Pile guide first for Brazilian offshore project
Installation of piles for the Waimea offshore oil and gas development in Brazil’s Campos Basin has become the first to use a new underwater pile stabiliser to improve the piling operation.
Main contractors Menck and Wellstream International used the StabFrame developed by UK firm Large Diameter Drilling (LDD) in cooperation with Menck to drive 10 2.1m piles for the mooring platform in water depths of up to 140m using an MHU 500t hydraulic hammer.
The StabFrame was positioned by a remotely-operated vehicle on the seabed and used to stabilise the pile rather than relying on a release mechanism attached to the pile. According to LDD, the use of the system allows the pile to be driven further into the seabed if required and allows site teams to adjust work to varying ground conditions during the installation.
Share
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment.