Tideland Installs Buoys for Yemen LNG

Yemen LNG has installed five Tideland SB-285P lateral mark buoys equipped with SolaMAX 140/6 self-contained LED lanterns to mark the exclusion zone around its facilities at the port of Balhaf.

YNLG has been using Tideland’s smaller SB-138P buoys to mark the exclusion zone since 2007 but have now chosen the larger buoy to mark one side of the zone for the benefit of local fishermen. The buoys were chosen because they are easy to handle, not too tall or too heavy and have the benefit of a proven, self-contained lantern. Tideland has also supplied the company’s maintenance team with a further five SB-138P buoys.

Tideland’s SB-285P buoys feature a robust, maintenance-free construction of rotationally moulded, UV-stabilised, self-coloured polyethylene filled with expanded polystyrene. There are no external corrodible parts and composite moorings system has been specifically designed for deeper water (up to 115 metres).

The compact lightweight design of Tideland’s SolaMAX 140 lantern features a high intensity MaxiHalo-60 LED flasher controller with 256 user selectable flash codes and integral solar panels charging a sealed, maintenance – free lead acid battery. All the internals, including the long-life LEDs and high-integrity electronics, are contained within a tough UV-resistant polycarbonate enclosure and will even withstand being temporarily submerged in salt water. The only time the lantern needs to be opened would be to change the battery, recommended after 5 years operation.

At Balhaf, the SB-285P buoys are deployed in waters from 70 to 360 metres in depth, using a special composite mooring system designed by Tideland.

The successful cooperation with YLNG is continuing, as Tideland has just been contracted to supply an additional SB-285P buoy with its newest Nova-65 ‘’indestructible’’ lantern that reaches and exceeds 7NM (T74) range, making it highly suitable for Fairway buoy applications. Nova-65 is a compact, ultra-lightweight unit available with a wide range of vertical divergence in the lens – up to 20º and even 30º. This feature enables mariners to see the light in the roughest seas and is beyond the capability of any other lantern currently available on the market.

Yemen LNG was incorporated in 1995 to develop the LNG plant at Balhaf in the country’s Burum coastal area. The first three LNG contracts were signed in 2005 under which the Yemen state-owned oil and gas company Safer Exploration and Production supplies the LNG plant with up to 12.5 billion cubic meter (bcm) of gas per year from the Block18 of the Marib-Jawf field. Production started in 2009.

Balhaf has upstream gas processing facilities, a transfer line linking processing units, a spur-line for transporting gas to the Ma’bar area and a 320 kilometres pipeline connecting the gas processing facilities to the LNG plant. There are two LNG trains with a total capacity of 6.7 million tonnes per year. The US$4 billion project is one of the country’s biggest investments to date.

Founded in 1954, Tideland Signal designs, manufactures and supplies aids to marine navigation (AtoN) for ports, harbours and offshore energy installations around the world, while supporting its customers with comprehensive technical assistance and after-sales service. This mission is accomplished with the support of its subsidiaries Dabbrook and Safe Sea Services, along with its partner Floatex S.R.L.

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LNG World News Staff, March 27, 2013; Image: Tideland