Unique Disconnectable Over Water Umbilical System for GOM FPSO

The Challenge: FPSO shallow water operations in the Gult of Mexico are susceptable to damage from hurricanes and other weather events.

The Solution: The AmerCable Systems Group provided the connectivity system for the industry’s first Disconnectable Tower Yoke Mooring System (“DTYMS”). This unique 35kV Over Water Umbilical system (OWU) was designed by SOFEC, Inc., a MODEC group company.

If severe weather threatens the shallow water area where the FPSO Miamante MV34 is moored, it can disconnect and depart to safer waters until the threat has passed. Afterward it can reconnect to its mooring tower and restart operations. Prior to this, the connection from an FPSO to its mooring tower was permanent, meaning the FPSO was unable to avoid harsh weather and hurricanes, which often lead to severe vessel damage and downtime.