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news Partrac Completes Tidal Energy Site Measurements Partrac completed oceanographic meas- urements at a fifth tidal energy site in the UK, and have indicated that further measurements have already been pro- grammed at three more sites in 2011. By their very nature, tidal energy sites present a challenge to acquiring high quality data. The limited tidal window in which to operate (only 10 minutes at some sites), is the most obvi- ous problem. The issue is further complicated by irregular seabed conditions including rock fissures, which present difficulties in emplacing the kit securely on the seabed but which are largely unknown prior to get- ting out to the site. Partrac have evolved with the industry requirements in order to meet the oceano- graphic challenges that each individual site presents, tailoring the methods used to the tidal and seabed condi- tions at each site. As a result of this process, Partrac have now com- pleted 28 individual deployments at tidal energy sites, in each case delivering 100% high quality data return. Partrac and their team are understandably very proud of this tech- nical achievement. www.partrac.com Gaoh Offshore signed a Letter of Intent covering the design development and con- struction of its multi-purpose wind farm development vessel, the Deepwater Installer. Gaoh Offshore and STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (STX O&S) signed the Letter of Intent [LOI] at the end of 2010 and board approval was given last month. The LOI is for construction at the STX Dalian Shipbuilding Complex in China after a period of joint further development giving both companies a commercial interest in the design. Work will focus on fulfilling the requirements of Round 3 UK wind farm operators and Gaoh and STX will combine their expertise to provide innovations that particularly benefit installation in deeper water, further offshore. To that end, Gaoh will use the North Sea engineering expertise of one of its key shareholders, Houlder Limited. The vessel is a 140m DP2 jack up capable of operating in the central North Sea area on a year round basis and surviving the 100 year storm criteria on site. It can handle up to 16 3.6MW turbines each trip while minimizing both port loading and offshore installation time. The design also incorpo- rates a 1600 ton crane and under deck stor- age to further reduces per turbine installa- tion, commissioning and maintenance costs. This true multi-functionality adds to the design’s flexibility and ability to deliver opti- mal cost efficiencies to safe, efficient and risk optimized installation and field support activities. Officials of both companies including K. J. Hong, Vice Chairman & CEO of STX O&S and Peter Hickson, CEO of Gaoh, attended a signing ceremony in Korea http://www.gaoh-offshore.com Gaoh Offshore Signs Deepwater Installer Wind Farm Deal Ahead of the forthcoming ADCI Consensus Standards for Commercial Diving, Revision 6 requirement, IMO directives and Class Requirements, Cal Dive International has begun a program to upgrade all Saturation Diving Systems with hyperbaric rescue capability. Utilizing the expertise of Arc Controls, the leading ASME/PVHO fabrication shop on the Gulf Coast, Cal Dive has already begun design and fabrica- tion work on these systems. Using key per- sonnel and machinery, Arc Controls is con- structing ASME/PVHO, ABS, Lloyds, and DNV compliant Chambers/Systems at their Mobile, Alabama facility. Coordinating onsite is a team of Cal Dive techni- cians working to make these systems ready for installation. Both Cal Dive and Arc Controls are committed to building systems meeting requirements to be used anywhere in the world. Upgrade of Hyperbaric Rescue Systems 10 MTR March 2011 Lloyds Classed Hyperbaric Rescue Vessel, Cal Dive DSV Kestrel, Rebuilt and Certified at Arc Controls, Mobile, AL
