ALE has loaded out an 18,000-tonne topside in Zhuhai, China.
ALE’s hydraulic skidding equipment was installed underneath the topside, with the skid tracks installed on a foundation of concrete blocks, before the skid shoes were positioned. This was followed by the installation of the strand jacks.
The topside was subsequently loaded onto a heavy lift barge. ALE was also responsible for the barge ballasting using external ballast pumps that were synchronised with an internal system.
A computerised ballasting system surveyed the barge and monitored it with the quayside using software designed in-house. This provided ALE with real-time automated level monitoring for the barge ballasting.
ALE then completed the floatover transportation to manoeuvre the topside into position on an offshore jacket in the Dongfang gas fields.
During the operation, ALE utilised four 850-tonne capacity strand jacks, four 2,400-tonne capacity ballast pumps, and 12 de-ballast pumps.
