World-First projects constructed at Drydocks World win award for ‘innovative solutions’

Drydocks World and Maritime World the leading provider of maritime and offshore services to the shipping, oil, gas and energy sectors has received the "Innovative solution" Award at the distribution of "International Business Excellence Awards" ceremony, for constructing subsea oil storage tank"Solan".

Drydocks World began working on subsea oil storage tank "Solan" in 2013 and delivered the project in 2014. Solan accommodates more than 400,000 barrels of oil under the sea. The idea behind the construction of this huge tank was to reduce the extended pipelines under the sea to transfer oil, and therefore reducing the negative impact on the environment to a large extent, with the oil transferred directly from the tank to the oil tanker.

In cooperation with the client Premier Oil,Drydocks World constructed the largest and deepest subsea oil storage tank comprised of a 45m x 45m x 25m structural tank weighing approximately10,150 tonnes in eight mega blocks, connected with pile sleeves and mud mats. The Solan tankwas floated over onto a heavy lift transportation vessel andwas successfully installed in a water depth of 130m. The tank now resides under the sea in the Scottish Shetland Islands. The company’s achievements on this project included lifting a 7,170 tonne structure, skidding the facility from the General Assembly Area to the dry docking area for load out and installing a 895 tonne block on the tank using the shipyard’s floating crane.

The subsea oil storage facility was built to extremely exacting standards. Each and every weld joint was recorded and documented with details of the welder, weld method and date. Complete welding totaling 120,000 meters, NDT tested and recorded. Of this over 60,000 metres of joints were ultrasonically scanned, ensuring the highest possible quality standards in welding.

The facility has four quadrants with watertight bulk heads and eight pile sleeves with mud mats. The entire construction was highly challenging requiring extremely complex procedures & processes while adhering to stringent quality requirements.

The weight of piping installed as part of the facility is 171 tonnes which comprised ballast, displacement, oil inlet and outlet piping systems. A number of piping materials were used including super duplex and carbon steel. Other systems installed as integral parts of the facility include the Temporary Level Monitoring (TLMS), Permanent Level Measurement (PMS) and Corrosion Protection Monitoring (CPMS) systems.With the implementation of the ‘Zero Harm’ initiative and high standards in HSE, the project was successful in achieving 2.5 million LTI free man hours. Drydocks World has continued our focus on successful project management , compounded by an operational excellence cycle that ensures excellent quality in all of our world first projects.

It is worth mentioning that Drydocks World group is constantly working to renovate and develop its methodologies of innovation subrogation in its global portfolio to keep pace with the latest engineering solutions in which there is a need to find innovative practical solutions which the Group has proven its ability to address the most complex engineering complications to apply the strategy of continuous innovation, through adapting this strategy for the latest creative and innovative solutions and applying it for the first of its kind in the world projects. The group is not limiting its interest in training personnel to implement the innovative solutions only; but it even extends further to developing it to keep pace with technological changes to be implemented at the international standards in various aspects of their global activities and leading projects. The group itself has imposed itself on the marine and maritime sector by achieving the highest international standards and receiving the most prestigious international awards for its achievements attest to its full of achievements record.