Table of Contents:

Texas

New York Met

Texas Section
by Lars Ronning

The December 9, 2003 meeting of the SNAME Texas Section was held at the Westchase Hilton on December 9. Despite the bad weather, the meeting was well attended by members and guests wanting to learn more about the work that’s been going on at Kiewit Offshore Services (KOS). Scott Cheney, District Quality Manager, gave the presentation, giving a brief background of how the company was formed before launching into the details of the design and construction of its new Heavy Lifting Device (HLD). This new double-boom A-Frame was designed and built in-house. It is capable of lifting 11,000 tons and is aimed at offshore structures where heavy topside lifts are currently undertaken after the bottom-structure has been towed to the site. By mating the structure with the topsides while quayside, KOS aims to drive down the total cost of the offshore structure. The HLD is scheduled for final testing in January 2003 and will be used shortly thereafter to mate the topsides for the BP Thunder Horse semi-submersible.