INTEC's initial responsibilities included the preparation of the Bid Invitation Package, Scope of Work, Production Riser Design, and Global Performance Design Criteria. The following TLP/Spar-type designs were considered for development of the field and competitive bids were obtained from the four contractors offering their designs:

• Atlantia Offshore's 'Super SeaStar' Mini-TLP
  
• MODEC International's 'Moses' Mini-TLP
  
• Kvaerner's 'Deep Draft Floater'
  
• Spars International's 'Truss Spar'
  

After a six-week bid period, the bids were received on June 1, 1999 at INTEC's offices and were evaluated over the following three weeks. The recommended contractor, based on price, schedule and technical suitability, was MODEC International with their 'Moses' Mini-TLP design. The TLP will support a Topsides Process Facility designed by Alliance Engineering to produce 25,000 BOPD and 55 MMscfd of gas.

A contract was recently awarded to MODEC International on July 16th for the fabrication of the 'Moses' TLP Hull, Tendons and Production Risers. A contract for the installation of the system will also follow. Fabrication will begin at the AMFELS Fabrication Yard in Brownsville, Texas in the first week of September 1999. First Oil is expected in June 2001.

Graham Parker, Floating Production Systems Manager and a Naval Architect with extensive floating production design and construction experience was responsible for these activities together with other INTEC personnel. He will continue INTEC's participation in the Sunday Silence project by supporting the integrated project team as Floating Systems Manager. Dr. Basim Mekha, one of INTEC's TLP/SPAR Engineering Specialists, has been assisting Mr. Parker and this will continue throughout the design and construction phases of the project.

Among other project tasks, Dr. Mekha will also be responsible for the recently awarded design of two 12-inch Steel Catenary Risers (SCR's) which will be utilized for oil and gas export for the development. It is the first time that INTEC will have assumed the complete responsibility for the design of SCR's attached to a floating structure. The 'Sunday Silence' SCR's will be designed for, and installed in comparatively 'shallow' water, which is the most difficult depth band to design for. The shallowest record to date is for the SCR's for the Morpeth TLP in 1,700 feet water depth.

INTEC is now also involved in the bidding process for the Geophysical Hazard and Route Survey and Geotechnical Survey for the TLP site. Simon Bonnell, INTEC's Geohazard Specialist, recently provided the Bid Tender Package composed of the Scope of Work and Specifications. He will also be involved in the technical evaluation of the bids and monitoring of the work during the survey period.

This is an exciting time for INTEC. It is the first time in the Gulf of Mexico that an independent engineering consultancy group has been given the responsibility for the bidding activities and evaluation of the designs and construction bids for two different TLP's and two SPAR-type floating production vessels on behalf of an Operator, for a 'live' project. There is also more of this type of work on the offshore horizon and we are actively pursing this type of project involvement. We look forward to broadening our presence in the offshore oil and gas industry through this 'state-of-the-art' technical expertise.

The compression complex includes an 8-leg jacket in 140 ft. depth, with a 2-level process deck, 3 nos. compressor modules, generator module and living quarters. The main compression platform will be connected via a tripod supported bridge to the existing AKAL GR process complex. It will also be connected via two bridges and an intermediate tripod to a flare tripod.

Jayesh Antani and John Pavey have been reviewing the structural design, and John Burns is providing expert oversight of the installation contractor.

In our own backyard (Houston), Felix Hammontree and Alex Mayants are performing Owner's due diligence on the MCC/control rooms and living quarters module fabrication.

Installation is scheduled to commence by early November 1999 using the heavy lift vessel "Tolteca" (ex-Blue Whale), and will continue through to commissioning in First Quarter 2000.

It turned out that there were two parallel bridges, and I first thought that the Romans had done this to assure reliability of supply. Then we found that one turned towards Arles and appeared to be part of the ancient water supply of that city. The other channel went straight through a little limestone ridge which overlooked a valley with wheat fields. On the steep slope were ruins of stone buildings suggesting that the water had been channeled down for some purpose.

Later in the museum of Arles this question was answered when we saw a scale model of what turned out to be an industrial sized Roman flourmill complex built in the second century AD. The water from the aqueduct flowed through the cut in the rock into a basin and was then split in two streams each driving eight 2.20-m diameter water wheels over a vertical drop of about 20 m. Each wheel serviced a milling chamber turning a 0.9-m diameter basalt mill stone through some gearing mechanism. It has been calculated that this complex could produce about 5 tons of flour a day, enough to supply the city of Arles that had about 12,000 inhabitants in those days. After cascading down the mill the water was used to irrigate the fields below.

How they were able in those days to determine how to efficiently convert the elevation head of what looks like a narrow stream of water into rotation of sixteen heavy grinding stones I have not been able to figure out. I would like our engineers, or other challenged render, to make some calculations and answer this question; after all, I have already done the tough job of going there and gathering all the information (did I mention the bistro where we had this superb lunch afterwards?). The input data are then as follows (also see sketch):

• Supply channel 0.9 m wide, 0.6 m deep, gradient unknown, but based on open channel gravity flow.
  
• Vertical drop between collection basin and outlet
  20 m
  
• Slope over mill complex 30%
  
• Eight water wheels of 2.20 m diameter, one below the other, each driving a 0.9 m diameter mill stone
  
• Production capacity 4,500 kg of flour a day
  

The required results include the water throughput, the gearing ratios, the efficiency factors and any other information needed to explain the workings of this system. Please submit your report with description of methods, assumptions and results to Angel Barton by September 30 (preparation of a CTR, execution plan and schedule for this work is optional). The most convincing response will be published in the next Quarterly Journal.

W. J. Timmermans
President

Project Manager for this job is Ernie Matchett, Manager of Engineering of the Delft office, and Dr. Emmanuel Adesioye is the Lead Process Engineer. Emmanuel is a recent addition to the Delft office (April 1999), and is our Principal Process/Hydraulics Engineer in that office. Assistance is also being provided from Houston, led by Steve Cochran.

The specialist software, OLGA is being utilized for this project, leased from ScandPower in Norway. OLGA is a very sophisticated Transient Multiphase Simulator. The new version "OLGA 2000" has just been released, and is being utilized on this project.

There are three INTEC 'firsts' associated with this project for:

• This is the FIRST Transient Flow Analysis work for the Delft office.
  
• INTEC is the FIRST company in the world to use OLGA 2000.
  
• Emmanual Adesioye is the FIRST engineer in the world to use OLGA 2000 on a 'live' project.
  

This project again illustrates INTEC's leading edge world-wide use of the latest technology.

In August 1999, INTEC Engineering BV was awarded a contract by SOEKOR E&P of South Africa to provide Construction Management Assistance for the Oryx Field Development.

The Field Development Plan calls for two subsea wells at Oryx tied back to an existing Floating Production Facility (FPF), the Orca, located in the Oribi Field. The tie-back distance is 5.2 km, water depth approximately 120 m, and is illustrated in the attached sketch. The field is located some 100 km offshore South Africa.

The subsea equipment comprises the following items:

• Flexible flowline (8-inch, 5.2 km)
  
• Flowline jumpers for tie-in to subsea wellheads
  
• Static and Dynamic Composite Service Line and Electro-hydraulic control umbilical
  
• Subsea manifold
  
• Riser Base
  
• Flexible riser and hang off.
  

A pipeline crossing is also involved.

INTEC's scope is to provide Construction Management Assistance to SOEKOR E&P for the Engineering, Procurement, Installation and Construction (EPIC) contract. This will involve monitoring of the EPIC contractor's progress and schedule, reviewing engineering design and construction procedures, monitoring manufacturing activities for main components of the subsea system (wellheads and subsea control system are free issue by SOEKOR), and providing support, on an as needed basis, for engineering support/verification.

The project is led by Tony Cunnington, Senior Project Manager, located in Cape Town, RSA, and managed by Ernie Matchett from the Delft office. The subsea equipment is due to be commissioned in March/April 2000, and Tony will eventually be located in the EPIC contractor's office as Site Representative for SOEKOR.

Earlier this year, INTEC BV had also provided assistance to SOEKOR for technical bid evaluations and clarifications with all of the EPIC contractors who tendered for this job. This was performed by Dr Mike Tobin, Project Engineer in the Delft office, whose background is in Naval Architecture. This is yet another first for INTEC and the Delft office, our FIRST project in South Africa.

During the detailed engineering, fabrication and installation phases, INTEC acted as the Systems Engineering entity. INTEC achievements of note during this time are subsea interface management, planning and coordination of the Systems Integration Testing prior to installation, and technical coordination during the installation of the subsea equipment. Gemini produced first gas in June of this year from their first well and added a second well in July. Both Texaco and Chevron consider this development a major success and milestone in their Gulf of Mexico Deepwater programs.

Technical Evaluation of Bids for an Offshore Tanker Mooring and Offloading System for VEBA's Hanze Oil Field

In April 1999 INTEC Engineering B.V. was awarded a contract by VEBA OIL Netherlands for the technical evaluation of proposals for the planned tanker mooring and offloading facility for the Hanze Oil Field.

The German oil company VEBA OIL is currently developing the Hanze Oil Field offshore The Netherlands. Due to the field limited reserves and the relatively remote location from existing oil infrastructure, it was decided to export the oil by tanker.

The field development includes a steel gravity base production & storage platform and a tanker mooring and offloading facility, connected to the platform by a 1.5 km long pipeline. This facility will be the first SPM system in the Dutch sector of the North Sea

David has devoted the majority of his time, as an INTEC engineer, working on the BP Northstar project. His particular work has been with development of the Prototype Leak Detection System and Construction Procedures for installing an Offshore Pipeline System through the floating landfast winter ice (industry first). He just recently left Houston for another stint in Anchorage in his role of coordinating materials procurement, in fact, he will be reading this tribute from a special copy delivered to him there. None of us in the Houston office can offer any sympathy to David on this trip, as we are stuck with the heat while he gets to enjoy the pristine beauty and the pleasant temperatures of Alaska. That's okay, David will undoubtedly spend the good part of another winter in Anchorage and, perhaps, the North Slope at which time we will be enjoying the wonderfully mild winter in Houston.

David likes to have a good time; he's not "all work and no play". His Irish genes?? While in Alaska, he enjoys hiking and camping and has plans for salmon fishing during this current trip. In Houston, McElroy's (Irish) Pub is a great meeting place for David and friends. Recently, David took up the Banjo. No, he doesn't know "Deliverance" yet but he promises to learn.

In February of this year, David bought a condo in the Houston Greenway Plaza area. His parents visited in the Spring, loved Texas and New Orleans and can't wait to come back. David sent them home with a key to the Condo. David has a brother living in Nashville, Tennessee and his other brothers and sister are living in Ireland.

To bring in Y2K, David hopes to join Stephen Lyon (INTEC, Houston), Knut Dohlen (INTEC, Delft), Mike Jones (X-INTEC, Houston now Harland and Wolff, Belfast) and Miguel Yupari (X-INTEC, Houston, now M.W. Kellogg) in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Sounds like a wonderful reunion with great friends - it will be a blast!

David has brought to INTEC his spirit of adventure, compassion and a brilliant mind. Thanks David, it's great to have you amongst us.

INTEC participation at the 18th International Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering (OMAE '99) Conference was highlighted by the presentation of three papers. OMAE '99 Conference was held at St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada in July 11-16, 1999.

The four papers are:

• "Impact of Loop Currents on the Design of Spar Mooring Lines" by Basim B. Mekha, INTEC Engineering Inc., Houston and George Lagers, INTEC Engineering, B.V., Delft, The Netherlands.
  

• "Preliminary Ovalisation Measurements of Buried Pipelines Subject to Lateral Loading" by I. Konuk, GSC Ottawa, R. Phillips, S. Hurley, C-CORE, Memorial University, St. John's, Canada, and Michael Paulin, INTEC Engineering, Inc., Houston.
  

• "Modeling Iceberg Scour Processes on the Northeast Grand Banks" by R.F. McKenna, G.B. Crocker, C-CORE, Memorial University, St. John's, Canada, and Michael Paulin, INTEC Engineering, Inc., Houston.
  

For DUCO, Inc., QA/QC Services at SeaCAT

For Alkyon, Skiff to Clipper Pipeline

For Delos Offshore Company LLC, Design of 12-inch Oil and 12-inch Gas Export SCRs

For PA Consulting Group, Expert Witness Services on Drillship Design

For SOEKOR E&P, RSA, Construction Management Assistance Belema Gas Injection Project

For ABB/SPDC Nigeria, Transient Hydraulic Analysis

For Sipetrol, AM-6 Oil Field Inspection Services

For Westcoast Energy, Cantrell Compression Project - Additional Fabrication yard Representation and Installation Engineering Due Diligence

For Sasp Offshore Engineering, Blue stream Black Sea Gas Crossing Technical Assistance

For Brunei Shell Petroleum, Conceptual Study for Champion Main and Block 14 Water Injection Pipelines

For Esso Production Malaysia Inc., Detailed Design of Satellite Field Development Project

For Brunei Shell Petroleum, Detailed Design of AMRJ-01 to Saints Trunkline Replacement and Tutong Gas Supply Pipeline Project

For YPF SA., Evaluation to Increase Capacity in the Puerto Rosales - La Plata Crude Oil Pipeline

For Gas Atacama, Rio Purnamaca - Tilcara Gas Pipeline Detail Engineering

For Metrogas, Right of Way and Construction Permits

For ABB/SIEP BV, Soroosh/Nowrooz Conceptual Design

For Heymo/Ingeniera-Spain, Bay of Cadiz Crossing

For Shell Nambia, Evaluate Three Pipeline Routes for Spanning

For Burlington, Consultancy on Self Installing Platform

For Cooper Cameron, Engineering Testing and Commissioning of Subsea Trees

For HAM_SMIT JV, Detailed Design of Tuas Submarine Gas Pipeline Project

For TL Offshore, Detailed Engineering Services for Bekok C Riser Upgrade and Tabu A to Tabu B Gas Lift Pipeline

For NACAP, Sanga Sanga River Crossing - Kalimantan