Facilities in a State of Flux

摘要

A new family of sea monsters is surfacing. Hybrid floater designs are challenging the conventional wisdom and winning. The challenges of the deep are formidable, yet they don't deter the engineers and naval architects designing floating production facilities. Classing societies report they are being kept busy reviewing new concepts and plans for additions to the fleet. No prima donnas, the designers are happy to retain the best aspects of previous designs, combining them to obtain overall improvements and embellishing them with innovations. Whether the ideas work as envisaged after they are combined remains to be seen.