NAVAL ARCHITECTURAL CONSIDERATIONS IN THE DESIGN OF THE NINIAN FIELD SOUTHERN PLATFORM

Installation costs and technology are important factors when selecting economically feasible offshore platform design concepts. This paper discusses naval architectural considerations that influenced the self-floating configuration of the Ninian Field southern platform in the North Sea. The assumptions and design criteria used in developing the tower configurations are compared with model results and field data. Special analyses that were performed for the float-out and ballasting operations are described.