MTR100: InterMoor

InterMoor
Houston, Texas, President/CEO: Mark Jones, CEO
No. of Employees: 300
www.intermoor.com

In the past 12 months, InterMoor was chosen by operators and large contractors to secure some of the largest floating assets on the planet. During this time frame, it completed tow and permanent mooring engineering and offshore operations for the Ailsa FPSO in the North Sea, the Benchamas FSO 2 in Asia, and mooring line replacement on two FPSOs in West Africa, amongst others. It has delivered across the lifecycle of operations, from engineering and installation, through to retrieval and decommissioning of their mooring systems. Throughout the years, and even during oil industry downturns, the company has continuously focused on innovation, responding to deepwater mooring challenges with enhanced technology and industry records such as

• The Suction Embedded Plate Anchor, now enjoying a new popularity due to its cost efficiencies,

• H-Links (InterMoor holds the record for the largest/strongest H-Link)

• Pre-commissioning of the Stones Turritella FPSO in ultra-deep water – 9,490 ft. (2,892 m) – the largest foundation pile ever installed in the Gulf of Mexico (32ft. in diameter and 55 ft. long)

• A multi-purpose mooring swivel, allowing for 360° rotational freedom under tension

In 2019, InterMoor continued to expand its product range, by acquiring all intellectual property of the BEL Grapnel & Chaser company, including drawings, designs, and cast patterns for its complete range of anchor and chain handling equipment. Grapnel hooks are traditionally used during the recovery of dropped components offshore; chasers enable steady and controlled lowering and raising during the installation and recovery of mooring system components. BEL products add a new level of intricate anchor recovery in the form of chain pocket, wire roller and detachable and locking mechanisms to InterMoor’s existing range of chaser designs. The company also expanded its global reach with more than 17 locations and 10 shore bases around the world, including in the UK, US, Norway, Brazil, Asia Pacific, and Australia. In 2019, InterMoor continued the roll-out of the IM Release and successfully released the first set of the acoustic release connectors offshore Mexico. The IM Release is a new acoustic release mooring connector, that builds on their track record of designing and installing hundreds of mooring systems across the globe.

The IM Release is a game-changing acoustic release connector that is available to drilling contractors and operators who are looking to save time and money not only in the case of weather or emergency avoidance but also in the context of drilling optimization, allowing for faster rig moves with simplified connect/disconnect operations from pre-laid mooring lines. It was designed using the proven platform of sister company SRP’s Rocksteady mooring connector, with a control system developed in conjunction with Teledyne Marine. The advanced control system uses high-fidelity acoustic modems, and implements domain key authorization, unique addressing, network relay and frequency hopping techniques, ensuring the mooring connectors are not affected by obstructions or noise.  

These features eliminate the possibility of an inadvertent release and allows for the connector to be actuated individually, in clusters, or even sequenced in any order. These new features have been implemented while improving battery life. More importantly, the new connector weighs a quarter of the weight of other connectors yet can disengage at 100% of its rated break strength, a massive 900t.