This video shows Lerwick Harbour receiving the 10,000-tonne subsea oil storage tank for Premier’s Solan oil field development located 90km west of Shetland.
The tank was delivered to the port on 26 July from the construction yard in Dubai by Chinese Ocean Shipping (Cosco) Heavy Lift’s transport vessel, Xiang Yun Kou.
With a displacement of 47,285-tonne, the Xiang Yun Kou is the biggest displacement tonnage ship to berth alongside at Lerwick.
On July 31, Xiang Yun Kou moved to the Brei Wick area of the harbor to ballast down overnight in an operation that required 30m of water to partially submerge the vessel. The float-off early the next day involved several tugs including Lerwick Port Authority’s vessels, Knab and Kebister.
Once afloat, the tank was returned to Holmsgarth quay for transfer to the ocean-going tugs to take it offshore in the first weather window. Xiang Yun Kou deballasted and departed port on Aug. 1 for Suez.
The ocean-going tugs left port on 3 August with the 300,000 barrel storage capacity tank for a two-day tow to Solan where it was successfully installed in 130m of water.
Read more about the Solan development: