The Energy Convergence - GineersNow The Energy Convergence - GineersNow | Page 42

How Will Engineers Recover A 17,000-Tonne
Oil Rig Stuck On A Scots Island?
And there’s diesel leaking out.
What exactly will you do if a 17,000-tonne oil rig
crashed somewhere and tonnes of diesel were
found leaking out?
This is exactly the problem engineers and
officials are facing in the Western Isles as the
Transocean Winner was towed from Norway to
Malta. The 17,000-tonne oil rig came loose from
its tugboat and crashed into the shore of Lewis.
While the oil rig had no actual oil inside it, it still
contained 300,000 liters of diesel, with more
than 52 tonnes of it leaking it. There’s minimal
risk to nature as of the moment.
However, if the leaking continues, the local
wildlife will be at risk. Luckily, no oil was
involved in this incident. That would have made
it worse. But what do the people involved in this
salvage process plan in recovering the rig?
According to Hugh Shaw, the secretary of
state’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and
Intervention:
“The main option and main objective we’re
going for is to refloat the installation, get it
towed back out to repair and assess the
damage. Already we’ve had heavy seas and the
rig would have been lifted high onto the rocks.
Determining the weight of the rig and the diesel
still on board takes a lot of planning and naval
architects are prepared for this but there may be
engineering works required too.
The more extreme case is that the rig is unable
to float and if we cannot do that then we need
a wreck removal crew to dismantle and remove
the rig piece by piece from the location. I must
stress that is not in our plans at the moment
because we are trying the best we can to get it
away in one piece.
The more extreme case is that the rig is unable
to float and if we cannot do that then we need
a wreck removal crew to dismantle and remove
the rig piece by piece from the location. I must
stress that is not in our plans at the moment
because we are trying the best we can to get it
away in one piece.
We have many considerations to take in. If it is
safe we have to try and extract the fuel to take
some weight off and get the rig floating again
– it’s not much but enough to possibly make
it come loose. However there may be more
difficulties with us being open to the elements
and the shallow waters.”
They have hired four experts from SMIT Salvage
who will give the situation an assessment.
Four large offshore tugs were also called for
assistance for the operation: MV Olympic Orion,
MV Union Bear, rig towing vessel Alp Forward
and Herakles, a coastguard ship.
Mr. Shaw also stated that the recovery process
will take months because of the high winds and
higher waves at sea the Western Isles will be
expecting to have.
40
Oil & Gas Leaders • June 2017