Sevan Marine tests cylindrical hull for Gulf of Mexico application

Under a program organized by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA), Doris Inc., the Offshore Technology Research Center (OTRC) at Texas A&M University and Sevan Marine have carried out further research and model scale testing of Sevan Marine’s cylindrical hull for application in the Gulf of Mexico ultra deep water.

Sevan Marine said in a press release on Tuesday that the model tests at OTRC confirmed the favorable motion characteristics of the Sevan Marine design enabling the application of with Steel Catenary Risers (SCR) and permanent mooring in even the harshest hurricane conditions.

According to Sevan, several ‘major oil companies’ confirmed their interest for the company’s cylindrical design by attending the Industry Day held on Wednesday, May 11, 2016.

Further research and testing is planned in order to bring Sevan Marine’s patented SCR concept to its full potential, the company said.

“Sevan Marine is confident that this can be a game changing technology for deep water offshore applications particularly in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico’s outer continental shelf in years to come,” the company stated in the press release.

Funding for the projects is provided through the “Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program” authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This program-funded from lease bonuses and royalties paid by industry to produce oil and gas on federal lands-is designed to assess and mitigate risk enhancing the environmental sustainability of oil and gas exploration and production activities.

RPSEA is under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory to administer three areas of research. RPSEA is a non-profit consortium with more than 180 members, including 24 of the nation’s premier research universities, five national laboratories, other major research institutions, large and small energy producers and energy consumers.