Breaking the ice

Abstract

A new structure is being built to exploit the Hibernia oilfield 315km from Newfoundland. Conventional field exploitation technology would not have made the project commercial; the only way to make it possible would be to build an "all-in-one' facility, incorporating drilling, production and living quarters in the same platform. Creating a structure which could survive in the inhospitable waters off Newfoundland was the other main challenge for engineers. Here the platform will be subject to extremely heavy seas, and will have to resist the impact of icebergs which drift down the Canadian coast every year between January and June. Consequently, the gravity base structure of the Hibernia platform has been designed with a unique "ice wall' all around it, said to be capable of withstanding the impact of an 1 in 10 000 year iceberg. -from Author