The Bunga Orkid A topsides for operator Talisman weighs 13,300 tonnes and was floated in aboard Cosco heavy lift vessel Tai An Kou, one of the few units capable of executing such an operation.
Once Tai An Kou had manoeuvered into the slot specially provided in the jacket at water level, topside-leg stubs were positioned precisely above receiving points. Then the vessel started a rapid ballasting sequence to transfer the weight of the complete topsides onto the jacket over a period of two hours, using shock absorbing sandwiches of elastomeric rubber and steel plate at the mating points.
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