Tideland Buoys Mark Angola’s New LNG Terminal

Tideland’s SB‐2200 and SB‐138 polyethylene buoys complete with MLED‐140 marine lanterns fitted with the high performance MaxiHALO‐60 LED Flasher ‐ along with mooring equipment have been deployed in the new LNG port at Soyo in the north of Angola to mark the newly dredged access channel and turning circle.

The installation was designed in collaboration with Boskalis, which was responsible for civil engineering aspects of the project, including the dredging and reclamation of 140 hectares of land.

In addition to supplying the aids to navigation, Tideland supervised the installation of the nine large buoys and ten of the smaller SB‐138s, complete with lanterns, mooring kits and sinkers.

A Tideland SeaBeacon2 System 6 racon is installed on one of the larger buoys configured as a Cardinal Marker with an MLED‐140 MaxiHALO lantern to mark a reef outside the channel.

Four pairs of SB‐2200s with MLED‐140 MaxiHALO lantern (range 5Nm) are deployed to mark the port and starboard extremes of the entrance to the approach channel.

SB‐2200 features an asymmetric twin keel hull design that enables it to remain upright in fast currents, optimising the performance of the lantern beam for range and visibility.

Ten Tideland SB‐138P buoys in various configurations complete with MLED‐140 MaxiHALO lanterns mark the navigable limits of the inner channel.

Both SB‐2200 and SB‐138 are entirely manufactured from rotationally moulded polyethylene with a solid core of expanded polystyrene foam and are virtually unsinkable as the integral foam core will prevent excessive water ingress in the event of a collision.

In addition to offering a planned service life of up to 20 years, low maintenance requirements, reduced weight and exceptional resistance to damage and marine growth, the buoy may be fully recycled at the end of its life.

The rotational moulding process ensures a seamless body, using a mould which provides increased thickness of polyethylene at major stress points in the structure.

Before moulding, the polymer is compounded with UV inhibitors and pigment so that the wall thickness is evenly UV‐stabilised and colour is permanent and uniform throughout.

As a result, painting is never necessary.

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Source: Tideland Signal, June 25, 2010;