Offshore Floatel To Accommodate 600 Workers

The first purpose-built accommodation platform in the world, ordered by Consafe Offshore AB of Goteborg, was recently named Safe Astoria at Gotaverken Cityvarvet, Goteborg, Sweden.

The Safe Astoria was named by Mrs. Lorraine Henderson, wife of J.H. Henderson, offshore construction manager at Chevron Petroleum (UK) Ltd., Aberdeen, Scotland.

The Safe Astoria is chartered by a British subsidiary of the American Chevron Group, Chevron Petroleum (UK), Ltd., for operation in the Ninian Field of the North Sea British Sector, south of the Norwegian Statfjord Field.

The Safe Astoria is to be used as a floating hotel (for which the word "floatel" has been coined) to accommodate about 600 offshore workers on the North Sea, and has been designed and built to meet the new demands made for an even higher level of safety and comfort for offshore personnel at work on the oil rigs. Today, most of the offshore workers are located in installation platforms consisting of rebuilt drilling rigs.

The accommodation section of the Safe Astoria consists of 300 double-berth cabins installed in container modules at three deck levels on top of the platform.

There are also living quarters for a crew of about 20 men. Inside the actual platform itself are facilities including the machinery, the galley, messrooms, recreation room, a cinema, a sauna and also offices and stores. The platform is self-propelled and fitted with twin screws driven by four electric motors. Each of the pontoons is also fitted with bow thrusters.

Electric power is produced by five diesel generators.

The platform is of the semisubmersible type and is of modified Aker/SRS construction, about 80 meters long (262 feet) and 53 meters wide (174 feet).

The Safe Astoria is the first semisubmersible unit ever built by a Swedish shipyard. Gotaverken Cityvarvet — responsible for building the platform itself and the accommodation modules — as a result of its skill acquired over many years and its modern facilities, has managed to complete this extremely sophisticated vessel in less than 12 months from the signing of the contract.

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