Offshore drilling platform - assembled vertically in deep water filled basin from floating individual sections

摘要

An offshore oil drilling platform which is to rest on the bottom of the sea through legs is assembled in individual sections, each of which is designed as a self-contained buoyant unit. The lowest section is lowered in a water-filled assembly basin, the next section is floated over it and the two are joined up after the lowest section has been raised accordingly. This process is repeated with each subsequent section including the work platform, until the whole rig is completed. This eliminates the necessity for very high and powerful cranes if a drilling platform is assembled on firm land. The total time required for assembly is considerably reduced by using prefabricated individual sections.