The Flexiport concept originated from the use of barge bases
to support the offshore oil industry. With the development of Flexiport as an
instant port and storage system, further uses have become apparent for the barge bases in
their original role.
A single barge base can be
installed at the mainland location giving the shortest sea transit distance to the
offshore oilfield for servicing support vessels. Because transit times are reduced, the
ships can remain longer on station for the same amount of time spent on essential
replenishment and maintenance.
The barge base is a natural
helipad. A single barge base linked to the shore provides the basic minimum facility. With
the addition of a pontoon at the seaward end of the shore link the installation can accept
larger articulated vehicles and allow the operation of roll-on/roll-off shipping. The
barge base allows the operation of mobile craneage and larger cranes can be installed on
one or more of the mooring dolphins.
Like all other Flexiport
variants, the offshore supply base can be made permanent, temporary or transportable to
their locations. An initial system of a single barge base can be expanded by the addition
of more barges to meet an increased workload. |
