11°02'S, 126°38'E
The Situation:
ConocoPhillips operates an FSO at the Bayu Undan field in the East Timor Sea, approximately 250nm NW of Darwin in Australia. The FSO discharges condensate via a floating hose to tankers in tandem mooring astern, and LPG to vessels coming alongside.
With the variable winds and current causing the FSO to rotate freely, and the delicate nature of mooring vessels alongside a swinging vessel, there was a strong safety case to have electronic assistance so the pilot has a clear birds-eye view of the operation.
The Requirement:
To provide a means of giving both the pilot and the operators on the FSO a clear view of approaching vessels, together with the distance off, relative motion and proximity alarms.
The Solution: ShuttlePilot
ShuttlePilot offers the pilot, and any other station with the relevant receiving and display equipment, a simple method of visualising the operation at hand. Whether it be a tanker approaching into a tandem mooring position astern, where the most significant information is the closing speed and the distance from tanker bow to FSO stern, or a tanker approaching to moor alongside the FSO where the most significant information is the distance and closing speed at bow and stern - all the vital data is clearly displayed on-screen at the touch of a button.
Implementation:
In this ShuttlePilot installation, the equipment was displacing incumbent equipment that had not proven to be effective or reliable. Fixed-mounted antennas and receivers were installed on the FSO. This, together with portable equipment for use on board the approaching tanker, as well as a full display capability to anyone with the correct software on board the FSO's LAN, gave all relevant personnel (pilot on the tanker, operations staff on the FSO, and potentially others ashore) all the ability to monitor the operation live.
The Result:
"Being able to use the ShuttlePilot equipment to predict where the FSO was going to be at the end of her swing, and hence line the tanker up ready for her, probably saved two or three hours of chasing her tail during the swing" - Capt. David Fortnum, Pilot