Shuttle Tankers in the Oil Export of Cascade and Chinook Fields

摘要

This paper is based on the work performed during the offloading operations in the Cascade and Chinook fields inUltra Deep Waters of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. It addresses the tandem offloading from the first FPSO to operatein the Ultra Deep Waters of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to the first use of purpose-built Jones Act shuttle tankers toperform such operations in the U.S. waters.The paper also covers the experience of the shuttle tankers crew on offloading operations as well as the provedperformance of the vessels equipment.The main technical contributions of the work presented in the paper are associated with the unique features of thefirst use of purpose-built Jones Act shuttle tankers in the Gulf of Mexico, such as: Bow Loading System (BLS);Green Line System; and Differential Absolute and Relative Positioning Sensor (DARPS).The successful use of tandem offloadings from the FPSO to shuttle tankers at Cascade and Chinook fieldsconfirms the adequacy of such solution in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and opens the possibility for growth in theJones Act shuttle tanker fleet.