Barges loaded with what the carrier calls the largest, heaviest equipment modules moved to Alaska's North Slope are scheduled to reach Prudhoe Bay in August.
The sealift is being conducted by Crowley Marine Services Inc., Seattle, which is moving the modules on an 8,000 mile trip that began in June off Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico (OGJ, May 31, p. 18). Barges loaded with items for use in oil and gas operations headed for the Panama Canal and then the U.S. Northwest to Puget Sound.
The vessels left Seattle in mid-July. The departure there was timed to enable them to reach the north coast of Alaska when the arctic ice pack typically moves out to sea, permitting a marine transportation window of 6-8 weeks.
SEALIFT RECORDS
The biggest module in the current sealift weighs 5,397 tons and measures 253 ft long, 88 ft wide, and 124 ft tall. One other module among the 12 being transported is 134 ft tall. Both are shipping records for Crowley. Previous weight and height marks were 5,163 tons for one module during a 1987 sealift, and 121 ft in 1983.
The modules were built in Louisiana by Fluor Daniel Inc. for ARCO Alaska Inc. and BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. Equipment will be used for Gas Handling Expansion No. 2 (GHX-2), a project to boost Prudhoe Bay production of oil and natural gas liquids by about 100,000 b/d.
Crowley is using three of its 400 by 100 ft barges to move the modules and related cargoes. The company was awarded the shipment job by Ralph M. Parsons Co., Pasadena, Calif., main contractor for design, procurement, and movement of the modules.
At New Iberia, La., the modules were loaded onto the barges via a self-propelled rubber tire vehicle (RTV) that had 32 axles and 512 tires. The RTV was operated by Crowley heavy haul division Shaughnessy & Co., Auburn, Wash.
In Seattle, final load inspections and maintenance checks were completed. The barges are under tow by three Crowley 9,000 hp tugboats.
At Prudhoe Bay, the modules will be offloaded and moved 10 miles inland by Shaughnessy. Similar modular components will be delivered to Prudhoe Bay by Crowley in 1994 to complete the marine cargo transportation requirements of the GHX-2 project.
The company has performed summer sealifts of oil field cargoes to the North Slope since oil discovery there in 1968.
Copyright 1993 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
