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Thursday 31 March 2011

Sepia Saturday at Rosenberg Verft

When I say Alan's picture this week it gave me the perfect chance to share some engineering construction shots with you.

In the early 1980s Rosenberg Verft in Stavanger, Norway had the the contact to build the deck structure for the Statfjord B platform and the mechanical outfitting contract for the gravity base structure which formed its storage cells and the concrete legs on which the deck structure sat.

The photos below are a mixture of mine and some I acquired from different sources. Not all are of 'good' quality.

The first truss of the deck structure on dummy legs at the Rosenberg yard.

The deck structure in a more advanced stage of construction with the accommodation module at the left.

The Balder heavy lift crane used to lift prefabricated module onto the deck.

To give you some idea of size the Balder's lifting hook looked like this in close-up:


The completed deck structure on its dummy legs

A prefabricated deck to be inserted in the concrete legs in the deep water site at Gandsfjord

A deck being lowered into position in one of the four concrete legs.

The complete platform prior to its departure for the North Sea.

Finally a sepia photo of the platform in position.

For more contributions please visit Sepia Saturday 68

21 comments:

21 Wits said...

Wow, this is an amazing production, and I couldn't help but wonder with each photo, if anyone was hurt or may have loss their life? It seems like such an enormous amount of fine engineering and lots and lots of hard steady work! Here in America many companies when building such great things will hang an evergreen tree from the top until someone has died....very cool post for Sepia Saturday Bob, I can tell you really enjoyed sharing it! Very cool photos!

Rosie said...

Isn't technology amazing!!!!

Postcardy said...

All the photos are interesting as documents, bu I especially like the colors, shapes, and composition of the closeup of the hook.

Christine H. said...

What an amazing process and how wonderful to see it at various stages.

Brett Payne said...

That lifting hook is immense - before I read the text I immediately thought it was some kind of anchor. The size in relation to the people reminds me of the famous image of Brunel next to the massive chains in the shipyard. Thanks for sharing the images of what must have been an extraordinary and unforgettable experience.

Kristin said...

and i have to echo amazing! did you work on this bridge or just take photos?

Unknown said...

Anytime I see sites or photos like that I am totally amazed. It is hard to imagine how those jobs finally get done.
QMM

Unknown said...

This is so incredible. I love the photos.

Marilyn & Jeff said...

Wow what a structure, you have great photos to show the progress. Years ago my husband worked on an off shore oil rig off the coast of Taranaki, NZ. It wouldn't have been this big nor was it in such harsh seas. It's visible from the coast most days.

Jinksy said...

What will men think of next? :)

Alan Burnett said...

I don't think I had ever appreciated the immense scale of these structures before. A fascinating post in every way.

Betsy Brock said...

How very interesting! I wondered how they made those huge structures and had them elevated above the water. Those huge cranes are fun to watch, too!

Anonymous said...

I've always wondered how they built structures in the water. Since I'm not ever standing around watching, this post is very informative.

North County Film Club said...

Totally amazing. The one photo of the men working on the platform is so related to this week's theme. So much muscle - so much technology!
Nancy
Ladies of the grove

Bob Scotney said...

Karen S; As far as I was aware at the time there were no serious injuries; definitely no lives lost. It was the first oil platform that I worked on during construction.

Kirstin; I worked in the RV yard during the construction as a metallurgist and QC engineer.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I just wish I had taken that hook photograph. It the days before digital cameras I wasn't very good.

Anonymous said...

It makes me dizzy just thinking about those cranes! A feat of engineering :-) Jo

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy said...

Bob, everything is so huge! This is very interesting; it is the first time that I have ever seen the building of a platform. To tell you the truth, I'd never thought much about how they would build them. Thanks for all the info!

Anonymous said...

Engineering like this always makes my head spin. So big and so complex looking. Very interesting.

Tattered and Lost said...

They are bizarre alien looking structures.

Howard said...

That's incredible. The accommodation module looks like a hotel bolted to the side of an oil rig, which I suppose is what it was...

Bruno Laliberté said...

a most impressive structure. thanx 4 showing us the progression.
:)~
HUGZ