Miko Marine AS of Norway has won a significant contract to supply Japanese-owned rig and platform builder MODEC with four cofferdams and water inlet covers for the latest floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel that it is building for Equinor.
Construction of the new FPSO’s hull is being carried out at the DSIC yard in Dalian, China, and on completion, the vessel will be operated by Equinor on the Bacalhau field offshore Brazil.
The new sea chest inlet covers are scheduled for delivery in March 2021 when they will form part of the new FPSO’s equipment inventory making them available for use whenever required. They feature Miko’s magnetic attachment techniques and will be available to be fitted and used repeatedly without the need for welding or permanent hull attachments. They provide the benefit of enabling repairs and maintenance to be carried-out inside sea-chests whenever necessary and without the need for dry-docking, thereby enabling the FPSO to remain on station.
Miko has developed considerable expertise in the design and manufacture of hull closures and cofferdams. Their designs will vary according to the requirements of the individual vessel but the Bacalhau project will feature Miko’s successful and unique use of high-power permanent magnets to position and hold the closure in place. Depending on the size of the closure, four to ten powerful Miko MAM permanent magnets are used to hold the cofferdam in place.