Structural Engineering
Our team of Structural Engineers and Naval Architects has a broad range of experience in the design and analysis of structures (temporary and permanent) for a wide variety of marine and offshore projects.
Our focus is on providing an optimal solution for our clients, answering questions such as:
- What is the best sea-fastening design for transporting the cargo safely, with minimal steel use?
- How to strengthen the vessel or asset to safely support the loads expected?
- How can we efficiently extend the life of the asset?
- What loads can the asset safely handle during a winter season?
- What is the most efficient rigging design for my heavy-lift?
We combine practical experience of marine operations, fabrication and construction with detailed analytical capabilities to design and engineer structural solutions. We focus on optimising the cost and practicality, while conforming to industry regulation and best practices.
Our engineers use a combination of hand calculations and analytical tools (such as Finite Element Analysis, FEA) to develop structural engineering solutions. We make use of all our technical disciplines to consider the solution from all angles, evaluating concepts against a range of criteria. While each project is unique to some degree, we always look for cost-efficiencies – for example, we can often make use of previous designs and solutions.
Sea-fastening is a good example, where we focus on providing an optimal solution for the item(s) being transported and the selected vessel, whilst minimising risk and cost by considering:
- Type of transportation (coastal or inland barge transports to the deep-sea transport of very high value, sensitive equipment).
- Selecting motions criteria that are most appropriate to the cargo and transport route.
- Designing the sea-fastenings, grillages and load-spreading necessary to distribute the stresses, protecting both cargo and vessel.
- Fabrication and installation methods.
We have designed sea-fastenings and developed transport plans for items such as:
- Offshore topsides, substations, jackets and piles
- Liquid gas e.g. (LPG) bullet tanks
- High value, very sensitive nuclear equipment
- Oil and gas modules including pre-assembled Racks/Units (PAR/PAU) and pipe racks
- Ship-to-Shore (STS), mobile cranes, rubber tired gantry (RTG) cranes
- Vessels such as tugs, yachts, fishing vessels
- Break-bulk project cargoes
We also use our structural engineering expertise for solving problems in vessel salvage and wreck removal cases and decommissioning engineering. We can provide advice on welding and metallurgy matters.