Delmar Delivers New MODU OMNI-Max™ Anchor
Delmar Systems, Inc. successfully installed the Gulf of Mexico's first gravity-installed vertical load anchor (VLA). The patented OMNI-Max™ anchor was installed at Anadarko's Garden Banks 667 location in late December 2007. The Anchor was deployed from the AHTS - Alex Chouest and penetrated the seabed. The Anchor was pull tested by the installation vessel and, with mooring line forerunner attached, abandoned on the seabed in the preset configuration. The anchor line was later connected to Diamond Offshore's MODU Ocean Star using Delmar's patented subsea mooring connector to connect the preset mooring line to the rig's self-contained mooring components. The installed OMNI-Max anchor complements the MODU's seven other self-contained/deployed conventional drag embedment anchors with attached mooring lines.
"The anchor technology offers great benefit in design of mooring systems that reduces risk to subsea infrastructure in the event of station keeping damage or failure. The OMNI-Max is capable of being loaded in any direction 360 degrees around the axis of the anchor. Under extreme loading and uplift angle conditions, the anchor will penetrate deeper into the soil to gain the needed holding capacity. This technology is an industry first that may allow damaged moorings to survive longer in the event of multiple line failure since the load angle can change without the capacity of the foundation being adversely affected. This is a milestone achievement to assist operators such as Anadarko by developing a more efficient anchor to moor MODUs over and among valuable seabed infrastructure," said Evan Zimmerman - Delmar's Engineering Manager.
