Download - Moffatt and Nichol Engineers

Offshore Oil Platform Analysis
Oil Jetty Structural Assessment and Upgrades
Client: Confidential
Location
Santa Barbara, California
Moffatt & Nichol performed a seismic analysis and
assessment of an existing offshore oil drilling platform
near Santa Barbara, California for re-purposing. The
platform is located in 240-foot-deep water and was
built for extreme earthquake loadings. Moffatt &
Nichol used time-domain non-linear dynamic analysis
techniques to analyze the structure for design conditions
and for extreme variations in earthquake shaking
intensity and soil strength. The structural analysis
included member post buckling and also considered
joint post yield response. Particular attention was paid
to soil-foundation interaction. In the end, the client was
“particularly pleased with the sensitivity studies done
on the seismic portion of the work and that this was
one of the few times where these sensitivity studies were
performed upfront as part of the assessment process.”
Owner: Oiltanking Panama S.A.
Location
Panama
Oiltanking Panama, S.A. commissioned Moffatt & Nichol to provide technical assistance with the acquisition of an
existing jetty on the Atlantic coast of Panama for use as a bunkering terminal. The firm performed an above-water visual
condition assessment and a limited underwater inspection of piles to support a study that established the maximum vessel
size the jetty could accept without significant modification. The firm was later retained to develop conceptual designs
and costs estimations for upgrades that would enable fully laden Panamax vessels with a range of drafts to utilize the
jetty.
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