Island Offshore vessel breaks anchor pulling record

Deep-water installation vessel Island Victory owned by offshore vessel provider Island Offshore has set an anchor pulling world record on the Lundin-operated Solveig field in the North Sea.

During the anchor-laying operations, the vessel pulled against the anchor with a continuous force of 440 tonnes.

According to the anchor producer, Vryhof, these 440 tonnes of continuous traction on an anchor pull is a world record. “No vessel has ever single-handedly managed such a feat all on its own power”, the company claimed.

Island Victory has been busy laying the STEVSHARK REX drag embedment anchors in preparation for the West Bollsta drilling rig. Vryhof describes these anchors as suited to more challenging soil conditions and are installed by embedding themselves into the seabed.

All eight STEVSHARK REX anchors were installed in two days without issues at a water depth of around 100 metres, ready for hook-up to the rig. The area has historically been difficult to work in and often requires anchor resetting or piggyback anchors.

The new anchor system, Vryhof stated, is designed to penetrate the seabed quickly with a shorter drag length during installation, reduced time offshore, and the associated cost savings.

As for the Solveig field, it is situated in the central part of the North Sea. It is being developed with subsea installations that will be tied to the Edvard Grieg platform. There is a lot of infrastructure already in place in the form of pipelines and cables on the seabed. Vryhof stated that this means a high degree of precision was required when the anchors were laid.

Leopoldo Bello, managing director at Vryhof Anchors, said: “We developed the STEVSHARK REX to expand the boundaries of cost-efficient and robust moorings. We are grateful for the trust Lundin Energy Norway and vessel operator, Island Offshore, have put in the anchor for this particular project that allowed the STEVSHARK REX to further prove itself”.