Assessment of Anchor Dragging on Gas Pipelines

摘要

Pipelines laid on the seabed in shallow water locations in areas of shipping movements are susceptible to the effects of anchor dragging. Risks to safety and environment from anchor interaction are usually made via a Quantitative Risk Assessment. As part of the assessment it is necessary to quantify the potential damage from a wide range of vessels. This paper investigates the potential for mechanical damage to a pipeline from the effects of various vessel and anchor configurations. Finite Element analysis is used to assess the integrity of a pipeline to the dynamic effects of ships anchor interaction. The effects of soil conditions and partial burial of the pipeline are considered.