OTC Spotlight on New Technology Award for SBM Offshore

SBM Offshore has been honoured with the Spotlight on New Technology award at the 2015 OTC conference in Houston.

SBM Offshore received the award for its patented Articulated Rod Connecting Arm (ARCA) Chain Connector. The ARCA Chain Connector provides a new solution to ease the installation, inspection and repair of mooring lines.

Accepting the Spotlight on New Technology award, SBM Offshore’s Technology Director, Andrew Newport, who is responsible for the team which developed and qualified the ARCA, commented: “The technology will have a significant impact as it provides a solution to several industry concerns. It allows the inspection and change-out of the articulations that form a key element of chain connectors. This feature becomes fundamental as design life of mooring systems increases above 20 years, with systems now being designed for lives of 40 and 50 years. In addition ensuring the good condition of the articulations is a necessary prerequisite to avoiding Out-of-Plane Bending (OPB) fatigue failure of the chain links.”

SBM Offshore’s Group Technology Director, Mike Wyllie, added: “We are delighted to be honored with this award, our fifth in five years, and we thank OTC for recognising SBM Offshore. We are particularly proud of the fact that the ARCA offers a significant safety advantage as a fully diverless system, yet also provides a significant cost reduction opportunity to the industry.”

The ARCA has completed full scale prototype testing with 154 mm chain under 200 tonne pretension and is being offered to clients for future projects, the company informed.

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