Anchounter 49 April 2012 A MEET ING GROUND FOR ANCHOR AND MOOR ING NEWS PUB LISHED BY VRYHOF ANCHORS The new Stevin anchor The original Stevin was followed by anchors and tools that each served a special purpose: Stevin Mk3 as a work anchor, the Stevpris as a versatile offshore anchor, the Stevshark for harder soils, the Stevmanta VLA for taut leg mooring, the Stevtensioner tool for installation efficiency and most recently the Stevtrack system that monitors subsoil anchor behaviour and performance. The new Stevin40 completes the circle as it benefits working vessels of all kinds and sizes. The Stevin40 is a uniquely designed hinging anchor for repetitive anchoring without the need for special handling vessels per se such as tugs or AHVs. It is light weight and easy to handle and serves the operations of work horses such as crane barges, pipe layers, cutter dredgers, jack-ups, mining vessels, but will also find its way into renewable energy applications offshore. Read on, page 2 History repeats itself. Forty years ago an engineer by the name of Rob van der Haak showed his then employer, dredging company Stevin, an anchor design that surpassed the performance of any anchor in those days. This anchor led to establishing Vryhof Anchors and it sparked off the development of anchors that consistently outperformed other anchors. That achievement got Rob a reward in the Offshore Industry Hall of Fame at Galveston, Texas. Now we are proud to introduce to you the new Stevin40 anchor, a celebrative name that as it happens, also describes its 40 times own weight in holding power. Enters Henri Korsten: Vryhof’s New Commercial Director lays it on the line Tensioning, no strings attached Stevtrack ready to rig & roll : The first full rig set equipped with Strevtrack Moorwest wins GulfStar 1 for Ramnäs This edition Page 5 Page 6 Page 8 Page 10
Transcript
Anchounter 49April 2012
A MEET ING GROUND FOR ANCHOR AND MOOR ING NEWS PUB LISHED BY VRYHOF ANCHORS
The new Stevin anchor
The or iginal Stevin was fol lowed byanchors and tools that each served aspecial purpose: Stevin Mk3 as a workanchor, the Stevpris as a versatile offshore
anchor, the Stevshark for harder soils, theStevmanta VLA for taut leg mooring, theStevtensioner tool for instal lat ionefficiency and most recently the Stevtracksystem that monitors subsoi l anchorbehaviour and per formance. The newStevin40 completes the circle as it benefitsworking vessels of all kinds and sizes.
The Stevin40 is a uniquely designedhinging anchor for repetitive anchoringwithout the need for special handlingvessels per se such as tugs or AHVs. It islight weight and easy to handle and servesthe operations of work horses such ascrane barges, pipe layers, cutter dredgers,jack-ups, mining vessels, but will also findits way into renewable energy applicationsoffshore.
Read on, page 2
History repeats itself. Forty years ago an engineer by the name of Rob van der Haakshowed his then employer, dredging company Stevin, an anchor design thatsurpassed the performance of any anchor in those days. This anchor led toestablishing Vryhof Anchors and it sparked off the development of anchorsthat consistently outperformed other anchors. That achievement got Rob areward in the Offshore Industry Hall of Fame at Galveston, Texas. Now we areproud to introduce to you the new Stevin40 anchor, a celebrative name that asit happens, also describes its 40 times own weight in holding power.
Enters Henri Korsten: Vryhof’s New Commercial Director lays it on the line
Tensioning, no strings attached
Stevtrack ready to rig & roll : The first full rig set equipped with Strevtrack
Moorwest wins GulfStar 1 for Ramnäs
This edition
Page 5
Page 6
Page 8
Page 10
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Stevin40 unique benefits are extremestability and quick penetration, both designimprovements save time to achieve thedesired holding capacity. Improved stabilitymeans the anchor does not have to be resetas often as current hinging anchors. Quickpenetration minimizes time and drag toachieve the desired holding capacity. And itcan be dis-assembled in two pieces for easytransportation.
“With the opening of the Vryhof researchfacility early 2008 it was put on the to-do-list as one of the most desired new designs”says Victor Remmers, whose enthousiasmand stamina kept this project on schedule.“Together with our commercial team andfabricators we made an inventory of specificfeatures that would define the new design.You could say the Stevin40 combines thelargest set of unique properties in oneanchor ever, and it might even surpass theoriginal design parameters by one or two”. If the Vryhof design team was already proudof the current Stevpris Mk6 versatility, theymay well have repeated this feat.
“Stevin40 accommodates the requirementsof any type of operations” says CommercialManager Norbert van Vliet. “Throughout theyears we’ve collected the comments andrequirements from our customers in theconstruction and dredging industries, but also added those of more specificindustries such as mining. What allapplications have in common is that timesaved equals money saved”.
“Stevin40 is the most stable hinging anchoron the market today. I t wil l penetratequickly and easily. Its holding power isgenerated quickly and consistently, withretrieval being just as quick in order tominimize re-deployment. Its unique designprevents time consuming resetting causedby rotation and the anchor breaking outsuch as with all other anchor designs on themarket especially the cheaper low qualitycopy anchors” says Norbert.
Because of these benefits, it is also suitableto act as an emergency anchor. Its stabilityresults from a dedicated shank design and ageometric fine-tuning following numeroustests. We cannot even start to explain wherethe specific properties come from. Victor:"During the final tests one of us joked thatover-design might result in similar effects asin aerodynamics where Formula 1 cars aresaid to generate so much down-force theycould drive upside down".
The Stevin40 put to the test in the Vryhof Researchfacilities.
The holding power generated is some 30%higher than with other anchors and remainsconsistent at any level. Hinge type anchorsof older design that operate in the samemarket as the old Stevin Mk3, generate anUHC with a very large bandwidth due to theinstability of the designs, whereas Stevin40has been tested endlessly to create thenarrowest bandwidth possible and thusprovides a very efficient and consistentholding power.
The new and patented Tri-shank designmakes the anchor structural stronger inaddition to benefiting the stability duringpenetration. Most common side loading willbe absorbed by this stronger constructionfurther minimizing small bending damages.
“We anticipate keeping a stock of mostcommonly used sizes” continues Norbert,which indicates Stevin40’s quick availability.“This is the sort of anchor to be transportedeither on flat racks or even in a container to keep transport cost low, anotherimportant criteria for our customers" he says."I am confident Stevin40 is going topleasantly surprise the market and makecustomers happy”.The workhorses of the world need this anchor.
A model of Stevin40 will be on display atthe Vryhof OTC booth.
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About a month ago, a freshly fabricatedStevshark anchor was hanging over a 50cm thick ice covered frozen Russianharbour in -20oC. At the leading Navyand Offshore Yard JSC PO Sevmashanchors were installed and despite theconditions in half the time planned forthis unusual exercise.
The anchors are holding the Russian Air Carrier Admiral Gorshkov, now beingrefurbished for the Indian Navy who willrename it to Admiral INS Vikramaditya.
This was not just any anchor, but as ithappened was the 9.000th Vryhof anchor inits 40 year history. The set of anchors wasmanufactured in Holland and ‘inaugurated’by Oleg Isaenko who heads the VryhofMoscow office.
Vryhof Anchors opened a subsidiary office in Moscow to support the Russianshipbuilding and offshore industry with itsincreased focus on domestic explorationand production in all offshore locations
currently known and the search for newterritories. This was the first order initiated,negotiated and delivered by the Moscowoffice, the second historical aspect of thisdelivery.
Says Oleg: “For us it is a bit hard to tell whatis more important. The first Russian order for a prestigious client such as Sevmash, orthat it was us who booked the 9.000 anchorfor the company. I was told it normally takesan average of 5 years to add 1.000 anchors,this time it only took 3 years. It almost lookswe were pushing” he adds with a grin.
The project feed back is encouraging as one of the deciding prerequisites for its success was the most efficient waySevmash engineers conveyed the technicalrequirements to Vryhof ’s engineers. “Suchmutual understanding between specialistsof the companies and the leading position of Sevmash in today’s drive for high-endtechnologies in Russia will undoubtedlycreate a solid ground for successfulcooperation in future projects”.
Vryhof MD Øyvind Wathne adds: “We are proud of this first order bookedindependently by our Moscow office.Oleg’s stamina and creativity, backed byour technical experts show thatpersistence will lead to the right results.”
Apart from supply of the Stevshark anchorsVryhof advised the yard’s experts on theconfiguration of the mooring line and itscomponents. A scope of work that isexpected to expand in this challengingRussian market.
Oleg receives a copyof the 9000 anchoridentification plaquefrom Vryhof ’s FerdyJanse en Norbert van Vliet.
Tough conditions:Stevshark’s naturalhabitat.
Vryhof makes historic delivery
The Russian Air CarrierAdmiral Gorshkov.
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The Big Four-O
In this 49th issue of Anchounter, in the 40thyear of our company’s history, we areextremely proud and humble to be allowedto present the Stevin40, the brand newsuccessor to the original Stevin. Strong,stable, easy to use. Patent pending on a.o.the unique Tri-shank design.
The means of communication chosen by theR&D team to send the final design to theVryhof board tell us all about progress since1972. It was not an A1 size pencil drawingfrom the drawing board. No, we were sent a3D virtual, moving model on our IPhones…wrapped in a smart 3D viewer application.This is 2012.
Speaking of apps…at the upcoming OTC wehave more than one new item to show you.Besides the new Stevin40 anchor, we launchour first official Vryhof app. Bringing Vryhofeven closer to you, straight to yoursmartphone. Use it wherever you need it,update as you go.
We look forward, especially this year, to seeyou at our new booth on the OTC inHouston, or in your offices in the nearestfuture. We would love the opportunity topresent all this new exciting mooringtechnology to you.
Øyvind Wathne
Forty years. Please take a few moments outof your busy schedule and think back towhere you were in 1972. Forty years ago,when Vryhof Anchors was established.
Those of us who were born in the great year1969, such as the undersigned, where merely3 years old when the bright Dutch engineerby the name of Rob van den Haak launchedhis idea on a new anchor design. It wasnamed the STEVIN and became the firstcommercial anchor by Vryhof Anchors.
With a new shape, strong and versatile andwith a holding capacity second to none. In1972.
We still supply the original design StevinMk3. There is no better proof that the anchorstill does what it was intended to do. Fortyyears ago.
Today though more factors than just holdingcapacity determine the success of an anchordesign. Logistics, handling, assembly, lifting,HSE regulations, point of gravity on deckversus same on the seabed. Stability.Structural strength.
Where the Stevpris and Stevmanta anchordesigns serve their specific areas mainly inoffshore hydrocarbon exploration andproduction applications, there is growingdemand from many different newapplications for an anchor that is easy toinstall, retrieve and where easy handling is asimportant as holding capacity. Thinkalternative energy technologies.
The Vryhof Research and Development teamset out to re-invent the Stevin to make itready for another 40 year carreer. Withsuccess.
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Enters Henri KorstenVryhof’s New Commercial Director lays it on the line
He had the scoop of being the first newemployee announced on the company’sFacebook page. Henri Korsten joinedVryhof as the new Commercial Director inSeptember of last year.
Henri, 39 years of age, previously held asenior Marketing and Sales Position at theCorporate Head Office of Heineken, whereamongst others he was involved in brandexpansion and acquisitions. Most recentlyHenri was Operations Director with a leisurecompany setting up a chain of high profileBusiness Clubs in the Netherlands,responsible for management and 100+ staff.Henri lives with wife Patricia and 2 childrenin Rotterdam.
He already knew several of the Vryhof staffbefore he joined. “I know quite a fewoffshore companies, but the Vryhof peoplealways struck me as a real team, more friendsthan collegues”, says Henri. Through casualchats about ‘management of changeprocesses’ and HR issues, chats becameserious talks and brought about the idea ofbringing Henri on board to lead thecommercial department and manageplanned change processes.
An organization needs to change from timeto time to be effective in respect to strategicgoals. Ideas for the future are sometimesseen as radical compared to the past andgood examples at Vryhof are the opening ofthe R&D Center and the Stevtrackdevelopment. “People need time to adjust toa new reality” says Henri. “It is essential tomanage such processes especially if itinvolves growth. In our considerations onhow to better serve the market in the futurewe need to build-in time for our own peopleto get behind the views and find themselvesa place in it . No matter how good thecompany or product, it is always aboutpeople”.
Henri sees a large potential in the newStevtrack system and the potential it willmature to a fully accepted technology thatwill actually dramatically change the view onand the use of drag embedment anchors.Says he: “I soon realised that one day everyanchor will contain data acquisition
equipment as a standard. It will furtherconfirm that using drag anchors has largeadvantages both operationally andfinancially. Stevtrack will be the key inachieving this. I will be telling mygrandchildren that I started back in the dayswhen there were no electronics in anchors!”
Øyvind Wathne adds: “And that is just onepoint on Henri’s list. We are very happy thatHenri joined us. With his easy-goingpersonality, experience and eagerness hefits right into the management team. We aresure everyone will find Henri approachableand very hands-on. With Henri on board wefeel more confident about managing ourexpanding global business from anorganisation point of view, without losingcustomer focus”.
Henri Korsten: “It is always about people”.
When the first ROVs were introduced to supportsubsea operations it did not take long to discoveryellow is the best recording color underwater,better than white. Hence most subsea equipmentis yellow and Vryhof’s anchors are no exception.During the design stage of the Stevpris Mk6anchor, a lot of special attention was given toimprove strength of the anchor head. The resultwas to protect the anchor shackle between thetop shank plates. An additional advantage is thatthe anchor arrives at the stern roller with betterstability.
To improve anchor handling speed at retrievaland to indicate to the anchor handling crew if theanchor has arrived the right way or upside down,colors again prove to be helpful.On any new rig type anchor, the starboard halfside anchor head will from now on be paintedgreen, the other half red.
Being able to quickly see how the anchor arrivesmeans saving time lowering and turning it at amuch later stage.
Contrasting colours assist the AHV captain to determinethe anchor arrives correctly at the stern roller.
Ergonomic Anchoring
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Mooring engineering companies andinstallation companies have alwaysrecognised the power of the tool to assistinstallation. Vryhof increasingly seeks the assistance of mooring engineeringcompany Promoor (Isle of Man) tosupervise tensioning operations. One ofPromoor's engineers has just returned froma tensioning operation in South West Indiaand shares his experiences from this andsome other projects of other areas in theworld.
In a market climate where contractors arealways seeking economic savings withoutcompromising quality, service or safety the use of techonolgy helps drive downproject costs. Promoor see the VryhofStevtensioner as a proven tool for helpingclients achieve cost savings on offshoreinstallation expenditure.
The nature and purpose of subsea tensioningis such that using the Stevtensioner savesdirect costs by allowing contractors to usesmaller and lower specification and lowercost vessels for the installation and proofloading of mooring lines as well asreducing the installation time when usingthe smaller and lower specification vessels.One aspect that is often overlooked whenconsidering the importance of removingthe need for the higher capacity and higherspecification installation vessels is thatthese vessels are often in high demand andcompanies often have to plan their offshoreschedules around the vessel availabilityrather than their own driving forces. Byreducing the specification and capacity ofthe vessel this increases the range ofvessels that can be used for the installation,thus giving the client greater opportunitiesof planning the offshore programme to suittheir needs and not those often dictated byvessel availability.
As an independent consultants alwaysseeking to give clients the best technical,commercial and practicable solution,Promoor can and do recommend thissubsea installation solution to clients formany applications.
Promoor Commercial Director Alan Gordonexplains “as an independent company welike to assure ourselves we propose only equipment and services of the highesttechnical standard. Such is the case withVryhof and its Stevtensioner andfurthermore we can at all times rely on theirtechnical support. We have a joinedexperience of over 11 years with subseatensioning projects with the VryhofStevtensioner. We work togetherinteractively, provide feedback from
projects and implement improvements ormodifications. It is an almost continuousprocess of improvement, not justtechnically but lessons learnt operationallyare also implemented into the next project”.
General Projects – Geographically
• Australia (Puffin, Vincent & Van GoghProjects) – Stevtensioner used in up to350m water depths. All Vryhof Stevpris & Stevshark anchors. Subsea connectorsused to facilitate Stevtensioningoperations in deep waters.
• Brazil (Polvo FPSO Project) –Stevtensioner used in 100m water depth.Vryhof Stevpris Anchors. Asymmetricmooring pattern so reaction anchorrequired.
• South Korea ( Toyo CDS Project) –Stevtensioner used in very shallow waterdepth of just 28m. All MAG Anchors.Instruction by drawings and acting outoperations.
• Caribbean (NOEL Trinidad Project) –Stevtensioner used in 35m water depth.Vryhof Stevshark Anchors. Low capacityvessel used.
• Mediterranean (Mellitah & LivornoProjects) Both Saipem installationprojects one using driven piles and oneusing Stevpris Mk6 anchors. Excellentvessels, excellent crew, everything onecould ask for on offshore projects,including the points of mobilisation,Malta and Italy.
• Atlantic (Windfloat Project) First projectwhere Stevtensioner used on offshorerenewable energy device. 50m waterdepth. All Vryhof Stevshark anchors. Biglearning curve for all involved as clientrelatively new to offshore operations.Ironic that many days were lost due tohigh winds on a wind turbine installationproject.
• India (Vizag HPCL Project & MangaloreMRPL Project). Both Leighton projects,Stevtensioner used in 35m water depth.Both driven pile projects. Old barge usedon Vizag project, use of reaction anchors.Mangalore project used pipelaying bargecompleted tensioning operations inrecord time. Very enthusiastic crews withgreat interest in learning about subseatensioning operations.
Some decades ago the holding capacity ofa Vryhof anchor could painfully reveal thelimit of anchor handling vessels, thuslimiting the effect of the anchor as it could not be installed. To solve this Vryhofdeveloped the Stevtensioner, a devicethat puts a ration to the pull-in forceapplied on the mooring line. Some verysignificant results were booked over theyears with the range of Stevtensionersavailable.
Tensioning no strings attached
7 Anchounter 49
A recent tensioning project.
Located in 32m of water some 30km duewest of Mangalore, South West India a newSBM supplied Single Point Mooring was tobe installed for the expansion of theKarnataka facility (Mangalore Refinery).The VA1000 Stevtensioner was used toinstall the anchor legs by installationcontractor Leighton Welspun.
The anchor points were driven steel pileswith a proof test required by ABS of 300tonnes. The proof test was to typicallyperform the dual role of not only imposingthe test load to the anchoring point but ofalso embedding the mooring line at thepile into the seabed in a characteristicinverse catenary curve. Typically, applyingthese proof loads in the field requires highcost high bollard pull vessels or a means ofcross-tensioning on deck using a highcapacity crane, fixed winch or chain jack system. I t was identified that byemploying the Stevtensioner VA1000 forsubsea tensioning operations, there weresignificant savings in time and costs as wellas reduced risk to deck operations whencompared with other conventionalmooring system proof testing methods.
In symmetric mooring systems, using asubsea tensioning device allows opposinganchoring points to be proof tested againsteach other, thereby reducing the time (andcosts) to undertake the tensioningcompared to other means. Also, due to thespecific method of tensioning, typically theloads experienced by the installationvessels are much reduced thereby allowingsmaller, more readily available and lessexpensive vessels or barges to be utilised.
The proof load for this project was specifiedas 300 tonnes, but the load reported by thecrane operator was in the region of 140tonnes. Hence, a required bollard pull
exceeding 300 tonnes was replaced by arequired lifting capacity of 140 tonnes.
Further, the barge assigned to undertakeinstallation and proof testing of themooring points was the ‘Leighton Eclipse’, apipe-laying barge. As the barge had 8mooring lines, each with a 100 tonneswinch, the barge could have undertakenthe mooring proof test assuming that anappropriate load cell was available.However, the time taken to pull eachmooring line to the required load couldtake in excess of 24 hours, i.e. 48 hours perpair of anchor points. The tensioningoperations with the Stevtensioner werecompleted in an average of just under 16hours per pair of anchor points.
The cross-tensioning operations generatedgreat interest from the deck crew, clientrepresentative and the ABS surveyor. Inresponse to a host of questions animpromptu Stevtensioner educationalsession took place on deck. In particular theABS surveyor commented that he wishedthe technology had been available whenhe was younger as it would have made hisearly career much easier!
All three cross-tensioning operations wereconducted in the presence of the ABSsurveyor and the client representative andwere accepted by both. Subsequentcalculations to estimate the imposed loadat each of the piles were also approved.
Before the tensioning operationscommenced, the six anchor piles had to be driven some 43m into the seabed.However, it proved an opportune time toshow that all engineers are up-to-date withthe latest technologically advances andemploy the most modern state of the arttools – the engineer had packed his Kindle!
Tensioning no strings attached
The Stevtensioner is basically a chain shorteningclutch, which passes chain through it in the slackcondition but locks onto the chain under load. Ananchor line is attached to one side of theStevtensioner, an opposed anchor line is passedthrough it and up to the surface. A vertical pull onthis riser induces more than double that pull inthe horizontal legs, just like a bowstring. Typically,anchors in symmetrical systems can be cross-tensioned as opposed pairs, halving the numberof tensioning operations required, or individualanchors can be tensioned using a temporaryreaction anchor.
Once the anchor points have been installed andmooring lines laid, the Stevtensioner is connectedand deployed to the seabed. The tensioningprocess involves repeatedly heaving up andslacking back the Stevtensioner in a yo-yo actionto remove slack from the system andprogressively build up the load in the horizontallegs until the required tension is achieved. Theload in the horizontal anchor leg can be measuredat the Stevtensioner by means of an integratedload cell and the data recorded in real time ondeck via an umbilical cable or acoustic modem indeeper water depths.
Stevtensioner optima forma.
The first Stevtrack set was shipped toNorway for assembly on existing 15 mTStevpris Mk6 anchors waiting in the VikingMoorings yard in Mongstad. A Viking yardteam per formed the easy assemblyconsisting of the installation of the small boxto accommodate the battery and acousticmodem, welding the protective parts on theanchor and connection of the cables. Thestandard shackle pin was replaced by theStevtrack version with electronics and resetto its new orientation. Once all equipmentwas installed Victor Remmers came toinspect and commission the system.
Victor says: “because of the simplicity of thesystem, we were confident that the Vikingteam could perform the assembly at theirown convenience after we demonstrated iton one anchor. Still, my compliments to theteam for the quality of their work and fortaking this new technology serious.”
The after market Stevtrack installation kitconsists of:• Anchor package (8x acoustic modems,batteries, shackle pin, wiring andconnectors) • Buoy system (1x buoy, radio, acousticmodem, battery)• Base station ( 1x radio/GPS, panel PC,software)
Specifications:• Open water subsea communication up to2,5 km• Radio communication up to 5,0 km• Operational waterdepth up to 2.000 m• Suitable for new and existing Stevpris Mk6anchors of 6 mT and up.• Stevtrack shackle pin is DNV approved• Exchangable with most existing standard pins• Rechargable Li-Ion batteries• Batteries can be exchanged while anchoris upside down on deck AHV• Installation tool• Data available up to 15 mtr penetrationdepth in common soil conditions
The customer receives a full instruction onthe functionality and operational aspectsduring a special instruction session atVryhof’s Training Center.
Stevtrack ready to rig & roll The first full rig set equipped with Strevtrack
After some days of operational delay, notunusual in the North Sea winter season,the first set of anchors equipped withStevtrack could be installed earlier thisyear. Vryhof’s Roderick Ruinen and VictorRemmers took responsibility for theonshore installation and the operation.
The company website has already beensupported by a mobile website forsmartphones some time ago, but nowVryhof introduces its own smartphoneApplication, or App. Henri Korsten, whomanages the project has a clear vision onfuture use. “The App will allow streaming ofall sorts of information, but also allow anAHV captain to stream relevant parts of theVryhof Anchor Manual to assist hisinstallation at hand. Another new feature isthe ‘Anchor Configurator’. By entering anoffshore location it will show you a quickoverview of locations nearby for which wehave soil data or anchor installationinformation. It is not linked directly to oursoil database, however it does link into adatabase that contains excerpts from it. Wewill expand this Configurator into a practicaltool as we go forward.
Although the App will have a high ‘gamefactor’ at first, our intention is to expand itspossibilities in the future and add more ways
to stream, request or exchange information.The ultimate application would be where wecan stream live images and data from aStevtrack installation project from theoffshore location straight to the customersoffice staff smartphones.
A dream? Who knows.
The social media are taking the world at arelentless pace. Some of us are onLinkedin, others twitter and then there isof course Facebook on which Vryhofintroduced its corporate page last year. Inthe first few months the ‘likes’ werestaggering, not astronomic numbers butenough to justify the efforts to keep thisprofile on the ‘softer side’ of Vryhofupdated.
Add an App
The Vryhof App provides a wide range of in-depth info.
Viking crew expertly installing the Stevtrack System.
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The basic version ofthe Vryhof App foriPhone and Androidwill be introduced atOTC 2012, howeverfor those alreadyfamiliar with thetechnology we provideour link logo here.
9 Anchounter 49
After three exciting and interesting years ofresearch, development, proto-typing andtesting, the Stevtrack Anchor DataAcquisition System is ready for use in thefield. Due to the endless tenacity andpersistence of the Vryhof R&D team, goalshave been achieved that not long agoseemed too ambitious to many. Numerousoffshore system-tests and trials withacoustic- and radio-modems but also longnights in the workshop were needed to getwhat they set out for: a reliable telemetrysystem.
Technical Manager Ferdy Janse has beenresponsible for managing the project fromprototype to commercial product from afabrication standpoint. “The idea for such areal-time monitoring system had beenlingering within the organisation, but of allchallenges the biggest was that we simplydidn’t know where to start” he laughs. In one meeting MD Øyvind Wathne put it onthe table, simply saying the R&D Center hadbeen invested in for a reason and we shouldput it on top of the agenda.
“At first it looked like any other project”continues Ferdy: “setting criteria, a time pathand produce an initial design”. Once the finaldesign and the version of all equipment hadbeen established, the manufacturability and logistical process had to be introducedwithin the organisation. “When we got toselecting reliable key-suppliers, stock for longlead-items, in-house developed and custommade devices and the vast amount ofcomponents involved, it dawned on us howchallenging the task ahead actually was”. OneStevtrack unit contains four times moreindividual components than one anchor unit.
Organizing the workflow of procurement,production and testing and implementingthis in the ERP system turned out to be aninteresting but challenging exercise.
In addition, a new and sound quality plan hadto be incorporated in Vryhof’s QA system.Many check-lists, inspection forms, test- andhold-points ensure indispensible reliabilityand traceability of every single component inthe system. “For these kind of occasions it isalways nice to be able to rely on experiencegained in previous implementations of newproducts in ones career. But this one took alot more than just experience”.
All of the milestones that passed successfullyhave already been reported in Anchounter,but the inevitable disappointments thatcome with a trial and error process slowed usdown, especially when equipment sourcedfrom others failed and had to be developedfrom scratch in-house.
Ferdy: “That of course may seem veryrewarding once accomplished, but at thetime we really needed that firmdetermination we know so well from Davevan den Ende and Victor Remmers, to re-motivate themselves at a point where wethought we had finished, but hope oncompletion had left us. Much hope wasgained from the knowledge that during allthe offshore testing on not one singleoccasion the core technology that we developed ourselves failed. Motivationwas a challenge on its own and they deservethe credit for it”.
At the same time, the Stevin40 project, highlyconfidential for all at that time, also drewfrom resources, so in its final stages it becamea part-time project for both.
Stevtrack from a team perspective
Another critical piece of support was frommanagement, who did not waver whenprogress halted, or yet another budget had tobe adjusted. Now that all the final tests wereperformed with satisfactory result and the firstsystem is about to go out in the field, Ferdylooks back on this R&D Project. “All in all it was an inspiring project, but it had anunderestimated impact on our organisation.Only due to the combination of effort and ofthe enthusiasm from all involved did we bringthe project to a successful end”. One moreexpierence added.
Dave monitoring the test results.
First deployment tests – September 2009.
Victor, Dave and Ferdy at the Viking offshoredemonstration.
Initial communications test location in Rotterdamharbour.
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As part of a new 3-region strategy of whichØyvind Wathne and Thomas Agnevall arethe architects, Vryhof will put focus ondeveloping Brazil as an important hub forthe future. This development will bemanaged from the Houston office withLeopoldo Bello in charge of executing everystep of the strategic plan. In our previousissue of Anchounter we explained in moredetail the objectives and steps to be takenin Brazil.
With our Houston office managing thedevelopment and growth of our activities inthe Americas, the name of Moorwest Inc.will be changed into Vryhof Americas withimmediate effect.
Thomas Agnevall President of Moorweststates: “it is our intention to clearlycommunicate how and from which officeour activities are managed. It will streamlinedifferentiated activities such as BusinessDevelopment, Sales, Production and AfterSales Services. Since the incorporation ofMoorwest some 10 years ago, our Brazilianactivities were managed from Houston, sonothing changes to that effect. However,apart from an increased market focus inBrazil we are now also looking at otherupcoming South American countries suchas Trinidad, Colombia and Venezuela, so ouractivities are more justified by the newname!”
Moorwest changes into Vryhof Americas
Moorwest wins GulfStar 1 for Ramnäs
Within a year of its renewed representationof Ramnäs Bruk, Moorwest secured aprestigious order for the supply of chainfor the William’s GulfStar 1 Project in theGulf of Mexico. The order underlines thetrust in the quality and reputation ofRamnäs and Moorwest’s position as apreferred mooring line supplier.
In April 2011 Moorwest welcomed back itsfriends of Ramnäs as principle to berepresented in the USA. Ramnäs is a world-class chain manufacturer with a product-gamma to match the highest customerstandards in the industry. In the recenthistory of the company, substantialinvestments were made into quality care, inprocedures as well as in focusing thecompany culture to that effect. Winning thechain order for the GulfStar 1 proves theseinvestments were justified, as it is the largestorder in the GoM for Ramnäs in its history.
The Williams Gulfstar 1 project is a Willams'standardized floating production Spar-basedfacility. It is designed to operate in waterdepths between 3,000 feet and 8,500 feet. Itwas designed to be built to a very high
quality standard and to accept a wide rangeof products. It is the first unit to be entirelybuilt in the USA and equipped to serve as acentral host to tie -in other deepwaterprospects. The GulfStar 1 will be contractedby Hess for their Tubular Bells Developmentin Mississippi Canyon block 768 of the Gulf ofMexico.
Ramnäs was selected for the project becauseof their excellent product quality and abilityto adapt to customer needs. Moorwest’s LeoBello and Ralph Plummer of SpectraInternational had worked with the customerto design a chain that will fulfi l l thedemanding needs of the project. The ordercomprises manufacturing and supply of11,000 ft of large diameter R4 quality chain.
Moorwest MD Thomas Agnevall commented“Winning this order confirms our believe wecan offer on behalf of our principles tocustomers the level of cooperation andcompetence that is required for today’s hi-spec projects. I hope our performance will put us also in a preferred position for theGulfStar 2 and 3 units”.
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Principle Power (US) and Portuguese utilityEDP have successfully deployed a the firstfull-scale WindFloat platform off the coast ofAguçadoura, Portugal. The semi-submersiblestructure is moored using Vryhof anchors in45 meter deep waters some 5 km offshore inthe Atlantic. The unit was commissioned in adry-dock near Setubal before load-out anddid not require any heavy lifting equipmentto install offshore. Its 23 m high columnssupport the topsides with a draught ofapproximately 13 meter. Vryhof deliveredthe full mooring lines for the unit, including4 pcs. of 9.5 ton ballasted Stevshark Mk5anchors to accommodate the relatively hardsoils.
Vryhof also supervised the installation of themooring system using the Stevtensioner VA600. The significance of the WindFloatProject is being compared with the firstfloating oil & gas platforms installed in theearly 70s that signified the start of arevolution in the offshore industry. Theproject was one of the winners of the 2012Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards forInnovation in Technology, presented by theRenewable Energy WORLD Network. It is thesecond floating offshore wind concept thatVryhof has been involved in, the first beingthe Statoil Hywind project offshore Norway.
The WindFloat unit being towed out into the open Atlantic waters.
Floating Offshore Wind EnergyAward winning Floating Wind Unit installed offshore Portugal
Significant Customer
Satisfaction Survey results
Every year Vryhof mails some 30% of its customerbase with a number of questions as to monitortheir experience with Vryhof and its products.
“We started the Customer Satisfaction Survey in2008” says Vryhof’s Norbert van Vliet who reflectson the 2011 survey “and it has become anintegrated part of our ISO9001:2008 basedoperations”.
The results are considered reliable due to the highreturn and some of the suggestions made showthe high level of interest amongst customers tostate their opinion.
Some of the conclusions from the latest surveyinclude:
The majority of respondents appreciates the newsletter Anchounter and its content. Similarcomments are made on the Company website.They prefer to receive the newsletter in printedversion rather than electronic.
Most respondents consider Vryhof ’s standarddelivery time as acceptable, however somepointed at swifter delivery in case of an urgency inthe field or operations. As a result Vryhof nowkeeps a continued stock of 12 and 15 mT StevprisMk6 anchors.
With an increased recognition of theStevtensioner an encouraging comment is therequest for a larger capacity Stevtensioner. A newdesign project has been started following this andthe introduction of a new 1250 ton Stevtensioneris planned end of this summer (2012).
Norbert comments “we had added a questionabout the use of Stevin Mk3 anchor. 23% of therespondents have experience with it and mightbe keen to read the news on the cover of thisAnchounter about our introducing a new,powerful version called the Stevin40”.
The next survey will be issued April / May 2012.
Still on the main aisle and with the sameposition on the OTC exhibition floor, but theVryhof booth will have a different look thisyear that better matches the modern Vryhofidentity.
Says Øyvind Wathne: “We have participatedin the OTC for 35+ years straight withoutinterruption and we have continuously beenon the forefront of mooring technology. Ithas become sort of a tradition to introducenew technology at our OTC booth, such aswe will this year introduce the new Stevin40”.
The Vryhof booth has always been a place for customers to store their personalbelongings, have a rest and get refreshmentsduring their visit to OTC. In the earlier daysthe bar and its alcoholic contents were thecentral point of the booth, not to mentionthe ashtrays.
Øyvind: “We now prioritise the seating areafor a rest and a chat, but without ashtrays.And the bar? Of course, the Vryhof boothwould not be the same without it or withoutthe charming duo behind it!”
OTC – a new Vryhof booth design
Making satisfaction measurable and visible.
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Anchounter 49
Anchounter is a publication of Vryhof Anchors B.V.
Discovery Channel vis ited the VryhofResearch facilities to shoot footage fortheir series ’How do they do it”. Well forone, Dave, seated in the sandpit here, toldthem how, and showed them importantdesign features of extreme high holdingpower anchors and how these result instability, strength, penetration and …holding power. This episode, which is to beaired in September, will also cover theanchor manufacturing in Rotterdam andsome shots of people in the Vryhof officewho suddenly appeared in their best suits
on the shooting day!
Every year, shortly before Christmas Vryhofstaff gathers for an informal meal and enjoya mock raffle of the many Christmas giftsthat are so generously given by many. Eachticket costs one euro and it almostguarantees a prize. The proceeds from thislottery is donated to a selected small localcharity, in the in the Christmas spirit.
This year’s Vryhof charity raffle proceeds(and quite a bit more) were used to sponsorthe refurbishment and creation of a special“cosy” bath- and relaxation room fordemented for elderly people suffering withdementia. The idea came from one ofVryhof’s employees whose wife works at thishome for special care that, due to subsidy-and budget restraints, was unable to raisethe necessary funds from the normalsources.
The purpose of a so called multi-resourcesenvironment is to raise awareness bystimulating vision, hearing, feeling, smelland taste, the aim being to get in contactwith the individual suffering from gradualloss of senses and to provide a feeling ofpersonal happiness and wellbeing,improving the quality of life for the time thatis left to them.
A specialized company was contracted to
supply specially developed equipment forsensory activation and several enthusiasticvolunteers helped to realize thisextraordinary project. The equipmentconsists of several light-effect appliancesand an aroma-evaporator. Most of thesuppliers contributed generously byproviding accessories at no cost or reducedprices. Inspired by this initiative, a qualitystereo set was donated generously by arelative of one of the residents to provide arelaxing tune.
We hope that many residents, who builtduring their productive years the world as itis today now may experience some welldeserved quality time while having a nicebath, enjoy relaxing music or sounds fromnature in a room that in every way was builtto make them feel better, if only for thatshort moment.
