY FOR BASE SECTION TOW-OUT AND TOW TO INSHORE CONSTRUCTION SITE 5.3 INTACT STABILITY AND FREEBOARD DURING CONSTRUCTION AFLOAT 5.4 DAMAGE STABILITY DURING CONSTRUCTION AFLOAT 5.5 INTACT STABILITY FOR TOWAGE TO OFFSHORE SITE 5.6 DAMAGE STABILITY FOR TOWAGE TO OFFSHORE SITE 5.7 TOWAGE OF COMPLETED GRAVITY BASE SECTION TO DECK MATING SITE 5.8 INCLINING TESTS BUILDING BASIN FLOAT OUT 7.1 UNDERKEEL CLEARANCE FOR LEAVING BASIN 7.2 SIDE CLEARANCES 7.3 UNDERKEEL CLEARANCE OUTSIDE BASIN INSHORE MOORINGS 8.1 MOORING FORCES 8.2 LOADS IN MOORING SYSTEM 8.3 SYSTEM MANUFACTURE 8.4 REDUNDANCY 8.5 END FITTINGS 8.6 ANCHORS DECK MATING AFLOAT 9.1 MINIMUM FREEBOARD OF SUBSTRUCTURE FOR SHELTERED LOCATIONS 9.2 HORIZONTAL RESTRAINT 9.3 BALLASTING PROCEDURES AND EQUIPMENT TOWAGE TO OFFSHORE SITE 10.1 TOWAGE PHILOSOPHY 10.2 MINIMUM ALLOWABLE CHARTED WATER DEPTH 10.3 USE OF AIR CUSHION TO INCREASE UNDERKEEL CLEARANCE 10.4 USE OF TIDAL RISE TO INCREASE UNDERKEEL CLEARANCE 10.5 CHANNEL WIDTHS IN SHELTERED AREAS 10.6 CHANNEL WIDTHS IN EXPOSED LOCATIONS

6 7

10

0015/ND REV 2

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

10.7 SURVEY REQUIREMENTS 10.8 TUG BOLLARD PULL REQUIREMENT 10.9 TOWLINE ATTACHMENTS TO UNIT 10.10 GUARDSHIP BALLASTING AND COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEMS 11.1 GENERAL 11.2 REDUNDANCY 11.3 INLETS 11.4 AIR CUSHION Value of JONSWAP , ratio of T p :T z and T p :T 1 for each integer value of K 19 19 20 20 21 21 21 21 22

11

TABLES Table 2-1

0015/ND REV 2

Page 4

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

1
1.1

INTRODUCTION
These guidelines have been developed by GL Noble Denton for the marine aspects of construction, towage and installation of offshore concrete Gravity Base Structures (GBS) with a deck. They are intended to be applicable to deep draft structures, where much of the construction work is carried out afloat, as well as shallower draft structures where the construction of the GBS can be essentially completed in dry dock. Revision 0 of this report, dated 5 October 1987, superseded Report L6289/NDA/RLJ of 28th February 1978. Revision 1 superseded Revision 0. The principal change was reformatting and removing references to NDI (Noble Denton International). This Revision 2 supersedes Revision 1. The principal changes are: the expansion of the text on design waves in Section 2.5 most of the offshore towage recommendations have been transferred to 0030/ND (Guidelines for Marine Transportations) which takes precedence over these guidelines. rebranding as GL Noble Denton. 2

1.2 1.3 1.4

1.5

As each platform will probably differ in design, building location and destination, detailed recommendations will apply to individual cases. However, this document is submitted for general guidance during project development and it is emphasised that discussions with this office at an early stage would be desirable. The general philosophy is that the unit and associated equipment should survive in extreme seasonal 100 year return conditions for long operations such as construction afloat, and in seasonal 10 year return conditions for towages. For short operations that need favourable weather, the unit should be able to achieve a safe condition within the period of a suitable weather forecast. These guidelines are intended to lead to an approval by GL Noble Denton. Such approval does not imply that approval by designers, regulatory bodies, harbour authorities and/or any other parties would be given.

1.6

1.7

0015/ND REV 2

Page 5

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

2
2.1
2.1.1

DESIGN STORMS
PURPOSE
Design storms shall be defined for construction afloat, for towages and for short duration operations, to provide a basis for determination of responses of the unit, for computation of loadings on the structure and superstructure, for the design of moorings and to determine stability requirements.

2.2
2.2.1

DESIGN STORM FOR CONSTRUCTION AFLOAT

The design storm for construction afloat shall be the 100 year return period extreme storm for the construction location. Seasonal reductions may be applied as appropriate.

2.3
2.3.1

DESIGN STORM FOR TOWAGE ROUTE

The design storm for any towage, other than a towage which can be completed within the period of a favourable weather forecast, shall be the 10 year return period monthly extreme storm for the towage route, reduced as appropriate for an exposure of less than 30 days. The exposure shall take into account contingencies for the towing operation, delays prior to installation and the time taken to return to shelter if this is planned. The most severe areas of the towage route should be considered for both wind and wave. The design storm is not used for calculating bollard pull requirements, which are covered in Section 10.8.

2.3.2 2.3.3

2.4
2.4.1

DESIGN STORM FOR SHORT DURATION OPERATIONS

For a short towage or other operation whose anticipated duration is such that the operation can be completed, or the unit returned to a safe condition, within the period of a favourable weather forecast, design wind and wave parameters shall be agreed. These should take into account the duration of the operation, the tolerable waiting-on-weather time to commence the operation, the reliability of weather forecasts for the area and season, and the time required to return the unit to a condition where it can withstand a longer period storm.

2.5
2.5.1 2.5.2 2.5.3

DESIGN WIND, WAVE AND CURRENT

The design wind shall be the 1 minute mean velocity, corrected for height as appropriate. The design seastate shall be defined by the significant wave height (H sig ) as described in Section 2.5.4 onwards. The design maximum wave shall be the most probable highest individual wave in the design seastate, assuming a duration of 3 hours. The determination of height, period and crest elevation of the maximum wave should be determined from the appropriate wave theory and the effects of shallow water if any. Seastates shall include all relevant spectra up to and including the design storm seastate for the construction site or towage route. Long-crested seas will be considered unless there is a justifiable basis for using short-crested seas. Consideration should be given to the choice of spectrum. In the simplest method the peak period (Tp) for all seastates considered, should be varied as: (13.H sig ) < T p < (30.H sig ) where H sig is in metres, T p in seconds. The effects of swell should also be considered if not already covered in this peak period range. However, this method incorrectly assumes that all periods are equally probable. As a result this method should generally produce higher design accelerations than would be the case when using the more robust H sig -T p method described in the following section.

2.5.4

2.5.5

0015/ND REV 2

Page 6

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

2.5.6 In the alternative method, a contour is constructed within the H sig -T p plane that identifies equally probable combinations of H sig & T p for the design return period subject to theoretical constraints on wave breaking. This contour should also cover swell. The combinations should be tested in motion response calculations to identify the worst case response. The relationship between the peak period T p and the zero-up crossing period T z is dependent on the spectrum. For a mean JONSWAP spectrum (=3.3) Tp/T z = 1.286; for a Pierson-Moskowitz spectrum (=1) T p /T z = 1.41. The following Table 2-1 indicates how the characteristics of the JONSWAP wave energy spectrum vary over the range of recommended seastates. The constant, K, varies from 13 to 30 as shown in the equation in Section 2.5.5 above. T 1 is the mean period (also known as T m ). Table 2-1 Value of JONSWAP , ratio of T p :T z and T p :T 1 for each integer value of K
Constant K 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

2.5.7

2.5.8

5.0 4.3 3.7 3.2 2.7 2.4 2.1 1.8 1.6

T p /T z 1.24 1.26 1.27 1.29 1.31 1.32 1.34 1.35 1.36

T p /T 1 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26

Constant K 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

1.4 1.3 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

T p /T z 1.37 1.39 1.40 1.40 1.40 1.40 1.40 1.40 1.40

T p /T 1 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.29 1.29 1.29 1.29 1.29 1.29

2.5.9

The design current shall be the rate at mean spring tides, taking account of variations with depth and increases caused by the design storm and storm surge.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 7

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

3
3.1
3.1.1

STRUCTURAL STRENGTH
LOADCASES
Loadcases shall be derived by the addition of fluctuating loads resulting from wind, wind heel, wave action and the effect of towline pull to the static forces resulting from gravity and hydrostatic loads. Specific loadcases shall be agreed with GL Noble Denton. The unit shall also be able to withstand the static and dynamic loads caused by the flooding of any one compartment in a 25 metres/second wind and associated waves, or a static heel angle of 10 degrees, whichever is greater. This would be regarded as an extreme condition.

3.1.2

3.2
3.2.1

REINFORCED CONCRETE
The strength of each unit during construction afloat and towage shall comply with a recognised code such as the FIP "Recommendations for the Design and Construction of Concrete Sea Structures" (Fourth Edition 1985) or equivalent.

3.3
3.3.1

STRUCTURAL STEEL
Stresses in structural steelwork shall not exceed those allowed in a recognised code such as AISC "Manual of Steel Construction" (Eighth Edition), NS 3742 or equivalent. Increases in allowable stresses for extreme environmental conditions may be used for events having a probability of occurrence of less than once in 10 years.

3.4
3.4.1

COMPRESSED AIR
The use of compressed air as a basic structural member in the design, for resisting hydrostatic head on internal or external walls during ballasting, or for reducing overall bending moments by an air cushion, is not recommended, except to increase structural safety factors under well controlled conditions.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 8

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

4
4.1

MOTION RESPONSES
PURPOSE
The behaviour of the unit shall be determined by means of computer calculations or model tank testing, in order to determine the response to environmental loadings for construction, towage and installation, as appropriate. In particular, the responses should be determined, or shown to be negligible, for the following conditions; a. b. c. d. e. For departure from building basin, and towage to floating construction site. For all stages of construction afloat. For deck mating operations. For towage to offshore site, at all likely towage drafts. For installation at final location.

4.2

MOTION RESPONSE COMPUTER PROGRAMS

Motion response calculations, when used, shall be carried out using a computer program which has been validated against a suitable range of model test results in irregular seas. The validation is to be made available to GL Noble Denton and is to contain appropriate analytical work which must be compared with the model tests under review. The analyses should be carried out for all relevant headings, and at zero speed for towage cases. The maximum responses are to be based on a 3 hour exposure period.

4.3

HUMAN LIMIT
To enable personnel to go about their duties efficiently, care be should taken to avoid accelerations in excess of 0.2g except for occasional short periods.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 9

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

5
5.1
5.1.1 5.1.2

STABILITY AND FREEBOARD

INTACT STABILITY FOR BASE SECTION TOW-OUT AND TOWAGE TO CONSTRUCTION SITE
The initial metacentric height (GM) shall be positive. The area under the righting moment curve shall be not less than 140 percent of the area under the overturning moment curve. Both curves shall be bounded by the least of; a. the second intercept of the righting and overturning moment curves, b. c. the angle of downflooding or the angle which would cause any part of the unit to touch bottom in the minimum water depth for the towage route.

5.1.3

The wind used for overturning moment calculations shall be the design wind for the tow-out and towage operations, as defined in Sections 2.4 and 2.5.1.

5.2
5.2.1

DAMAGE STABILITY FOR BASE SECTION TOW-OUT AND TOW TO INSHORE CONSTRUCTION SITE
The base section shall have one compartment damage stability. After damage, when subjected to a wind of 25 metres per second, or the design wind for the operation if less, a freeboard of not less than 1 metre above the crest of the maximum design wave shall remain.

5.3
5.3.1

INTACT STABILITY AND FREEBOARD DURING CONSTRUCTION AFLOAT

The freeboard in the intact state shall be not less than any of the following; a. 1 metre above the design wave crest height, or greater where the design of the base leads to a large 'run-up' of the waves or b. c. 1 metre on the leeward side under the design storm loading from the most critical direction. If the unit does not have one compartment damage stability, the minimum freeboard in the intact condition shall be 6 metres above still water level.

5.3.2

5.3.3

The initial metacentric height (GM) shall be positive, and shall be such that the inclination of the unit in the design storm shall not exceed 5 degrees, taking into account the effect of mooring line tensions where appropriate. The area under the righting moment curve shall be not less than 140 percent of the area under the overturning moment curve. Both curves shall be bounded by the least of; a. the second intercept of the righting and overturning moment curves, b. c. the angle of downflooding or the angle which would cause any part of the unit to reach maximum allowable stresses.

5.3.4

The wind used for overturning moment calculations shall be the design wind for construction, as defined in Sections 2.2 and 2.5.1.

5.4
5.4.1 5.4.2

DAMAGE STABILITY DURING CONSTRUCTION AFLOAT

During the period of construction afloat, the unit shall have one compartment damage stability, for as much of the time as is practicable. After damage, when subjected to a wind of 25 metres/second, or the design wind if less, a freeboard of not less than 1 metre above the crest of the maximum design wave shall remain.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 10

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

5.4.3 Alternatively, if the unit does not have one compartment damage stability, then it shall have means of transferring water to other compartments, and the minimum freeboard above still water level in the intact case shall exceed 6 metres as required by Section 5.3.1.c, plus either; a. Sufficient structural strength in the outer walls to comply with the requirements of Section 5.6.2, or b. Floating fendering all round unit, comprising pontoons or very large heavy duty inflatable fenders. These may need to be combined with a fixed fender system to prevent damage by the floating system.

5.5
5.5.1

INTACT STABILITY FOR TOWAGE TO OFFSHORE SITE

The initial GM shall be positive, and shall be such that the maximum inclination of the unit in Beaufort 8-9 conditions, computed as the sum of the following: a. Maximum amplitude of motion in a 5 metre significant seastate, with an assumed duration of 3 hours, plus b. c. Inclination due to a wind of 25 metres/second at 10 metres height, corrected for height as appropriate, plus Inclination caused by Towline Pull Required (TPR) as defined in Section 10.8

shall not exceed 5 degrees. 5.5.2 The maximum inclination of the unit in the design storm conditions (), computed as the sum of the following: a. Maximum amplitude of motion in the design seastate, with an assumed duration of 3 hours, plus b. 5.5.3 Inclination due to the design wind speed, corrected for height as appropriate, shall not exceed 5 degrees. The static inclination in still water when subjected to 50 percent of TPR shall not exceed 2 degrees. Differential ballasting may normally be used to reduce by up to 50 percent the static angle of heel resulting from towline pull only. The static range of stability shall not be less than (20 + 0.8) degrees, where is the angle computed in Section 5.5.2. The area under the righting moment curve shall be not less than 140 percent of the area under the overturning moment curve. Both curves shall be bounded by the least of; a. the second intercept of the righting and overturning moment curves, or b. c. the angle of downflooding, or the angle which would cause any part of the unit to exceed maximum allowable stresses.

5.5.4 5.5.5

The wind used for overturning moment calculations shall be the design wind for towage, as defined in Sections 2.3 and 2.5.1.

5.6
5.6.1

DAMAGE STABILITY FOR TOWAGE TO OFFSHORE SITE

When towing on the base or columns the unit shall have one compartment damage stability. After damage, when subjected to a wind of 25 metres per second, or the design wind for the operation if less, a freeboard of not less than 5 metres shall remain. It is acknowledged that when towing on the columns, the above requirement might be impractical, in which case the columns shall be reinforced to withstand collision from the impact of the largest towing or attending vessel at a speed of 2.0 metres/second. Such reinforcing shall extend from 7 metres below to 5 metres above any towage waterline.

5.6.2

0015/ND REV 2

Page 11

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

5.6.3 In either case, flooding in compartments below the waterline, due to fracture of pipes or valves, human error or other causes, shall be considered. The consequences of water ballast escaping from compartments above the waterline shall be considered if applicable, as shall the escape of air from any air cushion.

5.7
5.7.1

TOWAGE OF COMPLETED GRAVITY BASE SECTION TO DECK MATING SITE

Where it is proposed to tow the completed or essentially completed Gravity Base Section (GBS) to a mating site different from the inshore construction site, the intact and damage stability criteria of Sections 5.5 and 5.6 shall apply.

5.8
5.8.1

INCLINING TESTS
The metacentric height (GM) shall be established before deck emplacement and also before the start of any towage. Normally two and possibly more inclining experiments may be needed, dependent on procedure and scatter of results.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 12

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

6
6.1.1 6.1.2

BUILDING BASIN
The surrounding walls of the construction basin shall be properly designed in accordance with accepted civil and geotechnical engineering practice. Where materials are used whose stability characteristics can be affected by a change in pore water pressure, suitable monitoring devices shall be installed and the retrieved data analysed by competent geotechnical engineers to ensure continuing stability of the wall throughout the period of the platform construction. In particular, consideration shall be given to the design of the basin walls, including but not limited to the following; a. The integrity of the walls shall remain stable when subjected to: b. c. d. The highest astronomical tide, plus 10 year return storm surge, plus 10 year return maximum wave crest height, corrected for shoaling if applicable.

6.1.3

The walls shall be of adequate height to prevent overtopping, except by spray, in the above conditions. Walls shall be protected against the effects of collision, propeller scour and wave action. The effects of ice loading shall be considered if appropriate.

6.1.4

Pumping capacity shall be adequate for maximum seepage, rainfall and spray overtopping.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 13

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

7
7.1
7.1.1

FLOAT OUT
UNDERKEEL CLEARANCE FOR LEAVING BASIN
When leaving the building basin, the unit shall have a minimum underkeel clearance, using tidal rise if necessary, of at least 0.5 metres for the duration of an adequate period for float out, including contingencies. This would normally be of the order of 3 hours before, to 3 hours after high water. Compressed air may be used to reduce draft if required, subject to the requirements of Section 10.3. A tide gauge shall be installed on site to check that actual tidal levels correspond to those predicted.

7.1.2 7.1.3

7.2
7.2.1

SIDE CLEARANCES
Depending on the positional control of the unit during the exit of the basin, the channel width at full depth shall not be less than: 1.2 x B when inside the basin, and 2 x B when out of the basin, where B = maximum beam, after allowance for any likely yaw of the unit. Channel width may be reduced if the unit is winched out along a fendered guide.

7.3
7.3.1 7.3.2

UNDERKEEL CLEARANCE OUTSIDE BASIN

Once outside the building basin the minimum underkeel clearance shall be as required by Section 10.2 until final emplacement. If the unit is likely to be at moorings at maximum draft for any significant time, the effects of siltation and negative surge shall be considered.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 14

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

8
8.1
8.1.1

INSHORE MOORINGS
MOORING FORCES
In establishing the design wind loading, the effects of shielding and interaction should preferably be obtained from wind tunnel test data. For the shafts of a gravity based unit, the mean 2-dimensional drag coefficient may be obtained from an appropriate theoretical source such as ESDU items 80025 and 81017, provided the higher tolerance (uncertainty) limits are adopted. This coefficient may be reduced for 3-dimensional flow where no deck is present. The wind gradient should be determined from a code of practice agreed with the relevant GL Noble Denton office. It should allow for the effects where the platform is exposed to winds over roughened terrain. For large gravity structures having long response periods, the design of the mooring system may be based on quasi-static methods. For exposures in excess of 8 weeks, the mooring forces shall include the environmental loadings due to: The design wind, plus Mean wave drift forces from the design seastate, plus The design current.

8.1.2

8.1.3 8.1.4

8.1.5

For exposures less than 8 weeks, the forces may be determined for the following return periods: Total exposure Return period Up to 2 weeks 2 to 8 weeks 10 year seasonal 20 year seasonal

8.1.6

Mooring forces shall be modified as appropriate for; a. Sheltered directions, b. c. d. Changed mooring geometry after excursion under load, Changes in exposed wind areas if the draft is changed to adopt a survival mode, Changes in exposed wind areas caused by inclination of the unit.

8.2
8.2.1

LOADS IN MOORING SYSTEM

The maximum tension in any mooring chain shall not exceed 70 percent of the established minimum breaking load as guaranteed by the manufacturer, except as follows: a. It is generally accepted that long chains may frequently break below the nominal breaking load specified by manufacturers or classification societies. The established minimum breaking load should be taken as the most probable minimum for the number of links in that line of the mooring, calculated from break tests from each steel melt, or the nominal break load if less. For this analysis the break tests must be taken to the actual break or to the peak of the stress/strain curve. b. Other methods of establishing the minimum break load of chain may be considered but in the absence of such justification, the established minimum break load shall be taken to be equal to the certified proof load.

8.2.2 8.2.3

For a wire rope, the maximum tension shall not exceed 60 percent of the minimum breaking load. For lines containing new synthetic material the maximum tension in the synthetic material shall not exceed 33 percent of the minimum breaking load. This factor may be reduced for long exposures, depending on the material ageing properties.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 15

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

8.2.4 For lines containing old or used material the maximum allowable tension shall be reduced to reflect an allowance for corrosion and wear. Proposals for inspection, testing and re-certification of old/used mooring lines shall be submitted for review.

8.3
8.3.1

SYSTEM MANUFACTURE
All components in a mooring system shall be manufactured within an approved QA/QC system, and to a suitable current standard.

8.4
8.4.1

REDUNDANCY
For all moorings it shall be demonstrated that failure of any one line will not result in any of the following: a. Serious hazard to personnel. b. c. Significant damage to the unit, nearby craft or facilities. Progressive failure of remaining lines or attachments. For this purpose it is recommended that the maximum tensions in the remaining intact lines should not exceed the allowable intact value from Section 8.2 increased by one third.

8.4.2

Measures to obtain an equivalent level of safety by means other than redundancy by, for example, using very low material utilisation factors in the intact case, may be considered.

8.5
8.5.1

END FITTINGS
All wire and synthetic ropes shall have hard eyes or other approved end fittings.

8.6
8.6.1

ANCHORS
The holding capacity at the intended site, and strength (using standard design codes) of any anchor, winch or connection to the unit shall exceed the extreme storm loading on it including the effect of one line failure if considered in Section 8.4. Also the ultimate strength of all connections to the unit and anchorages shall be not less than the breaking load of the wire rope or chain in use.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 16

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

9
9.1

DECK MATING AFLOAT

MINIMUM FREEBOARD OF SUBSTRUCTURE FOR SHELTERED LOCATIONS
Freeboard to the lowest downflooding point on the substructure shall never be less than 6 metres, and the following shall also apply:

9.1.1

9.1.2 9.1.3

9.1.4

9.1.5

The time at the maximum draft, when reserve buoyancy is at a minimum, should be as short as possible. The maximum allowable duration of immersion should be established in relation to the structural stability of the unit, and deck emplacement procedures planned accordingly. Additional freeboard will be required to allow for the response of the unit, unless pitch, roll and heave can be shown to be negligible under the conditions expected. The substructure without the deck shall be able to deballast to a freeboard at which the unit has damage stability within 24 hours. An initial deballasting capability of not less than 2 metres per hour is recommended. It should be possible to deballast the deck off the barges within a good weather forecast period. If this is not practicable then the substructure/deck/barge combination shall be able to survive a 10 year return period seasonal storm at an intermediate condition. Provision shall be made for detection of any likely movements of fresh water (freshets) that could cause significant draft changes. The unit shall always be able to deballast if necessary to maintain freeboard.

9.2
9.2.1 9.2.2

HORIZONTAL RESTRAINT
Horizontal restraint shall be provided between the deck and the substructure to absorb any shock load during mating and to prevent lateral movement of the deck after initial engagement of the two parts. The horizontal restraint shall, within the period of the weather forecast for deck mating, be made capable of taking the loads resulting from the inclination due to the design storm, or an inclination of 5 degrees, whichever is the greater, at any applicable draft.

9.3
9.3.1 9.3.2

BALLASTING PROCEDURES AND EQUIPMENT

The procedures and equipment used for deck mating shall be to the same specification as that used for emplacement at site, as described in Section 11. Before the immersion for deck mating, a comprehensive commissioning and testing programme shall be agreed to prove the integrity of the structure and systems.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 17

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

10
10.1
10.1.1 10.1.2 10.1.3 10.1.4

TOWAGE TO OFFSHORE SITE

TOWAGE PHILOSOPHY
The tow shall be provided with sufficient effective bollard pull to ensure adequate speed and control. The total bollard pull shall be not less than that required by Section 10.8. The number of tugs used for towing in open water shall not generally exceed 6. The tugs, crews and towmaster should be provided by towing companies of proven experience and excellence. It may be impractical to assemble or control a fleet of sufficient power to hold a large gravity structure against the design storm. The tow must have adequate sea-room to ride out such a storm. Transits through areas of limited sea-room, must therefore be made within a suitable weather forecast period, with the minimum of delay once committed.

10.2
10.2.1

MINIMUM ALLOWABLE CHARTED WATER DEPTH

For any tow, the minimum allowable charted water depth will be calculated as; a. Maximum static draft (see Section 10.2.2), plus b. c. d. Motion allowance (see Section 10.2.3), plus Underkeel clearance (see Section 10.2.4), plus Tolerance on bathymetry.

10.2.2

The maximum static draft shall be the actual measured draft at the deepest point with allowances for the effects of the following: a. Errors in measurement, b. c. Initial trim, Water density changes.

10.2.3

The motion allowance shall be the maximum increase in draft due to the effects of any or all of the following: a. Towline pull, b. c. d. e. Wind heel or trim, Roll or pitch, Heave, Squat.

10.2.4 10.2.5

For any tow, except for towage out of a building basin, the underkeel clearance shall be not less than 2 metres, or 10 percent of maximum static draft, whichever is the lesser. Provided the underkeel clearance is 2 metres or more, no further allowance for negative surge need be made.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 18

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES 10.3

10.3.1

USE OF AIR CUSHION TO INCREASE UNDERKEEL CLEARANCE

Use of an air cushion to reduce draft to assist in crossing localised areas of restricted water depth may be considered subject to: a. Any loss of air not increasing the draft by more than the reserve on underkeel clearance, and b. The recommendations contained in Section 11.4. The air cushion shall be isolated in separate compartments so that failure of any part of the system does not cause a large trim in addition to a loss of buoyancy.

10.3.2

10.4
10.4.1

USE OF TIDAL RISE TO INCREASE UNDERKEEL CLEARANCE

Other than for leaving a building basin, tidal rise should generally not be used to obtain adequate water depth, since this could result in delays in obtaining sea-room inside a good weather forecast period. In cases where tidal rise is used the unit should be able to remain afloat at succeeding low water(s).

10.5
10.5.1

CHANNEL WIDTHS IN SHELTERED AREAS

In sheltered areas and under ideal environmental conditions, the minimum channel width recommended, is twice the maximum beam after allowance for yaw, for the minimum water depth as defined in Section 10.2. However, each passage should be considered in light of the environmental conditions and navigational accuracy.

10.6
10.6.1

CHANNEL WIDTHS IN EXPOSED LOCATIONS

For exposed channels the required width shall be agreed with GL Noble Denton and will mainly depend on currents and survey accuracy.

10.7
10.7.1

SURVEY REQUIREMENTS
Tow routes shall be covered by modern surveys, including sidescan sonar where possible. Open water passages in charted water depths of less than 200 metres should have surveyed channels at least 5 kilometres wide. Current surveys should be made in restricted parts of the route and at the final location.

10.7.2

10.8
10.8.1

TUG BOLLARD PULL REQUIREMENT

Minimum total towline pull required (TPR) shall be computed for zero forward speed against a 20 metres/second wind, 5.0 metres significant seastate and 0.5 metres/ second current acting simultaneously. For benign weather areas only, the environmental conditions in Section 10.8.1 may be reduced to those likely to be exceeded for 0.1 percent of the relevant month for the most severe sections of the tow. Where the tow is expected to pass through restricted areas or an area of continuous adverse currents or weather, a greater TPR may be needed. The tow should be able to maintain an average of at least 1 metre/second ground speed against typical prevailing wind, waves and currents. For summer tows in the North Sea, the consideration of the prevailing winds and waves may be omitted, since their effects may be assumed to cancel out.

10.8.2

10.8.3 10.8.4

0015/ND REV 2

Page 19

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

10.8.5 Continuous static bollard pull (BP) of each tug proposed shall be related to TPR by: BP = TPR Te where T e = the tug efficiency in the wind and sea conditions considered. Note that T e normally lies in the region 0.3 to 0.8, depending on the size and configuration of the tug and the seastate considered.

10.9
10.9.1

TOWLINE ATTACHMENTS TO UNIT

The ultimate capacity of any towline attachment to the unit shall be not less than 3 times the maximum load produced by the static continuous bollard pull of the largest tug that may be used on the attachment. Any vertical component of the towing force shall be considered. Attachments shall be capable of taking load from any likely direction, which may be reduced by the use of fairleads if necessary. Each towline shall be connected via a pennant or bridle and pennant. The breaking load of each pennant or leg of the bridle shall be not less than: 2.5 times the resolved load from the static bollard pull, or 1.25 times the required towline breaking strength, whichever is the greater, of the largest tug that may be used.

10.9.2

10.9.3 10.9.4 10.9.5

Recovery arrangements shall be available for each bridle or pennant, for reconnection. Where a leg of a vertical bridle is only needed for manoeuvring at one end of a passage, and is slack at other times, the breaking load of that leg should be at least twice the maximum static resolved load. Adequate connecting points shall be fitted to allow attachment of positioning tugs during emplacement on location. At least one spare connection, with pennant should be fitted for towing forward, unless the loss of any one tug or its connection to the unit would not reduce the available towing force to less than 80 percent of that required by Section 10.8.

10.10
10.10.1

GUARDSHIP
It is recommended that each unit be accompanied by a "Guardship" whilst under tow to reduce the possibility of the tow being approached, hampered or jeopardised by unauthorised traffic.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 20

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES

11
11.1
11.1.1 11.1.2

BALLASTING AND COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEMS

GENERAL
Regardless of any requirement to change draft during construction, towage or installation operations, floating concrete structures shall be fitted with a means of pumping out water from all compartments. All ballasting procedures shall be reversible so that, in case of emergency, the unit can be returned to a safe draft within 24 hours.

11.2
11.2.1 11.2.2

REDUNDANCY
The design of the ballasting system shall be such that the failure of any one valve to open or close, or the fracture of any pipe, will not cause flooding of the unit, or failure to flood when required. All remotely controlled valves shall be capable of operation by a secondary, preferably manual system. Any automatic or radio controlled system shall have a manual override system.

11.3
11.3.1 11.3.2

INLETS
All internal and external inlets shall be adequately protected to prevent damage by entering debris and cables. All internal compartments must be cleaned of debris before immersion or towage starts. For deep immersion each opening shall be blanked with a double flange or a system of comparable integrity. The inner flange, in many cases, may be removed for towage provided the seal has been pressure and suction tested and can withstand likely wave action. PIPEWORK All essential pipework shall be of permanent-type construction and hydrostatically tested to a minimum of 1.3 times the design pressure. Temporary flexible hoses are not permitted.

11.3.3

11.3.4

UMBILICALS If umbilicals are necessary to provide power and/or hydraulic services during immersion, adequate back-up capability shall be provided, and fail-safe systems shall be incorporated into critical valve controls. INSTRUMENTATION Adequate instrumentation shall be installed to measure the water level in each compartment.

11.3.5

0015/ND REV 2

Page 21

CONCRETE GRAVITY STRUCTURE GUIDELINES 11.4

11.4.1 11.4.2 11.4.3 11.4.4 11.4.5 11.4.6

AIR CUSHION
The following recommendations will apply to the use of underskirt compressed air: All piping shall be secure, protected and of adequate capacity and strength. Supply lines shall have non-return valves. Back-ups shall be provided for all critical valves and piping. Adequate reserve compressors shall be onboard. A venting system shall be provided to guarantee that all air is removed after use to ensure no residual free surface remains. Sufficient water seal (bottom of air cushion above bottom of skirt) shall be available to prevent air escaping. A reliable method of measuring the water seal shall be provided.

0015/ND REV 2

Page 22