Cell-spar platform takes shape

Spar production platforms for deep-water fields have a fairly short history – the first facility was installed in 1996. But, in just seven years, they have evolved through three generations. The first example of the latest variant, the cell spar, is due to start flowing gas in the second quarter of next year, Martin Quinlan writes

THE PRODUCTION spar for Kerr-McGee's Red Hawk gasfield will leave Technip-Coflexip's Gulf Marine Fabricators yard at Aransas Pass, Texas, early next year for tow-out to Garden Banks Block 877 in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Installation of the cell-spar platform, in 1,616 metres of water, will mark the emergence of the third generation of production spars - and should open up the design to more applications, for smaller fields as well as for use in yet-deeper waters. The cell spar - like its predecessors, designed by Technip-Coflexip - is intended to be simpler and less costly to fabricate than the earlier designs. This should facilitate its manufacture in lower-cost yards worldwide. Lower cons