INGENIEUR
Figure 1: Graph of Water Depth vs.
Topside Weight
From Figure 1, we can observe that for topside
tonnage above 7000MT, the IC method is the
preferred choice of platform fabrication for most
projects in SEA.
An IC deck offers major improvement in
equipment layout due to the reduction in primary
steel compared with the modular concept.
Minimal deck levels could be incorporated which
would result in a lower Vertical Centre of Gravity
(VCG). However, Lead-out Support Frame (LSF) is
required to support the heavy integrated topside
as it is skidded onto the float-over barge and
sailed away to its offshore site. The topside mating
points require a Deck Support Unit (DSU) which
acts as a support for the topsides on the LSF.
The DSU is some