Page 13: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 1973)

Three Major Offshore

Firms Develop New

Gravity Base Platform

A new series of deepwater struc- tural designs for offshore platforms, especially applicable to the North Sea, has been developed by a joint ven- ture consisting of Brown & Root,

George Wimpey and Company and

Christiani and Nielsen, Ltd.

The gravity base and platform de- sign calls for structures supported on a concrete-bearing mat without use of deep piling. The concrete base unit and steel tower are placed and united at sea or a composite structure is constructed in a dockyard and sub- sequently towed to site and installed in one unit.

The designs are a result of 12 months' extensive research and de- velopment, taking advantage of the combined research facilities of the three partners.

The joint venture unites companies with vast international experience in the engineering and construction of traditional offshore steel platforms and major onshore and marine con- crete projects. The team was formed when it became apparent that con- crete based platforms might offer a siutable alternative in areas of the

North Sea where environmental and sea bottom soil conditions would allow their use.

Specific designs will be developed for individual operators' needs based

Position Fixing MK 12 Big ship performance with a 12-inch ppi, 50 kw.

Engineroom

Monitors and Controls

ENGINEROOM MONITOR UNIT

Permits maximum utilization of engineroom manpower, provides indication of equipment status at any remote shipboard location, with control, functions available on the bridge.

Stabilization

GYROFIN®

Sperry ship stabilization systems protect cargo, reduce roll up to 90 per cent.

Controls and

Systems

UNIVERSAL

GYROPILOT ®

STEERING

STAND heavy duty, 16-in. ppi, 30 and 50 kw peak power for top performance, accuracy and reliability. Full options.

INTEGRATED SYSTEMS Total shipboard systems and management programs tailored to your specific applications.

Sperry's 60 years of ship's systems expertise results in the most economy, ease of operation and reliability in in- tegration of ship's systems. And Sperry assumes systems responsibility through its service network.

SERVICE Fast turnaround with Sperry service around the world, around the ciock. Look for the familiar Sperry trademark in all major ports.

World Sales • World Service

For full information, see your Sperry representative or write Sperry Marine

Systems, a division of Sperry Rand Cor- poration.

JL

MARINE SYSTEMS

Worldwide Headquarters

Great Neck, New York 11020 and a World of Experience

December 1, 1973 on the "hybrid" concept—structural steel towers founded on concrete base units, with modular packaged super- structures. Two basic variations are possible: (1) separate construction of base and tower units for assembly at sea, and (2) assembly of tower and base unit together for transport to site in upright position.

The first approach offers advan- tages in speed of construction with simultaneous fabrication of the main elements.

The second alternative concentrates onshore assembly work at one main site, with possibly longer construc- tion time, but offers advantages of speed and simplicity in offshore place- ment.

Model tests of transport and in- stallation techniques are now nearing completion at the Norwegian Tech- nical University Hydraulics Labora- tory in Trondheim, Norway. Addi- tional tests will begin shortly at Wim- pey Central Laboratory. A prelimi- nary "quality assurance" is expected shortly from Det norske Veritas, who is reviewing the general design. As- pects of the design have been checked with Lloyd's Register of Shipping for compliance with D.T.I, regula- tions. Foundation studies for a range of possible sites have been performed by the Norwegian Geotechnical In- stitute at Oslo and by the Soils Di- vision of Wimpey Laboratories, Ltd.

Designs have been under construc- tion at the Highlands Fabricators' base at Nigg Bay, Scotland, but com- ponents or even complete structures could feasibly be built at other loca- tions available to the joint venture companies.

The group expects to be able to offer proposals for construction to in- terested clients within three months.

Glacier-Herbert

Sterngear To Be Built

In U.S. By Bethlehem

Bethlehem Steel Corporation and

Glacier Metal Company, Ltd., have agreed to cooperate on a ship-by-ship basis for the design and manufacture of the British company's Glacier-

Herbert withdrawable sterngear.

Bethlehem Steel's shipbuilding de- partment will make the Glacier-Her- bert sterngear. It will be marketed in the United States by Glacier Metal, which will do the design work. Beth- lehem's shipbuilding department will provide full marketing support in the endeavor.

Bethlehem Steel, second largest steel company in the United States, builds and repairs ships in its own yards and also operates its own fleet of vessels.

The Glacier Metal Company (mem- ber of the Associated Engineering

Group) is acknowleged as a world leader in bearings for the marine in- dustry.

Zapata Bulk Transport

Relocated In New York

Zapata Bulk Transport, Inc. an- nounced that it has moved its offices and is now located on the 18th floor of 245 Park Avenue, New York,

N.Y. 17

LORAN

Either MK 5 A receiver or MK 6 A/C receiver.

Accurate and reliable.

OMEGA

Worldwide navigation as

Omega system is completed.

AUTOPILOT 8T

Full line of steering controls and acces- sories for large and small vessels; fully automatic steering with gyrocompass or magnetic compass reference. Sperry also provides fully integrated .steering systems for all classes of vessels.